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

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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.

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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.

[Da_Shrimp]

also has a rescue mechanism which forbids killing them now.

Nope. Ever heard of 'Kill them all and let God sort them out?' Killing non-christians in the Dark Ages was a right-on thing to do, with extra kudos for the afterlife if you managed to slay a Heathen or six.

[Right Wing Professor]

Not Christianity. It may have been a hybrid, but 1865-1965 was also marked by the rise and thriving of evolutionary theory, so if you want to draw implications.

So you claim that evolution was widely taught in the South from 1865 to 1965?

[PatrickHenry]

So you claim that evolution was widely taught in the South from 1865 to 1965?

Sure. The Klan is a bunch of evolutionists. Don't you know anything?

[RadioAstronomer]

It occurred to me that we have come to a point in technology where the least fit do just fine. It really took very little time for this to be the case too. Only a few hundred years ago most of these people would probably not be alive. So if evolution were true then the whole concept is blown out the window by man and his ability to invent things. Now there is no reason for us to improve.

There are arguments against this, however, I will let the more knowleged post on this one.

The other thing is that if you consider how fast we went from bible technology to today's technology, it is really silly to imagine that man could have lived in caves for 2 million years and then exponentially accelerated his development in the last 2000 years.

Think of the explosion of knowledge. It is accelerating exponentially. Even the exponent is getting larger. I am not surprised at all by this.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Note that meteor, as in shooting stars, and the meteor as in meteorology is the same term. It's a weather thing.

[DittoJed2]

If the theory of evolution is a 'worldview', what political system does it tell us we should adopt?

Logically, that would be a democracy that would eventually degenerate into anarchy or totalitarianism

Could you briefly sketch how a theory that species arose from mutation followed by natural selection tells us we should govern ourselves by means of an unstable democracy?

If man arose by means of chance random mutation followed by natural selection, then there is no more value in human beings than in any other creature. There is no universal law, only the preference of the man or the community. What is acceptable here in America, for whatever reason, may not be acceptable in Saudi Arabia, or China. It is whatever the community decides, and communities mores change from community to community and from house to house. Homosexuality is applauded in San Francisco, but disdained in parts of Alabama. The 10 commandments are applauded by Roy Moore and many of his constituents, but disdained by the ACLU and its constituents. And, without a moral law from above, the result is an unstable democracy.

What does it tell us about the proper penalty for murder?

It's not much a world view if it doesn't tell us what food to eat or how to spend our free time, is it? And I'm really hazy on why you think it tells us to govern ourselves democratically. After all, there are many many kinds of social organization in nature, and I can't think of one species that organizes itself democratically.
See above. And having something to tell you "what to eat" has an unnecessarily restrictive view of "WORLD VIEW". Christianity doesn't necessarily say what to eat, but I don't think you would deny that there is a Christian worldview.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

You have said a mouthful. What do you care of America? You are English and therefor not an American Conservative. Re-check your geologic records. They do not exist in the order your fellow Darwin claims. The real bottom line here is what is your prime directive on this site.

[Right Wing Professor]

The Klan is a bunch of evolutionists. Don't you know anything?

Evidently not. I thought that one of the issues the Klan used in its 1920's revival was the teaching of evolution in the schools (they were against it). Must be those lyin' secular humanist textbooks again.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

Yup that's right.

[Junior]

There is a difference between allowing one's religion to color one's world view and seeing everything as religion. biblewonk sees science as religion, and a hostile religion at that.

BTW, I'm Catholic, and therefore one of those non-existent Christians who also accepts evolution without heartburn or feeling it to be a threat to our faith.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

In fact, better than ever

[balrog666]

The Klan is a bunch of evolutionists. Don't you know anything?

Of course! Nobody ever did anything bad until they warped their brain by reading the Theory of Evolution (not Darwin's book, just the theory).

And I'm sure there must be some Bibical miracle to explain all those eviiiiiildoers who ran amuck prior to the first formulation of the brain-twisting, morality-destroying, most-evil-theory-of-all-time, the Theory of Evolution!

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA [MAD SCIENTIST LAUGH]!

[Doctor Stochastic]

Not quite true. The arch Anti-Darwinist, Lysenko, did call for the execution of Darwinists. A few were executed which did contribute the mass starvations.

[DittoJed2]

BTW, I'm Catholic, and therefore one of those non-existent Christians who also accepts evolution without heartburn or feeling it to be a threat to our faith.

I never said Christians wouldn't accept evolution. Don't distort what I said. As a matter of fact, I explicitly stated the opposite. You are just being inconsistent in my view with Scripture. Not with Catholicism, because Catholicism's authority is from church writings, papal declarations, and then Scripture. My authority, and most of protestant Christianity's foundational authority is Scripture.

[whattajoke]

it is really silly to imagine that man could have lived in caves for 2 million years and then exponentially accelerated his development in the last 2000 years.

Again, I urge you not to use this line of argument. There are many things I do not understand in this world, but I can still accept them. First of all, your use of "exponentially" I will assume is colloquial rather than factual. And why is this "silly?" Is it any less silly than accepting some of the bible's more, how shall I say, fantastic stories? Even if I accept Jesus was God, and every story he's involved in therefore happened as is due to his supernatural abilities, there's still enough, dare I say, "silly" things in the OT.

And I do find it odd that you won't discuss the bible with RadioAstronomer (or was it RWP?) Why not? Does it lend to the possibility that one can read the bible and not suddenly convert to evangelism? Well, I know I've read about 75% of the bible, I know Aric2000 has read the whole thing. And somehow we're not able to really understand it? how is that?

[Da_Shrimp]

You have said a mouthful. What do you care of America?

A lot. Cousin.

Re-check your geologic records. They do not exist in the order your fellow Darwin claims.

I have so checked. They match much better with the the evidence than Creationist theories.

My prime directive on this site? Oh spare me! I've been vociferous in my own country in our support of the US in military action in Iraq and I'd defend to the end the superiority of our Western way of life and the benefits it brings.

Satisfied? If not, then shove your 'Prime Directive' where the sun never shines.

[biblewonk]

All these UFO movies need to be updated to show nearsighted, lame, wheelchair bound collostomy aliens. De-evolution is the reality of the universe.

[f.Christian]

returned ... don't give the creepies the creepies !

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

Cousin? I doubt that.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

Now where did I leave that can o raid? LOL Hi :)