( The golden age of dinosaur discovery is...)Good times ahead for dinosaur hunters, according to U of Penn scientist's dinosaur census

The golden age of dinosaur discovery is yet upon us, according to Peter Dodson at the University of Pennsylvania. In a forthcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dodson revises his groundbreaking 1990 census on the diversity of discoverable dinosaurs upward by 50%, offering a brighter outlook about the number of dinosaurs waiting to be found. His findings also add evidence that dinosaur populations were stable, and not on the decline, in the time shortly before their extinction 65 million years ago.

Dodson proposes that 1,850 genera (the plural of genus, an organizational group comprised of one or more separate species) will eventually be discovered, in total. Since the dinosaur research began in earnest in the 19th century, only 527 genera have so far been found, although that number is currently changing at the rate of 10 to 20 per year.

"It's a safe bet that a child born today could expect a very fruitful career in dinosaur paleontology," said Dodson, professor of anatomy in Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine and professor in Penn's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. "Unfortunately, there is a finite limit to what can be discovered, so our estimates show that the child's grandchildren won't be so fortunate as new discoveries will likely decline sharply in the early 22nd century."

Dodson and co-author Steve Wang, a statistician at Swarthmore College, estimate that 71% of all dinosaur genera that could be found are still awaiting discovery. The researchers predict that 75% of discoverable genera will be found within 60-100 years and 90% within the next 140 years.

In 1990, Dodson first census paper coincided with his publication of The Dinosauria," the first book to comprehensively depict known dinosaurs. In preparing for the second edition, published last year, Dodson revisited his projections to account for the sudden increase of dinosaur fossil discoveries during the 1990s."The
'"/>

Source:University of Pennsylvania

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. To sea or not to sea: When it comes to salmon sex, size sometimes doesnt matter
2. Bugs expose underground carbon traffic system 10 times more important than fossil fuel burning
3. Data published in PNAS show antibodies can be made 10 times more toxic to cancer cells
4. Tyrannosaur survivorship -- tough times for teens
5. Immune system police learn early and sometimes badly
6. New approach could lower antibiotic requirements by 50 times
7. Researchers use dirt to stay one step ahead of antibiotic resistance
8. Stormy days ahead for coral reefs
9. Planning ahead: Having the healthiest baby possible
10. Revueltosaurus skeleton unearthed at Petrified Forest upsets dinosaur tale
11. Study: Predatory dinosaurs had bird-like pulmonary system