RE: From ScienceScan

["Stewart, Dwight" <Dwight.Stewart@VLSI.com>]

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Stanley Friesen [SMTP:sarima@ix.netcom.com]
        Sent:   Tuesday, February 23, 1999 9:26 PM
        To:     dinosaur@usc.edu
        Subject:        Re: From ScienceScan

        At 09:33 PM 2/21/99 -0500, WOlewiler@aol.com wrote:
        >>From ScienceScan --
        >
        >EVIDENCE OF LOW METABOLIC THEROPODS
        >
        >Oregon State University scientist have completed a
        >metabolic analysis of the Italian dinosaur specimen of
        >Scipionyx which had impressions of intestines, liver,
        >and a variety of other internal organs.  What they were
        >able to find is that this dinosaur had a respiratory
        >system which was adapted to support bursts of high
        >activity, but lacked bird style lungs or other anatomical
        >features suggestive of a sustained high metabolic rate.

        Umm, we mammals have a sustained high metabolic rate without avian
lungs.
        All I would say one can conclude from a lack of avian-type lungs is
that
        the metabolism was not yet as high as in living birds!

        --------------
        May the peace of God be with you.
<mailto:sarima@ix.netcom.com> sarima@ix.netcom.com

        @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

           Yes, and one mode is lean muscle mass (don't mean to sound like a
Joe Weider advertisement!).
        Mammals can increase metabolism by increasing muscular mass (vs) fat
tissue.  But, muscle weighs
        more than fat, so added muscle mass beyond a given weight isn't
really an option in a bird that flies.
           In general, there are different metabolism strategies.  So, I
tend to agree with you.

        Dwight