Tribe.net. Local Connections Gary the No-Trash Cougar http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/1093c171-0e1a-415a-bf54-9c2ad0ad32d2 2008-06-20T03:25:17Z 2008-06-20T03:25:17Z

<div>There is a new tribe for the discussion of Paleobotany (the study of prehistoric plant life), extinct and endangered plants and their conservation. I hope that this field of study interests you as much as it interests me. See you there! http://tribes.tribe.net/paleobotanyandextinctplants</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 0 replies </div>

Gary the No-Trash Cougar 2008-06-20T03:25:17Z po http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/16dcda62-f63b-48b6-8c95-7dfdbfff593b 2007-11-12T01:03:51Z 2007-11-12T01:03:51Z

<div>i'm new to this tribe. i'm an amateur artifact hunter. i am digesting as many books as i can on the ice age people of pennsylvania, but unfortunately the latest book i have found is from 2002. do any of you know if there is any updated material around, that i could sink my teeth into? <br/>thanks, <br/>po.....</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 0 replies </div>

po 2007-11-12T01:03:51Z Jahvan http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/e3cdb172-28d1-42de-9988-72031a3f997d 2007-07-17T07:30:37Z 2007-04-15T18:35:05Z

<div>Protein extracted from 68 million-year-old T. rex bones has shed new light on the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. <br/>Researchers compared organic molecules preserved in the T. rex fossils with those of living animals, and found they were similar to chicken protein. <br/> <br/>The discovery of protein in dinosaur bones is a surprise - organic material was not thought to survive this long. <br/>A US team of researchers have published the finding in Science journal. <br/>The team says their technique could help reveal evolutionary relationships between other living and extinct organisms. <br/>The finding is consistent with the idea that birds can trace a direct evolutionary line to dinosaurs. <br/> <br/>The resemblance may not be immediately obvious... <br/>The proteins are original organic material from the dinosaur's soft tissue, and not contamination, the scientists argue. <br/> <br/>According to theories of fossilisation, original organic material is not thought to survive as long as this; finding them in a fossil this old is a genuine surprise. They are by far the oldest such molecules extracted from fossils. <br/> <br/>"It has always been assumed that preservation of [dinosaur bones] does not extend to the cellular and molecular level," said co-author Mary Schweitzer, from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, US. <br/> <br/>"The pathways of cellular decay are well known for modern organisms. And extrapolations predict that all organics are going to be gone completely in 100,000 years, maximum." <br/> <br/>Brooks Hanson, an editor at Science journal said: "The goal of obtaining sequences either from proteins or DNA for extinct [organisms] has been a long-standing goal to test evolutionary links and processes, or even functional information." <br/> <br/>The work builds on an earlier discovery of soft tissue - including blood vessels - by Dr Schweitzer's team in the same, incredibly well-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils. <br/> <br/>Exceptional preservation <br/> <br/>The dinosaur remains - which include a skull, both thigh bones and both tibiae (shin bones) - were unearthed from rocks in the Hell Creek Formation of eastern Montana, US. <br/> <br/>The fossils were buried under at least 1,000 cubic metres of loose sandstone, interspersed with muds, which are thought to represent ancient stream channel sediments. <br/> <br/>The bones were buried under 1,000 cubic metres of rock in Montana <br/>The proteins found in the T. rex bones belong to the elastic connective fibres - known as collagen - that support other tissues in the body. <br/> <br/>Collagen makes up most of the organic material in bone, which consists of both minerals and protein. It is the same substance injected into the lips, and other areas of the body, in cosmetic surgery procedures. <br/> <br/>When minerals are removed from human bone, a collagen matrix is left behind. The US scientists performed the same operation on the T.rex fossil, and found what appeared to be residual traces of collagen. <br/> <br/>The findings of protein in the bones were confirmed by mass spectrometry, a sensitive technique that identifies chemicals by their atomic mass. <br/> <br/>It was able to show the T.rex material contained sequences of amino acids - protein building blocks - typical of collagen. <br/> <br/>Chicken-like: <br/> <br/>When the scientists compared the protein sequence pattern to those of living animals in a database, it was found to be structurally similar to chicken collagen, and there were also similarities with frog and newt protein. <br/> <br/>Dr Schweitzer said the similarity to chickens was exactly what one would expect given the relationship between modern birds and dinosaurs." <br/> <br/>Dr Jack Horner, a co-author from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, explained that extraordinarily well-preserved fossils such as the ones in question were probably not unique. <br/> <br/>"To get specimens like that involves excavating enormous amounts of material, covered with tens of feet of rock," Dr Horner said. <br/> <br/>"The T.rex was under a thousand cubic yards of rock and therefore in a position not to have been invaded by bacteria or groundwater," he said. <br/> <br/>"I think we're learning an important lesson here - that if we do get specimens like this, we spend a lot of time getting as deep into the sediment as we can in places where there has been very little atmospheric or water contamination." <br/> <br/>Dinosaurs, excluding bird lineages, disappeared from the face of the planet 65 million years ago. The reptiles are thought to have been killed off by an asteroid impact which struck off the present-day Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 3 replies </div>

Jahvan 2007-04-15T18:35:05Z deborahp http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/9259ae15-57c1-4e32-bc39-05898f5536ec 2007-07-08T01:27:05Z 2007-07-08T01:27:05Z

<div>KInda cool. I don't know a lot about sauropod dinosaurs, so I was interested to learn about how they may have used their tails. <br/> <br/> <br/>Baby Dino Skeleton Sheds Light on Growth <br/>http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070706/sc_livescience/babydinoskeletonshedslightongrowth;_ylt=A0WTUfHizY5Gp2YBmhDMWM0F <br/> <br/>Jeanna Bryner <br/>LiveScience Staff Writer <br/>LiveScience.com Fri Jul 6, 12:00 PM ET <br/> <br/>A new fossil of a juvenile dinosaur that lived 140 million years ago is shedding light on how the ancient reptiles grew from youngsters to enormous adults. <br/>ADVERTISEMENT <br/> <br/>Archaeologists unearthed the dinosaur in 1999 from the Lower Morrison Formation of the Howe Ranch in Bighorn County, Wyoming. They estimate the dinosaur was about 1 year old when it died toward the end of the Jurassic Period (206 million to 144 million years ago). <br/> <br/>“It’s the only complete skeleton of a juvenile sauropod we know of,” said lead researcher Daniela Schwarz of the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland. <br/> <br/>The 6-foot-long dinosaur is a sauropod that belonged to the family Diplodocidae, which included four-legged vegetarians equipped with long, slender tails. Past research has suggested the diplodocids used their tails as whipping weapons. One study found that Apatosaurus louisae could crack its tail at supersonic speeds to produce a ground-shaking boom. <br/> <br/>“We do not know very much about sauropods of this age,” Schwarz said. “So it’s not clear how much they change when they grow, and that makes comparisons [with adults] very difficult.” <br/> <br/>The skeleton is actually missing a tiny portion—the end of the tail—so the scientists can’t say with accuracy whether the juvenile also possessed the whiplash tail. <br/> <br/>An adult Apatosaurus louisae reached a shoulder height of nearly 10 feet, with a nose-to-tail length of 60 feet, whereas the newfound juvenile dino was only about two feet tall at the shoulder. <br/> <br/>The juvenile’s limb bones show similar proportions as those of adult diplodocids. However, its relatively short neck and lengthy mid-section don’t match those of its full-grown relatives. <br/> <br/>“The vertebrae column gets shorter during growth, so the adult specimens have shorter trunks, for example, than the juveniles, at least in this species,” Schwarz told LiveScience. <br/> <br/>Plant remains found at the site indicate that the dinosaur perished in a watering hole “deathtrap” in an ancient swampland. <br/> <br/>“The locality represents sort of a swampy environment where dinosaurs came and drank,” Schwarz said. One possibility is that while drinking, “they were caught in the swamp sediments and they died.” <br/> <br/>The research is detailed in the latest issue of the journal Historical Biology. <br/> <br/> * Image Gallery: Dinosaur Art <br/> * Vote: Avian Ancestors: Dinosaurs That Learned to Fly <br/> * A Brief History of Dinosaurs <br/> <br/> * Original Story: Baby Dino Skeleton Sheds Light on Growth <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/></div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 0 replies </div>

deborahp 2007-07-08T01:27:05Z nathan http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/218aa17a-c871-4e9f-8aed-0ad8d454532b 2006-11-24T22:17:57Z 2006-05-08T10:16:59Z

<div>So what's your favorite Dinosaur? I really think Parasaurolophus, Styracosaurus, and Triceratops are neat.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 18 replies </div>

nathan 2006-05-08T10:16:59Z Just_Tracy http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/7d7e0a17-3a2d-42b8-bb5a-544f6b4db4bb 2006-09-07T12:45:38Z 2006-08-29T20:59:35Z

<div>Brazilian paleontologists have discovered a new giant dinosaur species - Maxakalisaurus topai, of the Titanosauria group - based on fossilized fragments of the herbivorous reptile that lived 80 million years ago. <br/> <br/>Check it out here: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14560343/?GT1=8404 <br/> <br/>I love my long necks!! <br/> <br/>Namaste' <br/>Tracy</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 1 reply </div>

Just_Tracy 2006-08-29T20:59:35Z deborahp http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/b339334f-f02b-470e-a8f6-935e1247a02e 2006-07-28T16:24:39Z 2005-09-04T19:40:03Z

<div>I love this. There have certainly been a number of really illuminating discoveries lately. <br/> <br/>From the Sunday Times - Times Online <br/>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1764136,00.html <br/> <br/>Dinosaurs may have been a fluffy lot <br/>Jonathan Leake, Science Editor <br/>THE popular image of Tyrannosaurus rex and other killer dinosaurs may have to be changed as a scientific consensus emerges that many were covered with feathers. <br/> <br/>Most predatory dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs and velociraptors have usually been depicted in museums, films and books as covered in a thick hide of dull brown or green skin. The impression was of a killer stripped of adornment in the name of hunting efficiency. <br/> <br/>This week, however, a leading expert on dinosaur evolution will tell the British Association, the principal conference of British scientists, that this image is wrong. <br/> <br/>Gareth Dyke, a palaeontologist of University College Dublin, will tell the BA Festival of Science being held in the city that most such creatures were coated with delicate feathery plumage that could even have been multi-coloured. Fossil evidence that such dinosaurs were feathered is now “irrefutable”. <br/> <br/>“The way these creatures are depicted can no longer be considered scientifically accurate,” he said. “All the evidence is that they looked more like birds than reptiles. Tyrannosaurs might have resembled giant chicks.” <br/> <br/>The latest visualisation suggests that parts of Walking with Dinosaurs, the acclaimed BBC series, cannot be seen as scientifically valid. Similar criticisms might also be levelled at the Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic Park. <br/> <br/>The Natural History Museum in London, which has a popular exhibition of robot dinosaurs, conceded this weekend that some of its permanent displays may have to be adapted to reflect the new findings. <br/> <br/>The feather revelation follows a series of discoveries in fossil beds at Liaoning in northeast China where a volcanic eruption buried many dinosaurs alive. It also cut off the oxygen that would otherwise have rotted them away. <br/> <br/>Some theropod (“beast-footed”) dinosaurs were preserved complete with feathery plumage. Theropod is the name given to predatory creatures that walked upright on two legs, balanced by a long tail. <br/> <br/>The feathered finds include an early tyrannosaur, a likely ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex, two small flying dinosaurs and five other predators. Feathers are thought to have evolved first to keep dinosaurs warm and only later as an aid to flight. <br/> <br/>Such finds are significant in linking dinosaurs to modern birds. Most palaeontologists accept that birds are descended from dinosaurs but there is fierce debate over how this happened. At the Dublin conference, Dyke will present new evidence suggesting that dinosaurs evolved the ability to fly and that some even developed all four limbs into wings.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 6 replies </div>

deborahp 2005-09-04T19:40:03Z DaMom http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/fa0f88d6-57a6-4c5f-8711-b609eea26749 2006-07-28T05:39:30Z 2004-03-17T19:38:58Z

<div> Ok, let's see if this starts anything. The theory of the great T-Rex being a scavenger, not preditor. Would love to hear opinions and reasonings for them. <br/> Personally...I beleive it was both. As with todays preditors, the also scavenge. Who would pass over an easy meal, right? Whatch'all think???</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 13 replies </div>

DaMom 2004-03-17T19:38:58Z deborahp http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/4f77e068-4265-4eb1-bb9a-b175efba4b3f 2006-04-01T19:49:51Z 2005-03-24T23:23:29Z

<div>I just saw this article - - <br/> <br/>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil dug out of a hunk of sandstone has yielded soft tissue, including blood vessels and perhaps even whole cells, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. <br/> <br/>Here's the link (the whole link doesn't print out, sorry): <br/>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;cid=585&amp;e=1&amp;u=/nm/20050324/sc_nm/dinosaur_to_dc <br/> <br/>They found the bone in the Hell Creek Formation, but the bone was too big to fit in a helicoptor so they had to break it, and that's when they found soft tissue. <br/> <br/>Can't wait to hear more on this! Interesting times.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 4 replies </div>

deborahp 2005-03-24T23:23:29Z buddyboy76 http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/18cce2ce-6539-41d6-b381-25bd4ebc8b88 2006-04-01T01:34:26Z 2006-01-11T16:01:01Z

<div>howdy, <br/> <br/>i'm a newbie to fossils and am wondering if anyone can recommend a good field guide? something that gives information about collecting, identifying and has historical information. <br/> <br/>thanks y'all, <br/> <br/>tex</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 3 replies </div>

buddyboy76 2006-01-11T16:01:01Z The-Nameless http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/68c1b5c0-d1a5-44cb-be14-0d98cea6e641 2005-09-05T20:12:02Z 2005-09-05T20:12:02Z

<div>I have a question. I would like you guys to look at the picture of this fossil I aquired. It is a fish in a football shaped nodule. I have both sides of the nodule I would like to have a more complete knowledge of it's providence. Where did this particular fossil come from? What time frame -era -are we talking about? I got it from my sister who got it when she worked at the Salvation Army thrift store. Ok, I've got several questions.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 0 replies </div>

The-Nameless 2005-09-05T20:12:02Z The-Nameless http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/817fd3eb-1a38-494b-ba3e-f38e3b48be4f 2005-03-18T19:33:34Z 2004-10-07T20:24:12Z

<div>I have been hunting and collecting fossils since preschool. I think I was first attracted to their shapes. Now it is the representations of evolutionary adaptation- still their shapes. I am willing to share some of my prime hunting spots-primarily Arkansas, but I didn't see much in the line of that kind of posting in the topics. I have found some beautiful marine fossils 'round here. Tell some stories. Post more pictures. I am juiced to find you all. Keep us all posted.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 3 replies </div>

The-Nameless 2004-10-07T20:24:12Z jolarti http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/8b6dddc5-c7e1-48e1-821d-742f89ebc72a 2004-08-25T00:40:03Z 2004-08-24T20:33:18Z

<div>Have you ever been in a museum... or saw a weird collection... <br/>and actually loved it? <br/>Wanna tell everyone about your experience? <br/> <br/>Join my Tribe <br/>http://greatmuseums.tribe.net <br/>oohlala <br/>and let yourself go... <br/>You know you want to... </div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 3 replies </div>

jolarti 2004-08-24T20:33:18Z jolarti http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/21fcea44-0955-4944-ba6b-34accc6537af 2004-06-18T22:09:37Z 2004-06-17T23:59:39Z

<div>Hello all! <br/> <br/>I am new here - and I've posted up 4 pictures (classic ammonite, trilobite, sea lily, slick ammonite) because i think the others are actually not very paleontologist at all... <br/> <br/>Please shannon/moderator: could you pick one of these pictures and set it to become the main picture for this tribe? Because we have no logo now... <br/>:-( <br/> <br/>I studied geology for only 1 year at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and after that i went to art school; now i am a multi-media artist... <br/>How about you all??</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 4 replies </div>

jolarti 2004-06-17T23:59:39Z Peter http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/f79437e4-9eee-448d-98f5-2d0bdb2f7ce9 2004-05-27T15:25:56Z 2004-05-27T15:25:56Z

<div>Hey just wondering of anyone knows exact areas where I could find fossils in the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, CA. I'm supposed to do a project in my paleo. class where I have to locate and write about the fossil localities in the Santa Ana Mountain. Any help would be greatly appreciated! <br/> <br/>Thanks! </div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 0 replies </div>

Peter 2004-05-27T15:25:56Z Pilsbury http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/f6987b0c-4e84-47cb-bcd8-366b63d48d34 2004-05-24T02:01:14Z 2004-04-08T02:54:12Z

<div>I posted some Skulls here. They are from South America.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 6 replies </div>

Pilsbury 2004-04-08T02:54:12Z Just_Tracy http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/3165a41c-9c2e-4236-9964-34e579851f2a 2004-03-18T04:58:56Z 2004-01-11T17:36:24Z

<div>This tribe was started in November and yet no one has posted a topic yet? Ok... I'll bite... How 'bout... <br/> <br/>In what area do each of you specialize? I, myself, work in fossil prep and love it. I've been fortunate enough to work on some incredible pieces, including two 'new' animals (one from Egypt and one from Montana). <br/> <br/>What about you? <br/> <br/></div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 10 replies </div>

Just_Tracy 2004-01-11T17:36:24Z redthorn http://paleontology.tribe.net/thread/96f0bbbc-ecdd-43aa-b54e-56f56b9a9cbc 2004-01-29T04:25:06Z 2004-01-26T21:48:58Z

<div> I have always had an interest in this field, and I am just wondering what schooling is needed.</div> <div> posted in <a href="http://paleontology.tribe.net">Paleontology</a> - 3 replies </div>

redthorn 2004-01-26T21:48:58Z