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Cyber Cafe Scientifique -Â
From Cyber Cafe website...
Dr Susannah Maidment, of London's Natural History Museum, talks about the stegosaurian dinosaurs.
Stegosaurs are a group of dinosaurs characterized by the possession of two rows of plates and spines that extend from the neck to the end of the tail. They are known from Jurassic rocks and have been found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.
Stegosaurs are part of a larger group of armoured dinosaurs, which also includes the ankylosaurs. Two stegosaurs are known from North America: the iconic Stegosaurus, which is known from numerous skeletons from Colorado, Utah and southern Wyoming, and the less well-known Hesperosaurus, represented by just a few specimens from northern Wyoming and Montana. Both are known from the Morrison Formation, a suite of rocks laid down by rivers and on flood plains about 150 million years ago.
In life, stegosaurs were four-legged plant-eaters that weighed about the same as a rhino. They were probably slow-moving, and not capable of running. They had very small teeth and do not appear to have chewed, but despite this, their bite forces indicate they could have eaten tough vegetation and small twigs. Several hypotheses have been put forward about the function of the plates of stegosaurs, but these have proven difficult to test. Different species appear to have had differently shaped plates, suggesting a role in display, and perhaps to deter predators.
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Biomechanics of dinosaurs with Heinrich Mallison (talk video)
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MESOZOIC MONTHLY: DREADNOUGHTUS
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
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English language versions of news posted in Japanese a few days ago:
Mammal Fossil in Fukui Found to Be One of Oldest in Japan
With video
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Inner workings: some fun (and not so fun) insights into demographics of temnospondyl research
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Yaksha--a new albanerpetontid species found in amber!
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Upcoming online talks and presentations:
Tom Holtz: "Charles Darwin and the Fossil Record"
2/12/2021 12:00 EST
ETSU Natural History Museum & Gray Fossil Site
(should be archived on YouTube a bit later)
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USC Paleosciences' Darwin Day Celebration Goes Virtual!
Friday, February 12, 2021
In the spirit of Charles Darwin's pursuit of truth through scientific discovery, join USC alumni Dr. Jingmai O'Connor (Curator of Fossil Reptiles, The Field Museum) and Dr. Jeffrey Thompson (Newton International Fellow, University College London) as they unravel the mysterious origins of dinosaur flight, and the patterns and processes that underly the evolution of animal bodies.
Darwin Day online talks (I assume these should be archived later online on YouTube)
USC Paleosciences Darwin Day YouTube Live!
Friday, February 12, 2021
5:00pm-6:30pmÂÂ
And a bit down the road...
2021 National Geographic Live Virtual Speaker Series
What: A virtual series of multimedia talks with National Geographic contributors.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays in February, March and April.
Feb. 24: "Reimagining Dinosaurs" with paleontologists Nizar Ibrahim and SebastiÃn Rozadilla.
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Podokesaurus as state dinosaur in Massachusetts
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Life-sized Cabazon (California) Dinosaurs decked out for Valentine's Day (with video)
"Mister Rex" and "Dinny" are greeting visitors with heart-filled decorations.
Fukui Dinosaur Museum newsletter new issue highlights dinosaur and pterosaur tracks (in Japanese)