Use dinosaurs as means of introducing students to key concepts of natural historical sciences, especially
evolutionary biology and historical geology
Demonstrate the scientific method as it is employed to test questions about the paleobiology, behavior, and
extinction of dinosaurs
Use the Dinosauria as a model of demonstrating patterns of evolutionary divergence and adaptation
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the semester, every student should be able to:
Identify the major clades of dinosaurs and their primary attributes (anatomy, behavior,
stratigraphic and geographic distribution, etc.)
Interpret cladograms in determining evolutionary relationships and distribution of specializations
Assess claims of inferred dinosaurian behavior, physiology, and extinction patterns from fossil
evidence
Dinosaur science is NOT Archaeology!
Paleontology, the study of ancient life and their remains (fossils). Fossils (from Latin fossilium "that which is dug up") are the physical remains
of past life and its activities preserved in the rock record.
Vertebrate Paleontology, the study of ancient backboned animals, including dinosaurs.
The majority of paleontologists, or even of vertebrate paleontologists, are NOT
dinosaur researchers!
Dinosaur fossils have been found in Mesozoic Era rocks from every continent, including
Antarctica.
Types of dinosaur fossils:
Isolated bones and teeth
Skeletons, in varying degrees of completeness
Footprints and trackways
Skin impressions and Feathers
Mineralized soft tissue (muscles, intestines)
NON-mineralized soft tissue!!
Eggs (some with embryos) and nests
Coprolites (fossilized feces)
The word "Dinosauria" (and hence "dinosaur") was coined in 1842 by Sir Richard
Owen:
Greek deinos "fearfully great" (i.e., not just big, but SCARY BIG!), and sauros "lizard"
Note: hundreds of books to the contrary, Owen did not say Dinosauria meant
"terrible lizard"
Owen recognized 3 different dinosaurs:
carnivorous Megalosaurus
herbivorous Iguanodon
armored Hylaeosaurus
Saw that they were different from other fossil (and modern) reptiles because of:
upright limbs
extra hip vertebrae
and a few other skeletal features
Dinosauria is now recognized as a single major group of organisms, all descendants of a
common ancestor.
Modern Definition of Dinosauria:
The concestor (most recent common ancestor) of Megalosaurus and Iguanodon
and all of its descendants
Thus, dinosaurs are not just "any fossil animals"
or "all fossil reptiles" or "all fossil reptiles of the Mesozoic" or "all giant fossil
reptiles of the Mesozoic." Instead, they are specific branch of the Tree of Life.
What is Science? Science:
Is NOT simply a body of knowledge
Is the empirical (evidence-based) way of understanding the natural universe
Uses the method of framing and testing hypotheses
Proceeds by publication of ideas
Allows others to check the original scientist's observations
Allows others (including later generations) to independently test the hypotheses
Allows ideas to be widely transmitted
The following (from Thomas Kida's Don't Believe Everything You Think) are a useful set of characteristics of thinking like a scientist:
Keep an open mind, but be skeptical of any unsubstantiated claim
Make sure a claim (hypothesis) can be tested
Evaluate the quality of the evidence for a claim
Try to falsify the hypothesis (i.e., look for discomfirming evidence)
Observations of natural phenomena lead to possible explanations (hypotheses)
These hypotheses must be falsifiable (i.e., there must be some test, experiment, or
observation which can demonstrate that the hypothesis is untrue)
Until the hypothesis is tested, it is only considered a speculation
If the hypothesis survives a test (or tests) of falsification, it is tentatively (or
provisionally) accepted (keeping in mind that additional tests might potentially overturn
the hypothesis)
Consider alternative explanations
Other things being equal, choose the claim that is the simplest explanation for the phenomenon (i.e., the one that requires the
fewest assumptions)
This is formally known as the principle of parsimony, and also called Occam's razor
Other things being equal, choose the claim that doesn't conflict with well-established knowledge
This is sometimes refered to as the principle of consilience
Proportion your acceptance of a claim to the amount of evidence for or against a claim
Some Relevent Videos
Below are a series of videos that help explain the scientific
view of understanding reality and assessing problems, contrasted with
supernatural and other non-scientific modes:
First, a series of VERY short videos by TechNYou, called "This Thing Called Science":
"Part 1: Call me skeptical" (2:02):
"Part 2: Testing, testing 1-2-3" (2:30):
"Part 3: Blinded by Science" (2:45):
"Part 4: Confidently Uncertain" (3:01):
"Part 5: Do the right thing" (2:38):
"Part 6: Citizen Science" (3:34):
The next set are by YouTuber Qualia Soup:
"Skewed Views of Science" (10:00, by QualiaSoup):
"Open-mindedness" (9:40, by QualiaSoup):
"It *Could* Just Be Coincidence" (9:05, by QualiaSoup)
"The Problem with Anectdotes" (9:03, by QualiaSoup):
"Flawed Thinking By Numbers" (8:12, by QualiaSoup):
