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.

[gore3000]

The propriety of the term "drunk or insane designer" is truly a non-issue.

Everything is a non-issue to you if it is done by an evolutionist. Spare us the Clintonian hypocrisy.

[VadeRetro]

Very, very nice! Make sure you save it on your HD in case the thread goes away.

[gore3000]

But, judgement in courts are never decided in the "spirit of the law"

This is not a court matter. The only thing that binds them is their honor, they have shown they have none.

[AndrewC]

You are obviously angry, A-C, and I don't blame you.

No, I'm not angry. I am trying to make a point. Words such as insane, drunk and lawyer are unnecessary in these discussions and, when used, tend to inflame.

[Nataku X]

Then I apologize for misjudging your mood, and I agree that these words were not necessary at all.

[Aric2000]

I didn't have to read more then 3 lines in to know it was a post from you. So of course I HAD to read the whole thing.

Your posts are some of the most informative, fact filled and interesting that I read on FR.

I learn a lot from them.

Thank you for taking so much time to make them, I APPRECIATE it more then you will ever know.

[AndrewC]

Then I apologize for misjudging your mood

No need to do that, but thanks. That is what communication is for, to determine things, hopefully, in a polite and civil manner. Your observation was made in a perfect manner and gave me opportunity to "correct" it. The "correction" was taken graciously.

[Aric2000]

I hope we're still under warranty.

Wouldn't that be nice, because this health insurance for my kids is KILLING me!!

[Ichneumon]

Grand Canyon was rapidly formed when a dam broke.

A moment ago you were citing a website that claims that it was made during the Flood. Now you're saying it's due to a breaking dam. Which is it? And which dam, when?

That little River did not carve that great big canyon.

If you knew the most basic things about the Grand Canyon (i.e., enough to have an informed opinion about how it might have formed), you'd know that "that little river" is today a trickle of what it once was, because IT WAS DAMMED UPSTREAM in 1960-62 by the building of the Glen Canyon Dam.

Prior to that, the Colorado River could reach flow volumes of 200,000 cubic feet per second.

[Aric2000]

200,000 Cubic feet per second? Holy Shiite, that is a LOT of water!!

[bondserv]

the passage in Isaiah that translates to 'the circle of the earth',...

Lord of the Rings/Pancake/Sausage Patty...

Link 1

Link 2

[bondserv]

Sorry, I meant to include you to the above post.

[Aric2000]

Good Evening Bondserv, and how are you this fine evening?

[bondserv]

Hello,

I am well, and you?

[Aric2000]

Not bad, getting my 2 daughters ready for bed, it is getting to be quite a nightly experience. My 7 year old gets mad because it's "so early" and she's NOT tired, and my 3 years old is quite the contortionist when it comes to putting on her PJ's. By the time I am finished, I'm ready to hit the sack....LOL

Then when my 7 year old hits the sack, she's out, yeah, not tired, sure thing, and my 3 year old then harasses us until 10:30 or so before she finally falls asleep from exhaustion.

Yes, it gets to be quite the challenge!!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank y'all so much for your posts!

Nakatu X, your understand is correct in my view and below I only seek to clarify the underlying reasoning. Virginia-American, your example about quality control is quite interesting! You might find the following useful in determining when words and phrases are problematic.

AndrewC, thank you so much for all your excellent questions! But before getting to the individual answers, I do want to mention that the principle of the agreement is quite simple:

we shall treat others on these threads as we wish to be treated ourselves.

This is the heart of what the willing agree to do. The guidelines section helps clarify different situations and technicalities.

Therefore, before a willing party can determine whether or not he has complied with a particular guideline to the letter, the question that he must first ask himself is whether he would want to be treated that way if the situation were reversed. The poster in this case would ask himself whether, if he were of the Creation/Intelligent Design camp, he would find the statement belittling.

Many words used to ridicule or demean another person would not make it past that first test.

But assuming it passes the first test, the next test deals with the what the guideline itself says. In this case, the guideline says:

We will not use obscene or belittling words to describe another complying poster or whatever that poster believes

In this case, a complying poster of the Creation/Intelligent Design camp would logically believe that the designer is intelligent; many of them would say the designer is God; many of them, our Judeo/Christian God. Using a word like “drunk” to describe the designer would reasonable be taken as belittling to complying posters.

In this case the complaint did not come from a complying poster so the second test did not apply. But the first principle did apply and it is ultimately a personal decision – would I want to be treated this way if the situation were reversed?

Now to your questions:

Is is acceptable to belittle other people by comparing them to others and not directly stating that to the person being compared?

Except for the first principle, that is not addressed in the current agreement in the way that you worded it. The only “must ping” provision is under the Assurances clause when the complaint has to do with a complying poster. So, without further specific information about the incident, I’m hesitant to comment other than if you believe this to be a deficiency in the agreement, the next mediator will want to know when it comes up for review in a few weeks.

Is it acceptable to use the words drunk and insane in describing beliefs of the opponent?

If the opponent is a complying poster, it would be barred under the guidelines (the second test.) If the person using such words would be offended were they used in describing his beliefs, then it would be barred under the first principle of the agreement (the first test.)

Is it justified to say someone is complying or not complying merely due to signing or not signing the agreement?

In my view, signing the agreement shows an intent to comply and thus anyone who signed ought to be assumed compliant unless strictly proven otherwise. A person who has not signed the agreement has shown no such intent to comply. Compliance is a non-issue with a non-signer until and unless the poster behaves in a disruptive manner which might lead to a flame war. If that happens, we have agreed to a very strict procedure to ask politely that the person comply. If the disruption continues, we have agreed to advise one another not to engage the disruptive poster in order to keep the peace. And if someone is charged with not complying, and only not complying with no substantiation, is that in itself a violation of the agreement?

Unsubstantiated allegations are meaningless and should always be ignored. They serve no purpose but to incite a flame war.

Complying posters are expected to include evidence along with any accusation they make on the very same post. Even so, an allegation is still only an allegation. In many cases where such allegations have been made, the person accused has answered in such a way that a misunderstanding was resolved or an apology made.

There are no courts or judges in this voluntary agreement to decide the issues of fact and to apply the agreement. That is in the mind of the willing posters themselves.

The worst thing that happens IMHO is when a poster is shunned by many other posters, but that is what happens when an issue cannot be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

The actual shunning itself is the only “measure” of who was right and who was wrong. Thus, the adjudicators are all of the posters on Free Republic (whether among the willing or not.)

[bondserv]

So there was geological uplift of a mountain range in the interim. What's the problem?

Please fill in some detail of your idea for me.

[bondserv]

HAHAHA,

My girls are 7 & 8. We went to the beach today, and they are thankfully exhausted.

I remember the contortionistic battles. ;-)

[bondserv]

See my profile page.

[f.Christian]

bttt