2 New Meat-Eating Dinosaurs Discovered

Bones Of New Species Found By Fossil Hunters On Dig In Niger Desert, More To Come

(CBS/AP)  University of Chicago fossil hunters in Africa have discovered bones of two massive meat-eating dinosaurs that may have picked over the same prey, much as modern-day lions and hyenas do.

In the scientific journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, paleontologist Paul Sereno and co-author Stephen Brusatte named one Kryptops palaios, or "old hidden face," because of a horny covering over its face.

The other, they named Eocarcharia dinops, or "fierce-eyed dawn shark," for its razor-sharp teeth and bony brow.

Both were about 25 feet long and stood 7 feet high at the hip. Kryptops had a short snout with teeth better for gnawing, leading the scientists to believe he was more of a scavenger.

Eocarcharia's brow was so pronounced that Sereno thinks it was used for head-butting rivals to win over potential mates.

"The only thing I can think of is they were smacking each other with it," Sereno said.

The creatures lived at a time when land bridges connected Africa to India and even Antarctica, which was then a temperate home to dinosaurs. But Africa later became isolated and its dinosaurs followed unique evolutionary paths scientists have just begun to uncover.

"This is an important slice in geological time, and we don't yet fully comprehend how dinosaurs on the southern continents were evolving then," said Peter Makovicky, curator of dinosaurs at the Field Museum, who was not part of the Chicago team.

Makovicky called the new discoveries "an important data point toward a deeper understanding of what happened."

Sereno's group found both new species during a 2000 expedition to the Niger desert. They found bones from about a dozen new species, and stumbled across one of the richest archaeological sites that's been found in the region.

"We have not released even half of all that we found there," Sereno said.

Earlier this week, researchers led by Xiaolin Wang of the Chinese Academy of Science, reported their discover of a tiny, fossilized pterodactyl - a tree dwelling dinosaur about the size of a modern sparrow.

[actornaught]

Posted by Hominatrix53 at 07:00 PM : Feb 17, 2008

The whole Flat Earth thing is a fable invented more for 19th century American history books, in order to glorify the early european explorers. Sailors and scholars knew for many centuries the earth was round merely by making simple observations.

[toolmangler-2009]

(begin part two)
My puny mind sees the the universe as a petri dish (even that is wrong, but again...) That we have ''self determination'' goes without saying. The ''creator'' has given us free will and the ability to discern right from wrong. he (for lack of a better word) has given his commands for us to follow and time after time has revamped his way of dealing with us. Making us in his image (reasoning, self-aware and innovative) he tried to guide us (the beginning) in his way of doing things, that having not gone the way he hoped, he turned us loose to live or die by our own hands. I see him gently nudging us along and every body resisting (parental guidance) and going our own way. It looks like at more than one time we got too big for our britches and needed reigning in and also at one juncture we almost were eradicated but he stopped short and allowed life to continue because a few had started to resemble the beings he was interested in having around him later on. By no means am I trying to assign a timeline to this exercise in thought because time has no meaning to a (to us) eternal being. Impressions are all I have to work with. The many attempts to form a ''GODs'' people came very short of the goals that had been set. In the latter days a drastic policy was born in the form of a human frame for one portion of this tremendous being, that form was shown as something ''man'' had not created by having been born of a virgin.

[toolmangler-2009]

Those that enjoy science always see it as the ultimate answer. Using ''science'' they have found thousands of possible reasons for existance. The Mathematically gifted have seen the ''universe'' in an equation. and that is answer enough for them. For me the answer is still unfolding with the realization that GOD has a reason for making us and it wasn''t to have someone to praise his name. he can do that with a thought. So in my mind and heart I ask, "what could GOD need from a species that is so hard to teach? I have pondered this most of my life and once in a while I think I might have a faint glimmer. When ever I come to that point, I always wish I had written it down after it has gone. This time is different. I have this vision of GOD as I have always known him but with a difference. This time I get the impression of a lonely entity with all powers, but that of competetition with him/herself, ''competition'' is probably not the word I should use but right now it is all I have. If I were a ''All powerful" I would want to share, ''everything'' for eternity. Being the only one would be a drag (even if I were a 3 in 1 (tripartite) being. like the song says "One is a lonely number", .
( emd part one)

the Greeks knew the world was round - Eratosthenes determined the circumference to within 1% of the actual number. Eratosthenes lived 276 BC - 194 BC. People weren''t stupid back then - they were quite capable of making such determinations by simple observation. So yes, it was absolutely possible for them to have known it without a supernatural being telling them. It''s called geometry.

[rational_1]

In the end rational_1, God wins, you lose.
Posted by singinrick at 04:36 PM : Feb 17, 2008

I don''t know what that means - you think I''m off to Hades for believing in evolution? Judge not Rick lest... well you know.

[rational_1]

Hey singinrick, where are you? You in church or out back playing with the rattlesnakes like those crazy southern Baptists?
Posted by rational_1

-Gee whatta you know. Rational_1 showing his/her true colors again. Doesn''''t realize that I''''m not going to stay on this board forever, so he resorts to yet more personal childish remarks.
Posted by singinrick at 04:36 PM : Feb 17, 2008

Heh, heh, just having some fun Rick - lighten up man. Actually I decided to take that little poke at you when I thought back to how often you sling names around like "usual arrogant atheists" and "bigoted". How do you know anyone here (and specifically me) is an atheist? Lots of theists believe in evolution and large churches such as the Roman Catholic Church have reconciled their faith with evolutionary science. Maybe you''re just a lonely uninformed behind-the-times outcast.

[thinkharder-]

Your version of science is Darwinism, which has not, and will not ever be proven or witnessed.
Posted by singinrick

That''s an awfully bold assertion Rick. Don''t sound so desperate. Any scientist worth their weight knows that NOTHING can be ABSOLUTELY PROVEN, but that doesn''t mean reason shouldn''t frame our understanding.

[thinkharder-]

Just because you can''t sit down and watch a monkey grow into a man, that doesn''t debunk the theory that one EVOLVED from the other. These changes take place in geologic time scales. So...that''s a poor argument also.

[thinkharder-]

I just want to quick make a few corrections to Singin''s assertions here...

1. There is no way possible people could have know the earth was round in biblical times.
---That is wholly untrue. Any vantage point with a continuous view of the horizon at an altitude of 500 feet or better allows for at least a vague discernment of the curvature of the earth.

2. There is no prrof for evolution and you can''t watch it take place.
---the evidence is striking Rick. The fossil record alone is enough to formulate the picture. Darwin''s great achievement was being able to organize this concept using only living specimens. His finches for instance. There is a large variety of "missing link" species also like the Archaeopteryx, Australopithecus afarensis, and Neanderthal that clearly illustrate our development. We ca also see evolution in action in crop management as pest evolve defenses to pesticide applications within one season at times.

[fibonacci_]

Slowly the evidence rolls in, annihilating any theories of religion. Every day the theory of evolution is strengthened, never being weakened.