Researchers Discover Major Jurassic Fossil Site In Argentina (phys.org) 63
Paleontologists in Argentina have announced the discovery of a major Jurassic-era fossil site four years after it was first discovered. The site, which spans 23,000 square miles (60,000 square kilometers) in Patagonia, southern Argentina, came to light this week with the publication of a report in the journal Ameghiniana. "No other place in the world contains the same amount and diversity of Jurassic fossils," said geologist Juan Garcia Massini of the Regional Center for Scientific Research and Technology Transfer (CRILAR). The fossils are so well preserved, that researchers say each rock extracted from the site could possibly open the door to a new discovery.
Re: fp (Score:1)
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Without commenting on the OP, why is the nonsense in the parent acceptable anywhere? Ethnic slurs are generally not acceptable under any conditions and in any company. However, it's seemingly acceptable and commonplace to use LGBT slurs in many settings. The word "retard" is also very offensive because there are lots of people with real disorders that make learning difficult. We'll all be much better off as a society when people who feel it's okay to use such offensive slurs are unwelcome. I don't really be
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Opposing grossly offensive slurs doesn't make someone a "pussy" nor does it merit offensive slurs about one's sexuality. That I find your comments offensive has no bearing on my sexuality or whether I'm a "pussy" or not. There's also an implication in the parent that a gay man is somehow less manly than a straight man. That stereotype is also offensive and needs to go away. I don't consider opposing offensive slurs as being a form of political correctness; it's just common decency that apparently isn't comm
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At least with retards we recognize the birth defect and treat it as such -- rather than try to convince everyone that they're no different than anyone else.
Such a big site (Score:1)
60,000 square kilometers is a huge amount of land to protect from vandalism and ignorant sight see-ers. I just hope they can hide the site in google earth to keep it protected for all of humanity.
Will they call it Jurassic Park? (Score:5, Funny)
Seems like the appropriate name for it.
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Seems like the appropriate name for it.
Even more exciting, I hear they were able to extract DNA form some of the bones they found there.
Combined it with DNA from a pig, and implanted the resulting embryo.
When the resulting pig/dinosaur was born, they knew they had Jurassic Pork.
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While a slab of Brachio-bacon sounds tempting, I'm pretty sure that DNA manipulation isn't kosher.
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While a slab of Brachio-bacon sounds tempting, I'm pretty sure that DNA manipulation isn't kosher.
I'll bet the rebbes have discussed the kosherness of dna altered food.
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Hopefully the site is big enough and remote enough that poaching will be minimal. It will be fascinating to see what they turn up.
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Patagonia is not a hotspot of tourist activity. By the time you get there, you'll be well aware that you've spent a good number of days getting there, and you'd better kill all witnesses if you think you're going to get away with vandalism.
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The choices aren't: 'leave it alone' or 'real scientists can find it'.
The choices are 'find it' or 'let it erode away'. Keeping amateurs out is senseless. Even if 99% are just taking home, the 1% are finds that would have been wasted otherwise.
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What? The rocks they are in are certainly eroding, same as all rocks.
The choice remains: fossils of dust.
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Having just been reading the paper abstract [ameghiniana.org.ar] (it's in pre-print at the moment, and I don't have the paper. Hmmm, "Alan Channing", there's a name that rings a bell.), where do you get that information from?
Since specifically, the abstract refers to examining microscopic and mesoscopic (hand specimen size or smaller) fossils in chert deposits, it is not going to be particularly susceptible
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60,000 square kilometers divided by how many 'qualified' researchers?
At _any_ erosion rate the % of surface that can be examined by the qualified will by tiny.
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But hey, that's just my professional skill set. If you've got 30 years of fieldwork experience, please feel free to tell me better.
(NB : this does not apply to microfossils. For that, there are established
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I don't doubt you're much better at it than some amateur rockhound.
60,000 square kilometers is too much to walk (How many football fields is that? Who let such fucked up units on /.?), much less search. Unless you have a large population of searchers.
Lets say, for arguments sake, that you can scan 5 meters on ether side of you, that makes it a 100km walk per km^2. Assume you can do it a full speed hike, 30km/day. Using those values gets you to 20,000 man days per traverse.
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Re:Surprising (Score:4, Informative)
Fossils are mineral replacements of bones, either through mineralization or sediment filling in the void opened as the organic material decayed. Most oil by contrast is the result of bacterial action and pressure over even longer time spans and at much higher pressures (think plate subduction).
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"Fossils are mineral replacements of bones, either through mineralization or sediment filling in the void opened as the organic material decayed."
Sometimes. Sometimes not. Wood, leaves, enamel, bone, and especially Calcium Carbonate and Calcium Phosphate shell material can last an impressive amount of time unaltered. Proteins and DNA not so much. But even there the oldest known DNA used to be 15 million years or so from leaves preserved in clay in Idaho. I wouldn't be surprised that someone has found o
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Being "popular" material designed for entertainment and marketing and not for presenting the science of the 1930s (let alone any
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Dinosaurs don't make oil. Planktonic algae that settles into the sediment at the bottom of oceans and lakes does, once it is sufficiently buried and gets heated up.
Original article (paywalled, abstract only) (Score:1)
First glimpse of the silicified hot spring biota from a new Jurassic chert deposit in the Deseado Massif, Patagonia, Argentina [ameghiniana.org.ar]
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Yeah , to hell with people. Money rules!
Only simpletons think it's good to be told what to do by do-gooder busybodies who arrogantly feel they know what's best for everyone.
Like various AC's on this board?
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Is this a reference to US foreign policy?
Let me get this straight (Score:1)
They finally found the RNC headquarters?
This guy gets around... (Score:1)
Researchers Discover Major Jurassic Fossil Site In Argentina
John McAfee? [wikipedia.org]
What the paper says ... (Score:2)
Though the summary and article don't seem to grasp it, the fossil discoveries under discussion are actually "exceptionally well-preserved, in-situ and transported, tri-dimensionally silicified plants, animals and microorganisms," and "also contains vegetative and reproductive structures of fungi, oomycetes, cyanobacteria, algae, testate amoebas, ciliates and numerous remains of unresolv