‘Many more’ dinosaur species await discovery
Nigersaurus would have spent most of the time browsing plants close to the ground. There are many more dinosaur species like this waiting to be discovered. (Credit: Illustration © Todd Marshall,
courtesy Project Exploration)
See a larger version of this image.
One of the most interesting stories of 2007 came from the prehistoric world of dinosaurs.
Our conception of that world is still evolving, said dinosaur expert Paul Sereno. Sereno unveiled his latest find – an unexpected new dinosaur now being called a Nigersaurus – in late 2007. And he told Earth & Sky that there are many more dinosaur species waiting to be discovered in Africa.
Paul Sereno: The world of dinosaurs when I grew up was one that was based largely on ours and Canada’s dinosaurs — western North America dinosaurs. Particularly southern continents were poorly known, and have been continuing gold mines for new species. This is Africa’s world of dinosaurs that we are slowly peeling back. And it’s an extraordinary thing to be present at the time this is happening. To say that there are deposits in the Sahara that have barely been walked is to say that we have many more dinosaurs to name.
New technology has revolutionized the way paleontologists piece together dinosaur bones. Sereno’s team relied on CT scans to make sense of the unusual shape of the skull of the Nigersaurus. And he said science in the century ahead will reveal more about dinosaurs and the world they lived in. He added he hopes young people will consider science as a career.
Paul Sereno: This is going to be the century where science either saves the planet, or we fail as a species. Real important thing.
Our thanks to:
Paul Sereno
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
University of Chicago
Paul Sereno: “This is going to be the century where science either saves the planet, or we fail as a species.”
Dear Paul,
Seldom do I agree so completely with a single statement as I do with your statement above. It seems to me that the humankind has come to a crossroads, as many are recognizing in our time, and has a choice. We can choose to be guided by God’s great gift to humanity of good science and find the courage to what is necessary ot preserve our species and life as we know it or we can choose to stay the course of the predominant culture by overpopulating the planet, relentlessly expanding economic globalization activities and increasing per human over-consumption, which would lead most likely to the failure of humanity…....among other catastrophic occurrences and consequences.
Sincerely,
Steve
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population
If we choose to keep doing as we are now and to keep getting what we are getting now, what is the probability that our children could find themselves coming to the end of the “primrose path” we have set before them; at which point they will suddenly come upon THE ROAD imagined by Cormac McCarthy in his recent book entitled “The Road”?
Are we fiddling while ‘Rome is burning’ and Earth is overheating?
Are we communicating as if we are living in a modern day Tower of Babel? Is our spectacular failure to communicate reasonably and sensibly about whatsoever is somehow real, and to widely share adequate understandings regarding both the family of humanity within the natural order of living things and the limitations of the planet we inhabit, in evidence here and now.
Perhaps the human community is indeed in a serious predicament, but only in part because of the objective biological and physical circumstances defining our distinctly human-driven predicament. The global challenges in the offing are further complicated by our incredible failure to communicate effectively about the potentially pernicious results derived from having recklessly grown a soon to become patently unsustainable, colossal global economy, one that we have artificially designed, conveniently constructed, and unrealistically expanded without regard for the requirements of biophysical reality.
Could it be that the current gigantic scale and unchecked growth rate of the global economy is unsustainably driving both per human over-consumption and unrestrained human population growth toward the collapse of Earth’s ecology?
Sincerely,
Steve
Science is only science when it is undirected. The planet is fine, we may find a way to destroy ourselves, but I doubt it.
If we continue to try to direct human ecomnomic activity, we awill enter another period of dark ages where much if not most knowledge will be lost. Economics only works left unfettered and to, in Adam Smith’s words, “The Invisible Hand”.
The modern idea of global warming/climate change is analogous to the idea the earth was flat. Even moreso, it reminds me of the seeming need for humanity to feel guilty. Guilty enough to indulge in self destruction like the Mayans killing their youg females to mollify the angry gods. If we destroy our economies to “save the world” and to keep Gaia in a good mood, the earth will not care, it is inanimate. We will simply destroy our culture.
And by the way, China is planning to put one coal buring power plant online every two weeks for the next twenty year. Do you really think that treaties or self destruction will slow the use of so-called fossil fuels?
I think not.
Thanks for the footprints, I’m filing them away for future reference.
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After doing much research for several years on the only two ways to view anything and everything in the universe, the ONLY things that makes sense, and that can be proven, tested, repeated, and seen is looking at all of our evidence from a CREATION perspective. Hence, the world has been undergoing ups and downs in the climate since the flood of Noah’s time. Prior to that everything was consistently warm, like a terrarium. The world is NOT in any sort of crisis, as far as climate goes … we’re in a constant cycle of changes. The world is NOT going to end by humans destroying it. Read Ezekiel 36-39 and Relevations. THAT’S how the near earth and new Heaven will arise.
I really like this article! I had to turn in a current event for science and this is what I picked. Today it is 2/25/08. Right now we are studing animals so this was the perfect thing. I like learning about animals anyway so I figured this would do it!!!!!!!!