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Essential question
How do new types of technology improve our understanding of the planet’s history?The 122-foot long skeleton of a new, massive dinosaur species debuted at New York’s American Museum of Natural History over the weekend. Scientists think the titanosaur, which dates back 100 million years and weighed as much as 10 elephants when it lived, may be the largest animal to ever walk the planet. A rancher in Argentina’s Patagonia desert discovered the first titanosaur fossils in 2012. One thigh bone alone measured eight feet and its neck stretched long enough to allow it to peer into fifth story windows if it still lived today. In order to mount an animal of this size and magnitude, Canadian researchers used 3-D scans to cast lightweight fiberglass replicas of 84 of the titanosaur’s heavy bones. Paleontologist and museum curator Mark Norell said 3-D printers help to improve the study of extinct animals. The titanosaur will receive its official scientific name in a few months.
Key terms
paleontology — the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants 3-D printing — a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a materialWarm up questions ( before watching the video)
- How do scientists learn about dinosaurs?
- What is the biggest challenge to the study of fossils?
- What is the largest species of dinosaur you know of?
Critical thinking questions ( after watching the video)
- Why was it necessary to use 3-D imaging to create a model of the titanosaur skeleton?
- What other ways can paleontologists or other scientists use this technology to improve our understanding of the past?
- If scientists are still discovering new species of dinosaurs, what does that say about our overall understanding of these creatures and the time when they lived? Explain.
