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Today's Evening News 2008.06.11
Central News Agency
A study published in the "Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences" journal indicates that a dinosaur bone fossil discovered in Australia challenges the mainstream academic view that the Earth's landmasses split from a supercontinent tens of millions of years ago.
The 19-centimeter-long bone fossil, found in southeastern Australia, is closely related to the carnivorous Megaraptor that was active in South America 90 million years ago.
Researchers point out that the peculiar similarities between these two large carnivorous dinosaurs cast doubt on the previously accepted theory that Gondwana (the supercontinent) split into the southern hemisphere during the Cretaceous period.
It was traditionally believed that Gondwana split during the Cretaceous period, forming South America, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.
Theoretically, South America and Africa were the first to separate from Gondwana, around 120 million years ago.
Australia and Antarctica did not split until 80 million years ago. Australia became an island continent, gradually developing its unique flora and fauna.
The dinosaur forelimb bone fossil discovered at Cape Otway in Victoria, Australia, is the first evidence linking this non-flying theropod carnivorous dinosaur in Australia to other regions of Gondwana.
Professor Smith from the University of Chicago, who led the investigation, noted that the two dinosaurs are remarkably similar, confirming that South America and Australia could not have separated at the previously assumed time.
If the past theory were true, the evolutionary paths of the two dinosaurs would have diverged due to environmental changes.
Researchers suspect that South America and the islands of West Antarctica did not split until "at least the late Eocene," around 40 million years ago.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……0504+132008061101247,00. html
Australian Dinosaur Fossil Discovery Challenges Continental Drift Theory
Central News Agency
A study published in the "Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences" journal indicates that a dinosaur bone fossil discovered in Australia challenges the mainstream academic view that the Earth's landmasses split from a supercontinent tens of millions of years ago.
The 19-centimeter-long bone fossil, found in southeastern Australia, is closely related to the carnivorous Megaraptor that was active in South America 90 million years ago.
Researchers point out that the peculiar similarities between these two large carnivorous dinosaurs cast doubt on the previously accepted theory that Gondwana (the supercontinent) split into the southern hemisphere during the Cretaceous period.
It was traditionally believed that Gondwana split during the Cretaceous period, forming South America, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.
Theoretically, South America and Africa were the first to separate from Gondwana, around 120 million years ago.
Australia and Antarctica did not split until 80 million years ago. Australia became an island continent, gradually developing its unique flora and fauna.
The dinosaur forelimb bone fossil discovered at Cape Otway in Victoria, Australia, is the first evidence linking this non-flying theropod carnivorous dinosaur in Australia to other regions of Gondwana.
Professor Smith from the University of Chicago, who led the investigation, noted that the two dinosaurs are remarkably similar, confirming that South America and Australia could not have separated at the previously assumed time.
If the past theory were true, the evolutionary paths of the two dinosaurs would have diverged due to environmental changes.
Researchers suspect that South America and the islands of West Antarctica did not split until "at least the late Eocene," around 40 million years ago.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……0504+132008061101247,00. html