Posted on 11/17/2005 4:01:41 PM PST by Nasty McPhilthy
Grass existed on Earth at least 10 million years earlier than was known, based on a new discovery in fossilized dinosaur dung.
It's also the first solid evidence that some dinosaurs ate grass.
While dissecting fossilized droppings, known as coprolites, researchers found tiny silica structures called phytoliths. They are short, rigid cells that provide support to a plant. This type is found exclusively in grasses.
The discovery shows that five types of grass related to modern varieties were present in the Gondwana region of the Indian subcontinent during the late Cretaceous period about 71 to 65 million years ago.
Museum redux
Before this discovery, 55 million-year-old grass reproductive structures discovered in Tennessee were the oldest grass fossils on record. 70 million-year-old grass pollen has been discovered in Egypt.
“But pollen are somewhat ambiguous,” study co-author Caroline Stromberg of the Swedish Museum of Natural History told LiveScience. “They could also be from a plant closely related to grasses.”
This discovery could also cause a major shake-up in dinosaur dioramas around the world.
Until now there was no firm evidence that dinosaurs and grasses coexisted, so scientists assumed that herbivorous dinosaurs ate mostly trees, ferns, flowering plants and cycads.
The droppings most likely came from titanosaur sauropods which weighed more than 100 tons and were the heaviest creatures to ever walk the Earth. Although scientists knew from the shape of their teeth that titanosaurs were plant eaters, this is the first proof that dinosaurs snacked on grass.
Other grass eaters?
Not only does this finding call for a reconsideration of dinosaur diets, but for early mammals as well. Many fossilized mammals from the Gondwana region had teeth that could have been used for grazing on grass.
Most grasses grow in dry upland areas where plants seldom fossilize because of degrading chemical processes in the soil. However, based on this new finding, Stromberg believes that grass had spread to the Gondwana region before India became geographically isolated 80 million years ago.
Examinations on the distribution of living grasses around the world point to South American origin, although many scientists believe that grasses may have been widespread before the continents split apart.
The discovery is detailed in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal Science.
You think Jim Jones was a Christian?
I am saying what scientists are so excited about today will likely be tossed aside because it was wrong tomorrow. But that's science, isn't it?
Yes.
Dung, is the sound bells make...ding-dong.....except when bell
is flat. then it goes dung-dong.
It's not like scientists have completely re-written everything about how they understand the world with this finding. We simply now know that grass probably existed 10 million years before we thought it did.
Also, what's wrong with revising your ideas in light of new evidence? Would you rather we still held the view that the sun revolves around the earth?
Korean guy, really sharp.
Nonsense.
Christianity is not in any way singular, I deal with it as I do with all Near Eastern mystery religions, from Mithraism to Islam. They are for the credulous and the insecure.
So9
Yes! See my above :~D
I was once incredulous and insecure. But, not anymore!
The pride of man is a wonder to behold.
The klintonicus did smoke grass, however the kennedisaurus tried to bottle and drink it, possibly leading to its extinction.
We should lessen our dependance on foreign dung.
All your dung are belong to us.
So when the bird flu shots become available, you won't have one because undependable science developed them?
We got the “straight up” poop too... see the grass???
See #57 for an updated fossil record...
I currently have no plans to have a bird shot vaccination since from what I understand, they are not yet available. And since I don't live with poultry, I'm not too worried. Lots more people die from regular flu every year than have died from the bird flu. And if it is similar to the 1918 strain, wouldn't we already have some immunity to it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.