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Yale Scientists Discover the Last Living Dinosaur
CTV ^ | Sat Jul. 16 2011

Posted on 07/16/2011 4:39:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway

A fossil discovered in Montana has given new momentum to the hypothesis that dinosaurs were thriving right up until a devastating meteor hit Earth 65 million years ago, causing their extinction.

Scientists from Yale University have found what is believed to be the youngest dinosaur fossil ever found, thought to be from just before the mass extinction took place.

The discovery, described in a study published in the online edition of the journal Biology Letters, contradicts the theory that the dinosaurs slowly went extinct before the cosmic impact.

The fossil -- a 45-centimetre horn believed to be from a triceratops -- was found in Montana's Hell Creek formation. It was located just below the K-T boundary, the band of the Earth's crust that represents the time period in which the meteor struck.

One of the main problems with the meteor theory has been the lack of any non-avian dinosaur fossils buried within 10 feet of the boundary -- known as the 'three metre gap.'

The absence of fossils, some paleontologists say, indicates dinosaurs were already extinct when the cosmic impact occurred.

Yale paleontologist Tyler Lyson, lead author of the study, says the new discovery proves otherwise.

"To all of our surprise the boundary was no more than 13 centimetres above this horn, and the significance is this indicates that at least some dinosaurs were doing quite well in this locale at the time of the meteor impact," he told CTV.ca.

There is evidence that avian dinosaurs thrived up to and into the K-T boundary. In fact, they are believed to have survived the meteor and evolved into modern-day birds.

(Excerpt) Read more at ottawa.ctv.ca ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: chicxulub; chondrite; cretaceoustertiary; devilstail; dinosaur; dinosaurs; godsgravesglyphs; montana; oxygen; paleontology
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To: cripplecreek

You would expect to see lots of fossils right up to the boundary, in fact, if all died at once there should be ample evidence. I would agree with you that the asteroid was the last straw. However the lack of fossils just after the strike shows a widespread extinction combination of events.


41 posted on 07/16/2011 7:59:58 PM PDT by JimSEA
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To: Paladin2
"Flinstones"

I'm still going with Alley Oop riding Dinny the Dinosaur. Dinny survived the meteor (hung out underwater with the Loch Ness monster) and had a very long life span.

42 posted on 07/16/2011 8:03:30 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: nickcarraway

This should have been posted under Comedy.


43 posted on 07/16/2011 8:07:33 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: UCANSEE2

>> “I think there was more than one reason why the giant reptiles and giant mammals died out.” <<

.
Must have been, since a bunch of them were still very much alive when the temple at Ankor Wat was built, otherwise how would they have gotten those carvings so perfect?
.


44 posted on 07/16/2011 8:11:22 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: MHGinTN

>> “Well, a 65 miles across rock racing at the earth at 17,000 miles per hour plus would cause a rather sever stress on the animals and their environment.” <<

.
The very first Montana Derby... ( oh, that was Kentucky...)


45 posted on 07/16/2011 8:14:58 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: BenKenobi; WinOne4TheGipper; ColdOne; tal hajus
In after the Helen Thomas pic!

finally......
please...keep 'em small, on dial-up.
put....jpg" width="XXX">....thanks. :)


46 posted on 07/16/2011 8:35:48 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (You do not have to smear (Pharaoh / Imam / DumboEars) Obama w/ lies....the truth does a fine job. :)
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To: editor-surveyor
when the temple at Ankor Wat was built

And when was that?

47 posted on 07/16/2011 11:55:02 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: JimSEA

The comet/meteor/asteroid strike didn’t kill all the giant reptiles/mammals.

But, it killed their food.


48 posted on 07/16/2011 11:57:05 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: Bernard Marx
You are either trying to pull our collective legs

Do you have a better answer?

49 posted on 07/17/2011 12:02:59 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: cripplecreek

Since 99% of all species that have ever existed on Earth have gone extinct, why is it that the dinosaurs going extinct is such a big deal?


50 posted on 07/17/2011 12:05:15 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: Paladin2
Your analysis of fluid dynamics is too simple.

Everything is simple, and yet amazingly complex at the same time.

51 posted on 07/17/2011 12:06:51 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: WinOne4TheGipper

Wow, that’s really disturbing. I mean, even more than the usual pics that float around. Yow.


52 posted on 07/17/2011 6:52:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: UCANSEE2
Do you have a better answer?

Yes. But I find yours very entertaining.

53 posted on 07/17/2011 8:43:34 AM PDT by Bernard Marx
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To: UCANSEE2

Lol. True. :-)


54 posted on 07/17/2011 10:40:06 AM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: UCANSEE2

The early 12th century, according to the archaeologists.

I wasn’t there myself, so I can neither confirm nor deny.


55 posted on 07/17/2011 11:44:01 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: UCANSEE2
>> "Since 99% of all species that have ever existed on Earth have gone extinct, why is it that the dinosaurs going extinct is such a big deal?" <<

Perhaps simply because so many that were claimed to be extinct are not.

Unexplainedearth.com

56 posted on 07/17/2011 12:08:19 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: UCANSEE2

>> “A meteor/comet that large would punch a large hole in the ozone, and allow the atmosphere to escape into space.” <<

.
A meteor would cancel the gravitational field of the Earth?

That doesn’t even rise to the level of good SciFi.


57 posted on 07/17/2011 12:12:43 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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To: Paladin2

I’ve been to Gledive MT. Spent a week there one night.


58 posted on 07/17/2011 12:16:48 PM PDT by EggsAckley ( There's an Ethiopian in the fuel supply ! !)
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To: nickcarraway

Yale Scientists Discover the Last Living Dinosaur

Don’t tell the alligators that.
They might not take it well... and po’d gators can really wreck your day...


59 posted on 07/17/2011 12:22:56 PM PDT by djf ("Life is never fair...And perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not." Oscar Wilde)
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To: djf

But, you se, the gators don’t count because anyone that’s been to Florida knows that they’re still here. The less common ones are harder to encounter (and much more expensive to...) so they sort of get away with the BS.


60 posted on 07/17/2011 1:24:08 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Going 'EGYPT' - 2012!)
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