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Dinosaur Decline in the Late Cretaceous
May 2, 2012 | USAToday.com

Researchers have determined that some dinosaur sub-groups were in decline long before the Late Cretaceous impact event.

Teeth As a Competitive Edge
April 4, 2012 | University of Washington

“Conventional wisdom holds that during the Mesozoic Era, mammals were small creatures that held on at life’s edges. But at least one mammal group, rodent-like creatures called multituberculates, actually flourished during the last 20 million years of the dinosaurs’ reign and survived their extinction 66 million years ago.” Quoted from the University of Washington press release.

The Color of Dinosaur Feathers
March 14, 2012 | American Museum of Natural History

“A pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur known as Microraptor had black iridescent feathers when it roamed the Earth 130 million years ago, according to new research led by a team of American and Chinese scientists that includes Museum researchers. The dinosaur’s fossilized plumage is the earliest record of iridescent feather color.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation research announcement.

Dinosaur Discoveries for 2011
January 9, 2012 | Smithsonian Blog

The Smithsonian Blog has an article that reviews some of the important dinosaur discoveries of 2011. Check it out for new information on dinosaur growth, dinosaur senses, new species and more.

Evolution of Dinosaur Art
January 8, 2012 | Smithsonian Blog

An post on the Smithsonian blog titled “Creating the Age of Reptiles” explores Rudolph Zallingers “Age of Reptiles” painting and its influence on dinosaur paleontology.

Even Four-Year-Olds Know the Difference Between Styracosaurus and Triceratops
January 8, 2012 | Montreal Gazette

Four-year-old paleontoligist, Stella Hatton was not impressed with the accuracy of dinosaur toys at her local toy store. The Canadian Museum of Nature liked her critique of the toy so much that they sent her a correct triceratops model.

Digging Dinosaurs is a “Dirty Job”
December 22, 2011 | Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel has four “sneak peek” videos about the “not-so-glamorous” life of a paleontologist.

Earth Science Books for Kids
December 13, 2011 |

This is a great time to introduce kids to earth science with age-appropriate books. The geology.com store has children’s books on topics that include: dinosaurs, rocks, minerals, fossils, gemstones, volcanoes and more.

North America’s Largest Dinosaur
December 8, 2011 | MSNBC

Based upon the proportions of two vertebrae and a femur of Alamosaurus sanjuanensis found in New Mexico, researchers believe that the bones are from the largest dinosaur ever found in North America.

Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum from the North Slope
November 2, 2011 | ArtDaily.org

Researchers from the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science have described a new species of horned dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, recovered from the Prince Creek Formation of Alaska’s North Slope. This article at ArtDaily had a link to the formal paper at the bottom of the page.

Camarasaurus Migrated Great Distances?
November 1, 2011 | io9

Oxygen isotope levels in chronological layers of Camarasaurus teeth reveal that the dinosaur may have seasonally migrated great distances – at least 200 miles!

Smithsonian: “Spookiest Dinosaur Scenes”
November 1, 2011 | Smithsonian.com

Smithsonian.com celebrated Halloween with an article titled: “Cinema’s Spookiest Dinosaur Scenes” that lists and describes the top five dinosaur scenes from the movies. Can you guess which scene earned position #1?

World’s Largest Fossil Footprint Museum
October 18, 2011 | Examiner.com

The world’s largest collection of fossil footprints, containing over 2700 specimens, is moving to a new home at University of Colorado Boulder.

Fossilized Dinosaur Tracks at Aniakchak Caldera, Alaska
October 12, 2011 | Earth Observatory

“Geographers first noticed the circular feature on the landscape, and a 1922 geologic expedition confirmed the origin of the depression. Several decades later, paleontologists made another find at Aniakchak: Dinosaurs once lived in the area, and they left behind some of their fossilized tracks.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.

Arkansas Dinosaur Tracks
October 10, 2011 | University of Arkansas

“The track site, found in southwest Arkansas, covers an area of about two football fields and contains the fossilized tracks of several species.” Quoted from the University of Arkansas news release.

Student Learning: Feathers in Amber
October 3, 2011 | SciNEWS

The SciNEWS website has a new collection of resources that guide teachers in preparing learning activities for students that feature new research findings about some of the oldest-know feathers. These are based in part on an assemblage of Late Cretaceous dinosaur and bird feathers discovered in Canadian amber.

Armored Dinosaur Hatchling Discovered in Maryland
September 28, 2011 | Johns Hopkins

“Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with help from an amateur fossil hunter in College Park, Maryland, have described the fossil of an armored dinosaur hatchling.” Quoted from John Hopkins news release.

Did a Baptistina-Family Asteroid Kill the Dinosaurs?
September 23, 2011 | NASA

“Observations from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not likely the culprit.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

Petrified Forest National Park adds 26,000 Acres
September 14, 2011 | MSNBC

After years of negotiations the National Park Service has secured 26,000 acres of largely untouched private land that scientist are excited to explore.

Maryland Dinosaur Hatchling Identified
September 14, 2011 | MSNBC

MSNBC reports that researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have identified an armored dinosaur hatchling that was discovered in College Park, Maryland 14 years ago.

Pregnant Plesiosaur
August 17, 2011 | Los Angeles Times

A Plesiosaur fossil discovered in Kansas indicates the animal did not lay eggs on land. Instead it grew a fetus and gave live birth in the water.

Polar Dinosaur Tracks Discovered in Australia
August 11, 2011 | Emory University

“Paleontologists have discovered a group of more than 20 polar dinosaur tracks on the coast of Victoria, Australia, offering a rare glimpse into animal behavior during the last period of pronounced global warming, about 105 million years ago.” Quoted from the Emory University news release.

South Pole Dinosaurs
August 9, 2011 | Montana State University

“Dog-sized dinosaurs that lived near the South Pole, sometimes in the dark for months at a time, had bone tissue very similar to dinosaurs that lived everywhere on the planet, according to a doctoral candidate at Montana State University.” Quoted from the Montana State University news release.

Fossil Thalattosaur Found in Alaska
July 31, 2011 | FoxNews.com

Quick excavations were done to recover a fossil thalattosaur that was only exposed during low tide at certain times of the year. The University of Alaska Museum of the North is now preparing the marine reptile for study.

The Oldest Bird?
July 28, 2011 | MSNBC

Is Archaeopteryx the oldest bird? Analysis of the 155 million-year-old, chicken-sized Xiaotingia zhengi, found in China’s Liaoning Province seems to place Archaeopteryx in a different evolutionary line. Archaeopteryx, a 150 million-year-old fossil found in Germany in 1861, is considered by many paleontologists to be the most primitive bird known.

A Dinosaur-Eating Croc?
July 27, 2011 | McGill Reporter

“Given the number and size of their teeth, the researchers believe these carnivorous crocs fed on animals of the same 15- to 20-foot size range – that is dinosaurs and fellow crocs from the region.” Quoted from the McGill University press release.

Wyoming Dinosaurs
July 20, 2011 | Casper Star Tribune

The Casper Star Tribune has a new interactive titled “Unearthing Wyoming’s Dinosaurs.

You can use it to learn about eleven famous dinosaurs that have been found in Wyoming along with lots of additional information.

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Breakthroughs
July 19, 2011 | Berkeley National Lab

Here is a webpage that lists a number of impressive accomplishments by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Just to shout out a few, they: discovered 16 elements, identified good and bad cholesterol, confirmed the Big Bang, attributed the dinosaur extinction to an asteroid impact and determined the carbon path through photosynthesis. Nice work!

The Last Dinosaur Before Catastrophic Meteor Impact Extinction
July 18, 2011 | Yale

“A team of scientists has discovered the youngest dinosaur preserved in the fossil record before the catastrophic meteor impact 65 million years ago.” Quoted from the Yale University news release.

Jimbo: The World’s Fourth Longest Dinosaur
July 18, 2011 | Casper Star Tribune

Here is a short video about Jimbo, a specimen of Supersaurus vivianae and the longest dinosaur found in Wyoming and possibly the fourth longest dinosaur found in the world.

Were Dinosaurs Cold-Blooded and Sluggish or Warm-Blooded and Active?
July 12, 2011 | University of Adelaide

“Human thigh bones have tiny holes – known as the ‘nutrient foramen’ – on the shaft that supply blood to living bone cells inside. New research has shown that the size of those holes is related to the maximum rate that a person can be active during aerobic exercise. Professor Seymour has used this principle to evaluate the activity levels of dinosaurs.” Quoted from the University of Adelaide news release.

Head-Butting Dinosaur
July 1, 2011 | University of Calgary

“Researchers surveyed the heads of a large number of modern animals as well as one of the world’s best dinosaur fossils, the Stegoceras specimen from the University of Alberta. They found that the bony anatomy of some pachycephalosaur domes are better at protecting the brain than in any modern head-butter.” Quoted from the University of Calgary news release.

Are These Sauropod Footprints?
June 28, 2011 | Mountain Beltway Blog

Callan Bentley found some interesting features that might be sauropod footprints while visiting the Two Sisters dinosaur dig in the Jurassic Morrison Formation of Colorado.

New Fossil May Be the World’s Smallest Dinosaur
June 14, 2011 | Discovery News

Paleontologists at the University of Portsmouth are investigating a fossil of a tiny dinosaur that lived during the Lower Cretaceous period and may have weighed as little as seven ounces.

“Fighting Dinosaurs” Fossil Fetches $2.75M
June 13, 2011 | Reuters

A “fighting pair” of dinosaurs – an allosaurus and a stegosaurus – were auctioned on Sunday in Dallas. The fossil pair brought $2.75 million.

Dinosaurs, Murchison Meteorite Fragments to be Auctioned in Dallas
June 12, 2011 | CNN Blogs

Four dinosaurs, a nine-foot tall pair of shark jaws and two pieces of the Murchison Meteorite will be auctioned today in Dallas, Texas.

Image by Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences
A Nearly-Complete Tyrannosaurs bataar Discovered in Mongolia
May 13, 2011 | Ohio University

A nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile Tyrannosaurs bataar was discovered in the western Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The fossil is revealing new information about the lifestyle of juvenile Tyrannosaurs.

Photo by Lars Schmitz, UC Davis
Some Dinosaurs Hunted at Night
April 21, 2011 | University of California, Davis

“The movie “Jurassic Park” got one thing right: Those velociraptors hunted by night while the big plant-eaters browsed around the clock, according to a new study of the eyes of fossil animals.” Quoted from the UCDavis press release.

Dinosaurs Were First Hosts of Lice?
April 18, 2011 | The New York Times

By reconstructing the family tree of lice, a louse taxonomist found that theropod dinosaurs, the ancestors of birds, might have been their first hosts. Lice have such great adaptation that when their hosts evolve so will the lice.

Bucktoothed Dinosaur Helps Fill Gap in the Fossil Record
April 17, 2011 | National Geographic

A Dinosaur fossil discovered in New Mexico has a short snout and over-sized teeth. These are characteristics of a predatory dinosaur which is uncommon for such an early point in history. The discovery also shows that dinosaurs made it into the Northern Hemisphere when Pangea existed.

Dinosaur Tracks vs Natural Gas Development
April 3, 2011 | The Sydney Morning Herald

The longest-known stretch of dinosaur footprints is located on the Dampier Peninsula of Australia. Chevron, Shell, BP and other companies want to develop a natural gas port that will be the first major development on the 80 kilometer footprint area.

Zhuchengtyrannus magnus: New Tyrannosaurus
April 3, 2011 | IOL SciTech

A newly-discovered relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex is described in an article on the IOL website. Zhuchengtyrannus magnus was discovered in China and is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever found.

Brontomerus Fossils Found in Utah
February 26, 2011 | BBC News

The newly-discovered dinosaur species Brontomerus mcintoshi had a hip bone much larger than those seen in other sauropods. This indicates that the Early Cretaceous creature could have delivered a powerful kick. This article includes a short video.

The Dinosaur With One Finger
January 26, 2011 | National Geographic

Most theropods had three fingers on each hand, however a dinosaur found in northeastern China, Linhenykus monodactylus, had only one finger which might have been used to probe termite mounds.

Was Tyrannosaurus rex a Hunter or Scavenger?
January 25, 2011 | MongaBay.com

Was Tyrannosaurus rex a hunter or a scavenger. That debate has been going on for a long time. Now scientists at the Zoological Society of London have a computer model that indicateds Tyrannosaurus rex was a hunter.

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