CATHERINE FOX
13 February 2009
The Atlanta Journal - Constitution
Copyright (c) 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, All Rights Reserved
Who says good things come in small packages?
If you or a loved one are big on dinosaurs, then Fernbank Museum has a Valentine's Day gift for you. "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries" opens Saturday for a six-month run.
Make no, ahem, bones about it, you get a lot of dinosaurs for your dollar here. The predatory Tyrannosaurus rex, the horned stegosaurus and newly discovered bambiraptor are among the 45 species represented in this traveling exhibit. In addition to full skeletons, there's a trophy room of giant skulls, fossils and a diorama that re-creates a forest scene in China, where dinosaurs, mammals and birds co-existed 130 million years ago.
What really sets this exhibit apart, however, is its approach.
"Most shows are about a kind of dinosaur, a place or time period," says paleontologist Mark Norrell, the curator. "This one looks at the biology of dinosaurs and how we use modern technologies [to study them.]"
New-age paleontologists, for instance, apply the science of biomechanics and computer software in studying how the creatures moved. They use CT scans and digital X-rays to study what's beneath the surface of bones.
The exhibit brims with new information these new methods have uncovered. Much of it contradicts what we took for fact. It turns out that "Jurassic Park" was even more science-fiction than we thought.
Remember the T-rex in the movie that almost outran the jeep? Biomechanics studies confirm that it's impossible to be the size of a T-rex, which tipped the scales at more than 13,000 pounds, and run that fast. Scientists now think the beast would lag behind even the 10-minute milers at the Peachtree Road Race.
The long-necked apatosaurus did not eat leaves at the tops of trees. Digital renderings of its vertebrae, thanks to DinoMorph software, have determined that it would have been physically impossible for it to lift its head like a giraffe. Paleontologists now liken the apatosaurus to a cow whose long neck enabled it to graze a wide area while standing in place.
Horns, frills and bony plates were not for battling enemies. These distinctive body parts were signals to help dinosaurs recognize their own species, and to impress potential mates.
Dinosaurs are not totally extinct. New fossil finds that indicate feathers, wish bones and other similarities support the conclusion that birds are actually dinosaurs. The newly discovered bambiraptor is the grandpa of today's roadrunner.
EXHIBIT PREVIEW
"Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries"
Feb. 14-Aug. 16. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays
$15; $14, students/seniors; $13, children 3-12; free for members and under 2. Fernbank Museum of Natural History. 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. 404-929-6300.
www.fernbankmuseum.org
At the Imax Theatre: "Dinosaurs Alive."
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