https://www.ted.com/talks/jack_horner_shape_shifting_dinosaurs
What assumptions were scientists making about dinosaurs? What evidence did they have? Why did Dr. Horner think otherwise? What's his new explanation? (answer collectively -- don't repeat what someone ahead of you has already said)
Scientists were assuming that just because the bones of some dinosaurs were slightly different than others that they were completely different species. On the other hand Dr. Horner saw the similarities between the bones of supposedly different species of dinosaurs and theorized that they were actually more closely related than scientists had previously theorized.
ReplyDeleteThe assumptions scientists made about dinosaurs are that the bone of some of them are totally different and have differences from some of the other bones that they found. They thought that the dinosaurs were completely different. Dr. Horner thought otherwise because of the findings he came up with. He found new answers by cutting the heads open of the dinosaurs bones. He came to the conclusion that there was similarities in the bones of the dinosaurs and believes that they are related more closely than the older scientists thought.
ReplyDeleteScientist originally thought that certain dinosaurs could not be related because they were completely different sizes. Dr. Horner thought otherwise because he said just because they are different sizes doesn't mean they are not related. He would cut open the bones and skulls of dinosaurs and found out that they were just a growing sequence of one another. The smaller dinosaur was a young verse of the bigger dinosaurs. Dr. Horner knew this because the bones in the younger dinosaurs were more spongy than the adult bones which were more mature.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at dinosaur bones it easy to assume that if you find two sets of bones with slightly different structures and sizes that you found itself two different kinds of dinosaurs. Homer did not make this assumption. He basically asked where were the baby dinosaurs? Instead of simply looking at the structure of the dinosaurs he looked within the deep structure of the bone and the if the bones were spongy he concluded that the dinosaur was younger and was not yet fully developed. He concluded that despite other scientists beliefs before him that certain dinosaurs were different dinosaurs, that some dinosaurs could be younger versions of a certain species.
ReplyDeleteAs you have said scientists only observed the differences among the dinosaurs instead of noting their similarities. Due to their different physical appearances(dome on their head, spikes of back of their heads etc.) scientists assumed they were different species. By comparison of skeletal bone tissue Dr. Horner hypothesizes that the new species was actually a juvenile of the other species. The concerning factor was the scientists ignored the apparent similarities after the emergence of scientific evidence to fulfill their own egos, or according to the video "because they like to name things." Today, we expect the scientists to be honest with their findings, and reevaluate their theories when encountered with new evidence , regardless of the impact it has on their reputation or their appearance in the scientific community.
ReplyDeletePeople originally assume that the baby dinosaurs would be easy to identify because they would just be smaller versions of the big dinosaurs. Although Dr. Horner explains that scientists were just naming these smaller dinosaurs a completely different species. Dr peter Dodson came to realize that dinosaurs grew the same way birds do which is different from the way reptiles grew, which is the way scientists had originally thought dinosaurs grew. Dr. Dodson concluded that dinosaurs maintain their juvenile characteristics until they were 80 percent grown. The only way to truly know if they were the same species is to cut into the bones of these dinosaurs. From looking at the bones and teeth of the different dinosaurs, scientists were able to get rid of many species of dinosaurs by concluding they were just younger versions of other dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteThe assumption that was being made at the time was that if baby dinosaurs were able to be found that they would be very easy to identify. "You would simply match up the baby with an adult of the same type and have your answer." However, this was not the case. Dr. Horner (The Inspiration for Dr. Allen Grant in Jurassic Park) explained that since scientists have an affinity for naming things, more often than not every dinosaur fossil found that was even marginally different than anything in the established fossil record would receive a new name. Dr. Horner goes on to explain that of the initial twelve species of dinosaur found in the Hell Creek region that only seven were truly unique. Peter Dodgson (Another inspiration for a Jurassic Park Character) came up with the idea that dinosaurs matured more closely to birds rather than reptiles. Based on this fact, it was later discovered that five of the twelve "species" were really semi-matured versions of other categories. Dr. Horner and his team at the Museum of the Rockies discovered this by cutting into the bones of these dinosaurs. (He could do so because "he owned the bones.") He explained that in order to tell if two things are related you must look at their similarities rather than their differences. In doing so, his team was able to discover a trend in many lineages of common traits. It was further discovered that where two specimens of differing species had many like traits, more often than not one of these specimens would contain spongy baby bone while the other would contain solid adult bone. (An example was given using Pachysepalosaurs, Stygimoloch, and Dracorex.) This showed evidence of a maturity lineage and eliminated five of the twelve original species.
ReplyDeleteThe scientists were assuming that because not all dinosaurs looked the same and that they had differences that they couldn't be in the same family. They had evidence of this in the fossils of the dinosaurs that maybe looked the same or similar but they had distinctive differences so therefore they couldn't be part of the same lineage. Dr. Horner thought otherwise, he believed that these dinosaurs that had distinct differences also had similarities. Like the triceratops, scientist believed that there were different types because they had different features such as the horns pointing backwards, or the points along the frill were too triangular. Dr. Horner believed that these were just juveniles of the triceratops instead of the different type. He believed this because he had evidence that when he cut into a juveniles bone the inside material would be spongey and the adults more matured and solid. Dr. Horner found just that, he collected fossils from all over and found that there were plethoras of baby triceratops, and with this evidence he shows that most of the dinosaurs were really apart of one lineage just in different stages of development.
ReplyDeleteScientists were assuming that since dinosaur skeletons were not completely similar that they had no relationship. In reality, some closely related dinosaurs were different in skeleton structure. Dr. Hornier hypothesized that this was not the case and that some were very closely related.
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