Natural Science :: essays research papers

Ever since the premier(prenominal) dinosaur fossil was unearthed by Robert Plot in 1676, dinosaur fever has infected close everyone. Dinosaurs captivate us not only because of the enormous size that well-nigh of them attained, provided because of their extraordinary diversity. Encompassing such astonishing creatures as the fearful Tyrannosaurus rex, the majestic Triceratops and the cunning raptors, dinosaurs are truly fascinating.From such trance many questions arise. How were the dinosaurs able to survive for such a long closure of time? Why did they become so large? Just what was their passing(a) existence like?These questions have puzzled scientists for years. But by feeling at fossils, paleontologists have been able to learn some(prenominal) about the dinosaurs. They privy infer the appearance of these creatures in life-like detail as they existed millions of years ago. They canful investigate their diet. And they can find out about the way dinosaurs interacted som e(prenominal) among themselves and with their environment.Despite the frequent media attention given to discoveries of dinosaur bones, especially skulls, the truth is that such fossils are rare, much rarer than fossils of most plants and invertebrate animals. Thus, although bones are of long interest, if we had no other evidence, we would have a much less true picture of the dinosaurs than we in fact possess.How, then, has it been possible to learn so much about these terrible lizards when we have so few bones to topic? The answer lies in confidential information fossils. As the name implies, a trace fossil is a "trace" of an ancient organism such as a footprints, a tooth or bite mark, or a coprolite.Footprints and tooth marks, yes, but coprolites? As any paleontologist will tell you, a coprolite is a piece of fossilized dung. Why would anyone study fossilized dung? Well, if you authentically want to know, you would do well to ask Karen raise, visiting scientist with t he U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, who is the worlds foremost expert on dinosaur dung.Chin is considered a rising star of paleontology. At Montana State, she studied under the prominent and controversial John Horner. like a shot she is hitting the lecture circuit, explaining to enthused audiences around the nation the importance of dino dung.From the University of California, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. in hand, Chin took up the seemingly unusual notion of studying the fecal carcass of Triceratops and other herbivorous dinosaurs. Soon, however, she was diverted by a project beyond her chosen area of study.