#dinosaur extinction

[mesozoicbaby]

God when he realised dinosaurs weren't going to invent tax

Non avian dinosaurs are supposed to be the ones ruling the world. Whyyyyy

I just finished watching The Dinosaurs documentary on Netflix and I'm emotional.

[sleepysaurus4]

The last sauropod

Oh lonely one

Oh unfortunate one

Last whimper of billions booming voices stretching through infinity

You are the end

Not of a species

Not of an era

But of a world

Very soon flies and fungi shall feast on your kind's flesh for the very last time. For the last time in forever.

But right now the sun warms your skin

Soft dirt crunches under your feet

Joy returns to a resurrected world

I don't know when and how the last sauropod died, but I want to believe that it got to see the Sun.

[dinosaursonthetwinplanet]

Modern technology and dinosaur fossils

There isn't any credible scientific evidence that supports the mainstream mineralization theory but on the contrary modern technology proves that it can't happen the way the theory suggests. Modern technology, especially microscopy, has dramatically deepened our understanding of dinosaur fossils, revealing details that were unimaginable just a few decades ago. Here’s a concise overview of what microscopy and related tools have uncovered: 1. Discovery of Soft Tissues Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scientists have found: • Blood vessel-like structures • Red blood cell-shaped objects • Bone cells (osteocytes) with preserved structures These were first reported in a T. rex femur by Dr. Mary Schweitzer in the early 2000s, challenging the idea that soft tissue couldn’t survive millions of years.

2. Protein and Molecular Structures Microscopy, combined with mass spectrometry and immunohistochemistry, has revealed: • Preserved collagen fibers, confirming a link between dinosaurs and birds. • Reactions with antibodies that only bind to certain proteins, suggesting that original molecules survived in some fossils.

3. Pigmentation and Feather Color With electron microscopes, researchers have identified melanosomes (pigment-containing structures) in fossilized feathers. These led to: • Reconstructions of actual feather colors in dinosaurs like Anchiornis and Microraptor (e.g., iridescent black, reddish tones).

4. Growth and Disease Evidence Bone cross-sections viewed under light and electron microscopes show: • Growth rings, like tree rings, indicating growth rates. • Signs of bone cancer, arthritis, and injuries helping us understand dinosaur health. 5. Cellular and Nanostructural Detail Advanced imaging reveals: • Nano-scale preservation of original tissue structure. • Differences between fossil material and possible contamination (ruling out modern biofilm or bacteria in some studies). In Summary: Microscopy and modern tech have turned dinosaur bones into biological time capsules, revealing: • Cellular structure • Protein preservation • Pigment patterns • Disease evidence This new level of insight has reshaped our view of dinosaurs not just as skeletons, but as once-living, dynamic creatures with feathers, color, disease, and growth cycles. Here’s a list of modern technologies that have been used to analyze and reveal new facts about dinosaur fossils especially those related to soft tissue, cellular structures, and ancient biology:

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) • Produces high-resolution images of fossil surfaces. • Used to identify blood vessel-like structures, osteocytes, and melanosomes (pigment organelles).

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) • Offers ultra-high magnification to see internal structures of cells and fibers. • Helped confirm collagen fibers and sub-cellular features in fossils.

Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) • Detects and sequences ancient proteins like collagen. • Confirmed molecular similarities between dinosaurs and birds.

Immunohistochemistry • Uses antibodies to test for specific proteins. • Proved some structures in fossils react like real biological tissue, not just mineralized look-alikes.

Synchrotron X-ray Imaging • High-energy, non-destructive imaging of fossil interiors. • Maps the chemical composition of fossils, including traces of blood, soft tissues, or pigments.

Raman Spectroscopy • Identifies molecular bonds and organic compounds. • Confirms presence of preserved proteins and pigments.

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) • Detects organic molecules in fossils. • Supports claims of soft tissue preservation by matching spectral signatures of known proteins.

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy • Produces 3D images of soft tissue structures inside fossils. • Used to observe elasticity and fine internal details of preserved vessels.

9. Micro-CT (Computed Tomography) Scanning • Creates detailed 3D models of fossil interiors. • Reveals hidden bone structures, growth rings, and sometimes trapped soft tissue.

Stable Isotope Analysis • Measures carbon, oxygen, and other isotopes. • Reveals insights about dinosaur diets, environments, and metabolism. These technologies are revolutionizing paleontology by uncovering molecular and cellular data that were never thought possible in such ancient remains. Here’s a summary with examples of specific dinosaur species where modern technology has revealed extraordinary fossil details:

Tyrannosaurus rex • Discovery: Soft tissue structures including blood vessels, osteocytes, and collagen fragments. • Technology used: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), Immunohistochemistry. • Significance: First confirmed protein sequences from a dinosaur; supports a close evolutionary link to birds.

2. Anchiornis huxleyi • Discovery: Microscopic pigment structures called melanosomes in fossilized feathers. • Technology used: Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Synchrotron X-ray imaging. • Significance: Revealed feather colors — likely black, gray, and reddish hues — making it one of the first dinosaurs reconstructed with accurate coloration.

Brachylophosaurus canadensis (a hadrosaur) • Discovery: Preserved blood vessels, cells, and possible nuclei in bone tissue. • Technology used: Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), FTIR spectroscopy, SEM. • Significance: Demonstrated that even delicate cellular structures can persist under rare conditions.

Microraptor gui • Discovery: Feather structure and iridescent coloration patterns. • Technology used: Electron Microscopy, Melanosome analysis. • Significance: Showed it had shiny, bird-like plumage linking flight-related traits with non-avian dinosaurs. These breakthroughs have turned dinosaur bones into molecular time capsules, and they continue to reshape how we imagine these ancient creatures.

[where-is-zedaph]

Zedaph is the reason all the dinosaurs are dead isn’t he 😔🦕

About that…

[thefrankshow]

An image found on Facebook.

[jmallory]

[wikipediaxpress]

It has been proved by many researches that asteroids are responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs from the Earth. But, another new information related to this, has come to the fore. Recently released conclusions of a research has said that "about 66 million years ago a 10-kilometer asteroid hit the Earth, causing such a severe earthquake that the Earth was shaking for several months". About 1023 joules of energy was emitted from that earthquake. That's mean, this energy was more than 50 thousand times the energy released by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake in Sumatra in 2004.

📷 Roger Harris/Science Source

[reasonsforhope]

Work Set to Begin on Asteroid Hunting Observatory—NASA's New Mission to Protect Earth from Disaster

NASA's Planetary Defense Office's NEO Surveyor telescope has passed technical review and is ready for construction to help defend Earth.

“A new space-based surveyor that will help catalog millions of near-Earth objects is now ready for budgeting and building after passing a rigorous technical review.

This year NASA completed its first-ever mission organized entirely for the purpose of planetary defense, when the DART probe slammed into an asteroid to see if it could be redirected away from a potential collision course with Earth.

Now, the NEO Surveyor mission will discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 140 meters (460 feet) across that come within 30 million miles of our planet’s orbit.

These objects are capable of causing significant regional harm, while history has shown that larger ones can be catastrophic. Humanity has gotten lucky thus far, but slow-growing wisdom has seen NASA create a Planetary Defense Coordination Office for the purpose of learning how to protect Earth from such events...

“Ground-based telescopes remain essential for us to continually watch the skies, but a space-based infrared observatory is the ultimate high ground that will enable NASA’s planetary defense strategy.”

Sitting around 1 million miles from Earth at the First LaGrange Point, NEO Surveyor will view the solar system in the infrared spectrum of light, lightwaves that are blocked by Earth’s atmosphere and therefore invisible for ground-based telescopes...

The launch date is currently proposed for June 2028.” -via Good News Network, 12/23/22