Earthsky Interviews
Steve Brusatte says dinosaurs were not special, just lucky
02-15-2009 - Biodiversity
EarthSky’s Lindsay Patterson asked Steve Brusatte, a Ph.D. student at Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York why scientists say dinosaurs were ‘lucky’?
He said that dinosaurs were lucky enough to survive a mass extinction event at the end of the Triassic period. At the time, they were in direct competition with Crurotarsans, or ancient crocodiles. And compared to the dinosaurs, crurotarsans were more diverse and more adapted, but for some reason, the dinosaurs survived this extinction event and crurotarsans didn’t. You could call that luck, but it ushered in the age of dinosaurs.
What about competition and evolution?
Steve Brusatte said if we were standing in the Late Triassic and someone asked him who would come out on top, he would have bet on the crurotarsans. There must have been a feature that helped the dinosaurs survive, but his study shows that they were not innately superior. So if there wasn’t an unexpected mass extinction event about 200 million years ago, we might not think dinosaurs were so special.
Brusatte said the lesson learned is that evolution is not orderly or predictable, and luck plays a hand as well.
Our thanks to:
Steve Brusatte
Ph.D student at Columbia University
Natural Museum of History
New York, NY
The bible says that “…the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” Genesis 7:1
It basically says that water came up from the ground.
Then when it was over it says “…and God made a wind pass over the Earth, and the waters asswaged. The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from the heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the Earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.: Genesis 8:1-3
asswage means apeased or slowed. Abate means stopped. So basically it means that water came up from the ground and from the sky covered the Earth and then it went back down into the Earth and a lot of it evaporated into space. Most of the water is probably still underground and like I said that a lot of it probably escaped into space but Im not a scientist or anything so Im really no sure. Alot of it probably froze into Antarctica and thats why Antarctica is a couple miles of ice thick.
Why are people talking about a flood here? I thought this show was about dinosaurs.
I think it’s an interesting theory that Brusatte brings up. Maybe we wouldn’t be reading about dinosaurs in children’s books if there hadn’t been a mass extinction event randomly wiping out the crurotarsans. Maybe we’d be reading bedtime stories about really fierce crocodiles!
My God ! I didn’t think there were still people still trusting the Bible as a REAL account of past times !
From where does JosephU come from ?
Folks, comment on this.
The above flood commenters are obviously part of a minority of creationists who are trying to drum up interest in obviously false theories by trying to take attention off legitimate science. I suspect they spend all day doing google searches on dinosaurs and then cutting and pasting their prepared Biblical “evidence.” This in no way contributes to discussion, and seems like a lame way to spend your time.
Science has not given answers either. You say “scientists believe” “scientists thorize”. Theres no proof that goes against the bible. Science is also a religion to some because a lot of it is based on postulates and axioms or theories. I doubt you have even a small education of science, you just assume its right. The thoery of evolution involves more belief then the theory of creation. If you have proof against it type down and ill try to prove it wrong.
i believe in the loard jesus christ and josephU is so right and very smart with his bible verses, and for the rest of you maby and hopfully you can and will get saved all you have to say is jesus forgive me and come into my life and you have to make a change in yours to by doing whats right tell the truth and NO COURSING after all of that you can and will see a change.Just rember this I CAN DO ALL THING THROUGH CHRIST WHO STREANTGES ME.
“According to a very accurate history book, the Bible,
dinosaurs appeared on the scene the same day people did:”
Does that mean that Adam was a dinosaur jockey?
It’s the old Bible vs. Science wars again. Here are some things to think about to expand your views:
1) The Bible was never intended to be a reference manual on science. Where it speaks to science, it does so only in very limited terms and is framed in the contexts of the time and culture wherein it was written. It should not be used to prove or disprove science as to do so involves application beyond purpose. It is an instruction manual on how to live a fulfilled life and to know the heart of God in a personal way if you are convinced of His existience.
2) By strict definition, science can only explain function. However, practically speaking, science doesn’t really work so narrowly confined. It necessarily engages quasi-religion and philosophy to formulate hypothesis on very deep and profound questions that seek answers far beyond our understanding. Such questions involve a form of faith on the part of the scientist to consider the possibilities of other dimensions, states, and continuums that, in reality, may or may not exist. Such faith is what pushes science towards greater discoveries. Without it, we would still be teaching in science class that the earth is carried on the back of a turtle. So to say science is a religion is a somewhat misguided criticism. To say that science doesn’t benefit from faith and belief is equally errored.
3) Science cannot assign purpose and meaning to things. This must be relegated to the realm of philosophy and religion. To understand function without purpose and meaning is empty. To assign purpose and meaning without a desire to understand function is equally empty. In the context of these demarcations, science and religion complete our understandings of our internal and external worlds. Where they appear to differ in conclusion is a matter of our having attempted to answer a question using the wrong reference.
4) Most models and theories are built around beliefs that seek justification. Only when a model or theory is proven by empirical evidence and repeatable methods of observation (experiments) does it gain the status of knowledge (or fact). The philosopher Richard Kirkham offered perhaps the most concise definition of knowledge. It is where the “justification for the belief must be infallible.†If any doubt exists or the belief is built on pseudo-evidence, the knowledge cannot be sustained and cannot be held as fact. So we must be careful about what we state as fact and knowledge for they may be only faith and belief.
Show me an individual who distains the contributions of science or religion and I’ll show you an arrogant, intolerant, and narrow minded person who understand neither.
Oh and yes, the dinosaurs were lucky. We are even luckier that their luck ran out. As an avid hiker and camper, I’m so relieved that I don’t have to worry about being stalked by the likes of T-Rex when on the trail.
Can anyone help me clarify the word of the question that Deborah raised in the last paragraph? “Deborah: So, what’s about the _______?”
Are you looking for, “So what’s the bottom line?”
Yes, thank you,:)
Scientist measure. That’s what we do. We make observations, ask questions, formulate hypothesis, then design tests to prove or disprove our hypotheses. A good hypothesis is one that can be tested. A well designed experiment allows measurements to be made and data collected that will test the original hypotheses. The data is analyzed and the original hypotheses are substantiated or modified based upon these results. We share our findings and interpretations with all and all are welcome to substantiate the original findings or provide new data and observations to disprove or once again modify the original hypotheses. Scientist are healthy skeptics and for hypotheses to gain acceptance the observation and results must be repeatable, the data accurate, and the conclusions based upon sound reasoning. Eventually, all hypotheses of any significance will be tested by others. Theories that are flawed, for whatever reasons (e.g., poor assumptions) and no longer can explain the data/observations made are eventually exposed and discarded in favor of new ones. In this way, and because scientist measure…people’s understanding of the universe continues to grow and this enriches all of us.