New Dinosaur Species Found in India

AP ^ | August 13, 2003 | RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM

[nwrep]

New Dinosaur Species Found in India

2 hours, 55 minutes ago

Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!

By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, Associated Press Writer

BOMBAY, India - U.S. and Indian scientists said Wednesday they have discovered a new carnivorous dinosaur species in India after finding bones in the western part of the country.

AP Photo Missed Tech Tuesday? Check out the powerful new PDA crop, plus the best buys for any budget

The new dinosaur species was named Rajasaurus narmadensis, or "Regal reptile from the Narmada," after the Narmada River region where the bones were found.

The dinosaurs were between 25-30 feet long, had a horn above their skulls, were relatively heavy and walked on two legs, scientists said. They preyed on long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs on the Indian subcontinent during the Cretaceous Period at the end of the dinosaur age, 65 million years ago.

"It's fabulous to be able to see this dinosaur which lived as the age of dinosaurs came to a close," said Paul Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago. "It was a significant predator that was related to species on continental Africa, Madagascar and South America."

Working with Indian scientists, Sereno and paleontologist Jeff Wilson of the University of Michigan reconstructed the dinosaur skull in a project funded partly by the National Geographic (news - web sites) Society.

A model of the assembled skull was presented Wednesday by the American scientists to their counterparts from Punjab University in northern India and the Geological Survey of India during a Bombay news conference.

Scientists said they hope the discovery will help explain the extinction of the dinosaurs and the shifting of the continents — how India separated from Africa, Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica and collided with Asia.

The dinosaur bones were discovered during the past 18 years by Indian scientists Suresh Srivastava of the Geological Survey of India and Ashok Sahni, a paleontologist at Punjab University.

When the bones were examined, "we realized we had a partial skeleton of an undiscovered species," Sereno said.

The scientists said they believe the Rajasaurus roamed the Southern Hemisphere land masses of present-day Madagascar, Africa and South America.

"People don't realize dinosaurs are the only large-bodied animal that lived, evolved and died at a time when all continents were united," Sereno said.

The cause of the dinosaurs' extinction is still debated by scientists. The Rajasaurus discovery may provide crucial clues, Sereno said.

India has seen quite a few paleontological discoveries recently.

In 1997, villagers discovered about 300 fossilized dinosaur eggs in Pisdura, 440 miles northeast of Bombay, that Indian scientists said were laid by four-legged, long-necked vegetarian creatures.

Indian scientists said the dinosaur embryos in the eggs may have suffocated during volcanic eruptions.

[Aracelis]

at least you admit God is male

Well, perhaps the Old Testament God was male...all those commands concerning stoning and other unpleasant punishments, the incidents involving genocide, fire and brimstone, killing of the firstborn and so forth...but the tone of the New Testament is decidedly concilitatory, a somewhat more feminine trait. Best leave it alone, I guess, and opt for the genderless usage of masculine pronouns. :^)

[DittoJed2]

You are dealing with passages that are either a) not even purporting to be scientific statements b) are poetry literature or c)A clear miracle in Scripture as described from the vantage point of earth.

Talk to a meteorologist about the terms "sunrise" and "sunset". Is he being unscientific in those declarations? No. Not hardly. He is describing from a different vantage point what is seen (the sun rising and setting). There is no contradictions with the Bible and Science and the examples you are giving show a complete (not necessarily deliberate) misunderstanding of Biblical Exegesis.

[DittoJed2]

Perhaps my faith is stronger than your science.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for your post!

Enoch: And I saw another thing regarding lightening: how some stars arise and become lightening and cannot dwell with the rest.

You: I'm uncertain about whether this refers to supernovae or meteorites. The 'lightning' would suggest the latter; supernovae become bright instantaneously, all right, but they take a while to fade.

You raise an interesting point!

IMHO, if Enoch had seen a supernova from his heavenly travels, as testified in the manuscript, then he would describe it the way he did - the star explodes into light and cannot gather itself back into being the star.

OTOH, if it were a fabrication then perhaps the author was describing a meteorite or "shooting star."

I'll now go research how (and when) the ancients attributed the phenomonen of meteorites, particularly in Babylonia and in Greece.

[PatrickHenry]

Look at what Evolution has produced. You tell people they are animals and they act like it. Hitler, Mussolini, and the New World Order all have their roots in evolutionary thinking.

Our little dialogue has now ended. On a very sour note. Have a nice day.

[biblewonk]

Are you suggesting God could not create life on other planets? Or that God has chosen not to? Or what?

That He chose not to as indicated in the bible.

[balrog666]

Our little dialogue has now ended.

Only looked like half a dialogue to me.

[Right Wing Professor]

You tell people they are animals and they act like it. Hitler, Mussolini, and the New World Order all have their roots in evolutionary thinking. It's the same old story of man trying to be his own god and it will end in man's destruction.

Part of the agreement was that we abjure such arguments. You can very nicely link several extremely bloody episodes in human history and Christianity. Let's not get into that.

[Right Wing Professor]

I suspect you of gnosticism. Recant, and it will be easier on you!

[PatrickHenry]

Only looked like half a dialogue to me.

Well, you know ... it's mostly for the lurkers.

[Shryke]

Would you mind quoting where that is stated? Thanks.

[Alamo-Girl]

Sigh... I usually prefer to do my own research but frankly I'm up against the wall and need some help.

I can't seem to come up with the right key words to bleed the astronomy out of the astrology in looking for the ancients' interpretations of shooting stars and meteor showers. Radio, I'm specifically looking for how the phenomenon was understood in Judea, Babylonia or Greece 200 B.C. or earlier --- i.e. whether they understood it to be the death of a star or something else.

Any clues would be much appreciated!

[biblewonk]

It's not stated, it's indicated.

[PatrickHenry]

Try this website: ANCIENT ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. If you scroll down, there's a section on NOVA AND SUPERNOVA.

[Aric2000]

LOL, or perhaps my faith enjoys the science and wishes it to continue until we know as much as we can know.

Your faith on the other hand is threatened by it, or perhaps you choose NOT to ignore these threads because you wish to save our souls?

I find it fascinating when Creationists and fundamentalists come onto these threads and throw things from AIG around like they are gospel of some sort and toss out phrases like if you understand evolution then you are an atheist etc.

Why do you come to these threads then?

We are quite happy to discuss the science between ourselves, and when a creationist comes in and starts throwing strawmen, it can get a little tiresome.

If you do not like evolution, or do not like science, then leave the science/evolution threads alone.

What is so hard about that?

I find fundamentalist creationists fascinating in the fact that they absoluteley have to become involved in these discussions, when the only science that they get is from church or the AIG.

We have a couple of very interesting posters from your side, at least they understand science, and don't fight it with their faith, they discuss it through science, Yes, AndrewC, I am talking about you, as well as A-G.

Anyway, please understand that most of us here are Theistic evolutionists, in one way shape or form or another.

We are quite happy and content in our faith and in the actual sciences as well.

This is why we have such a hard time understanding how people could actually view science as a threat to their faith.

Me, I just find it amusing.

If you are so threatened by science and the scientific method, then please understand when I say you are the one with the faith problem.

[Alamo-Girl]

Er, if you don't mind the interruption - here's a little reinforcement for your point of view from the science community:

In Search of the Milky Way's Habitable Zone

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for the directory!!! I'm off to read the links.

[Da_Shrimp]

We already know that the ACLU, NEA and other organizations are liberals and we also know what their agenda is. That they want to destroy God In America. We need black and white here instead of the many shades of grey. From reading here, I am forced to assume that there are liberals who are posting here on purpose. What surprises me, is that they are allowed to keep doing so.

Well, to be honest I have no interest whatsoever in 'destroying God in America' since I'm English.

This is the bottom line: Creationist theories DO NOT explain what is preserved in the geological record. DittoJed2 has posted links which are thought-provoking, but don't explain what can be observed in the field.

[PatrickHenry]

Gonna get 2500?

[biblewonk]

When I was in school Sagan was dreaming about life on other planets. He was doing an almost childishly simplistic process of elimination and coming up with millions of planets in the Milkyway that should have had evolution occur. Sagan was one of the major prophets of the religion of evolution.