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The Very Very Latest Paper From 2006!!!



Well, it's from September.

P. Martin Sander & Peter Andrássy: Lines of arrested growth and long bone histology in Pleistocene large mammals from Germany: What do they tell us about dinosaur physiology?, Palaeontographica Abt. A 277 (1 -- 6), 143 -- 159

Summary:

"Lines of arrested growth (LAGs) are a typical feature of the bone histology of ectothermic tetrapods but have received little study in mammals and birds. However, LAGs have figured prominently in the debate about dinosaur physiology. Here we describe the bone histology, including the occurrence of LAGs, in an extensive sample of herbivorous mammals from the Late [sic] Pleistocene of Germany, mainly from the Rhine-Herne ship channel. Taxa sampled include the cervids *Megaloceros giganteus*, *Cervus elaphus*, and *Rangifer tarandus*, the bovids *Bos primigenius* and *Bison priscus*, the equid *Equus* sp., the rhinocerotid *Coelodonta antiquitatis*, and the elephantid *Mammuthus primigenius*. Samples were preselected for macroscopic evidence of cyclical growth. Bones sampled were mainly metatarsals as well as tibiae and indeterminate long bone fragments. All samples show fibro-lamellar bone in the cortex that is replaced by secondary bone to varying degrees. Most samples show one or more regularly spaced LAGs, sometimes even preserved in secondary bone. Surprisingly, there are distinct differences in the histology of the various taxa in terms of the arrangement of the primary vascular network and the patterns of remodeling. The common development of LAGs in these endothermic Late Pleistocene mammals calls into question the argument that LAGs in dinosaur bone indicate an ectothermic physiology."

Before anyone asks, I don't have the pdf and don't think one exists. But I'll gladly answer any questions about the paper :-)