Fossil eggshells suggest all dinosaurs used to be warm-blooded, study finds

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Were all dinosaurs warm-blooded? Were any of them warm-blooded? The question of endothermy has long been, ahem, a hot topic in paleontology. No doubt a new study, using a recently developed method, will fire up the debate. 

Over the years, researchers have come up with a number of theories about warm-blooded dinosaurs, but they've been based almost entirely on looking at living animals and extrapolating. Comparing the bone structure of some dinosaurs with that of modern birds, for example, suggested that at least some of the extinct animals may have evolved endothermic abilities.

Recently, researchers have been looking for dinosaur endothermy with a method called carbonate clumped isotope paleothermometry - this method's been around for decades as a way to model ancient ocean temperatures, climates and other environmental patterns using proxies.

The paleothermometry method was previously used to estimate body temperature for species in two of the major groups of dinosaurs: sauropods (the often-enormous, four-legged, long-necked plant-eaters) and theropods (the bipedal, generally carnivorous dinosaurs, including the lineage that eventually gave rise to birds). The researchers also tested eggshells from modern birds including emus, chickens, hummingbirds, sparrows and wrens. They included previously-collected body temperature information about alligators, mollusks and other ectotherms in their analysis.

The study's results: All of the dinosaur material tested fell within the range of modern endotherms. The Maiasaurus sample in particular, say the authors, tested within the range of modern birds at about 44 degrees Celsius (about 111 degrees Fahrenheit). Finding evidence of warm-bloodedness in all major groups of dinosaur suggests that endothermy was an ancestral trait that evolved earlier in the archosaur lineage.

Source: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/fossil-eggshells-suggest-all-dinosaurs-may-have-been-warm-blooded

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Babylon!!!

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

But did they birth a new race? 

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1 minute ago, TimisaMonster said:

But did they birth a new race? 

Well technically.. 

[Monsterxo 1,499]

I mean, birds are warm blooded so makes sense.

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

49 minutes ago, FfFfFfFF said:

Well technically.. 

Interesting fact...My middle name is one of these animals

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1 hour ago, TimisaMonster said:

Interesting fact...My middle name is one of these animals

My bet is on Archaeopteryx

[Enchanting 166]

Lol so for centuries scientists believed the dinosaurs were cold blooded, but then suddenly someone finds some eggshells and their entire thesis falls apart? So much for "science".