Navigation Links
Dinosaur from Sahara ate like a 'mesozoic cow'
Date:11/15/2007

nine replacements stacked behind each cutting tooth, so that when one wore out, another immediately took its place. There were more than 500 teeth in total, with a new tooth in each column joining the scissors edge every month. Among dinosaurs, Sereno said, Nigersaurus sets the Guinness record for tooth replacement.

Sereno and coauthors write in PLoS ONE that Nigersaurus downwardly deflected muzzle may characterize most diplodocoids, such as North Americas Diplodocus. Some of these unusual sauropods thrived to become the pre-eminent ground-level feeders of the Mesozoic, said coauthor Jeffrey Wilson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

CT scanning allowed Sereno and team to look inside the dinosaurs braincase. There, small canals of the brains balancing organ revealed the habitual pose of the head. Reconstructed from CT scans, these canals showed that the muzzle of Nigersaurus angled directly toward the ground, unlike the forward-pointing snouts of most other dinosaurs. This feature, along with unusual wear facets on the animals teeth, led Sereno and colleagues to conclude that Nigersaurus largely fed by cropping plants near the ground.

Coauthor Lawrence Witmer, professor at Ohio University, who imaged the brain and organ of equilibrium, said, What we have here is the first good look at a sauropod brain, and it has important things to say about this animals posture and behavior.

Jaw design was not Nigersaurus only odd characteristic: It had a backbone that was more air than bone. The vertebrae are so paper-thin that it is difficult to imagine them coping with the stresses of everyday use but we know they did it, and they did it well, said Wilson, who was an expedition team member.

The first bones of Nigersaurus were picked up in the 1950s by French paleontologists, though the species was not named. Sereno and his team honored this early work by naming the species after French paleontologist Philipp
'/>"/>

Contact: Rebecca Walton
rwalton@plos.org
44-122-346-3333
Public Library of Science
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. New dinosaur species found in Montana
2. Emory paleontologist reports discovery of carnivorous dinosaur tracks in Australia
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/23/2013)... tight wrapping of genomic DNA around nucleosomes in ... expression. A team of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich ... to be locally displaced from nucleosomes for transcription. ... stored in the cell nucleus, wrapped around disk-shaped ... of four different histone proteins and accommodating two ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... unnecessarily undergo surgery or harsh treatments because science ... aggressive forms of the disease. Researchers at Case ... are developing technology that allows patients to safely ... treatments or take drastic measures. , The project ... professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous ... damage, a 2.5 year old boy had been in ... survival. Just two months after treatment with the cord ... the following months, the child learned to speak simple ... from a Korean study, dispel the long-held doubts about ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Biochemistry: Unspooling DNA from nucleosomal disks 2Using big data to identify prostate cancers and best treatments 2Using big data to identify prostate cancers and best treatments 3First successful treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood 2
... new understanding of the process cells use to ensure ... copy of each chromosome ?a process that must be ... mental retardation. The new work reveals how gluelike protein ... of meiosis ?the specialized cell division process that produces ...
... calpain can be the key either preventing or promoting the ... "This work provides proof in principle that pharmacological inhibition of ... where this is not desirable, such as in neuronal cells ... in cancer cells where this is clearly a very desirable ...
... rat under stress and what does it do? It ... suffer nontraumatic stress they often head for the refrigerator, ... are normally solitary, are placed in a group-living situation, ... for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University are using ...
Cached Biology News:What controls stickiness of 'smart' chromosomal glue 2What controls stickiness of 'smart' chromosomal glue 3What controls stickiness of 'smart' chromosomal glue 4Protein's role in regulating cell death sets direction for cancer research 2Just like us, social stress prompts hamsters to overeat, gain weight 2Just like us, social stress prompts hamsters to overeat, gain weight 3Just like us, social stress prompts hamsters to overeat, gain weight 4
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013 BioTrends Research ... advisory firms for specialized biopharmaceutical issues, finds that, ... infectious disease specialists reported that in the past ... intentionally delaying treatment) in anticipation of the next ... months ago, when only 6 percent reported that ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 Z Trim Holdings, Inc. (OTC Markets: ... variety of industries, announced that Chef Erin ... this year,s National Restaurant Association ("NRA") NRA Show, which ... the Research Chefs Association.  Chef Ryan spoke on the ... Bad and the Ugly," joining four other prestigious panelists ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... The New Jersey chapter of the largest organization ... (BDPA), is hosting its 10th annual Families in Technology ... will encourage students and their parents to explore the ... many of the industries’ finest teachers. Held from 9 ... of Technology, the event will include workshops, instruction and ...
(Date:5/23/2013)...  Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM ), a ... commercialization of high-performance enzymes, today announced that ... at two upcoming conferences. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120924/MM79973LOGO ... Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference on Thursday, May ... York City.  The presentation is scheduled to begin at ...
Breaking Biology Technology:The Majority of Physicians that Treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Have Begun "Warehousing" and Preparing Their HCV Patients for the Next Generation of HCV Treatments 2The Majority of Physicians that Treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Have Begun "Warehousing" and Preparing Their HCV Patients for the Next Generation of HCV Treatments 3Z Trim's Chef Erin Ryan sits on Expert Panel at NRA Show 2Z Trim's Chef Erin Ryan sits on Expert Panel at NRA Show 3Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) New Jersey Hosts 10th Annual Families in Technology Day June 8, 2013 2Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 2Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 3
... The mini incubation trays ... used to screen antigens that ... membrane. Each tray has eight ... channels that accommodate strips cut ...
... GenomeLab GeXP Genetic Analysis System provides high-throughput, ... PCR*. The systems patented priming strategy ... PCR analysis to just a few genes ... more genes per reaction and more samples ...
... Kit is a simple high performance method ... Removes detergents without significant dilution of protein ... on the Detergent-OUT Spin column and collect ... are suitable for removing detergent from a ...
... are derived from Paraffin embedded tissue blocks, ... procedures to ensure the highest quality. Tissues ... one block, sectioned at a thickness of ... Sections are large (3-5 mm in diameter) ...
Biology Products: