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Asteriod And Dinosaurs |
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Simply put, one of the most intriguing puzzles of all time, is the life and death of the dinosaurs. These massive, almost mythical creatures have fascinated, baffled, challenged and mystified the intellectual world ever since their first fossils were discovered. Growing up, children are exposed to these larger than life creatures and are immediately drawn in by their immense size, and the even larger mystery that surrounds them. They are visually astonishing, and like nothing we have every seen in our short human existence. Perhaps the one aspect of the dinosaur world that draws us in so vehemently, is their extinction. Much useful information can be learned from studying their life on earth, but it is undoubtedly their demise that is most alluring.
Due to their overwhelming popularity it would be extremely difficult to overestimate the amount of time, research and extensive brain power that has gone into attempting to discover the true cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Paleontologists, geographers, chemists and a number of other fields have all contributed and put in their proverbial “two cents” while giving their own thoughts/opinions/data regarding the enthralling topic. Theories are abound, ranging from th
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Below are additional random excerpts from the paper...
One of the most interesting questions about the catastrophe theory is if it is indeed true, is it compatible with the teachings and ideas of Charles Darwin regarding natural selection and evolution? Well, Darwin stated that in nature, there was constant competition. This competition took on many forms, be it for food, or territory, or sex etc. This constant competition allowed for the stronger, or fittest organisms to thrive and survive, passing on their “superior” genes to their offspring, while the feebler organism died without reproducing. The idea is this process, known as natural selection, strengthens the species as a whole, and will slowly, over long periods, of time lead to evolution. When looking at the catastrophe theory, it seems to take Darwin’s idea of nature being neat and tidy, and smash it. It is highly questionable if Darwin had the thought of an asteroid colliding with earth and its repercussions in mind when he was thinking about competition in nature. What if it were the case that an otherwise inferior organism became the leader of the pack because the environment changed so drastically from the asteroid, that he now had adaptive advantages? It could almost seem like cheating the system. It is so highly improbably that such a devastating event could occur, so it could be said that these newly superior organisms were not meant to pass on their traits and continue while others died. Maybe it was all a mistake, and had it not been for that asteroid, life on earth would be 180 degrees different.
What is fairly obvious to see is that the intense debate and subsequent drama over how dinosaurs became extinct is far from over. Logical, intelligent theories have been brought forward, that seem on one hand to be almost perfectly probably, until looked at from a different perspective, when it can seem just as improbable. Undoubtedly the list of theories will continue to grow, however this is not a bad thing. In attempting to uncover the past we are furthering our understanding of the present, so that we will be better prepared for the future. As John Noble Wilford puts it, “There may be nothing else like us in the universe. In our exploration of time, we have driven down a highway and searched under the junipers for some dinosaur bones and come face to face with ourselves” (Wilford, 325).
Although remarkably uncommon, the element iridium was often seen in un-earthly objects, or better said, “You don't find these very rare elements such as iridium in very large quantities in the earth's crust, but they are very common in certain types of primitive meteorites. And those types of meteorites we believe are characteristic of large asteroids, and even comets that could slam into the earth” (Sharpton, http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/spacecratertran.shtml). This is the important fact that led the elder Alvarez and his colleagues to come to the conclusions that were to be published in the journal, “Science” in 1980.
Some topics in this essay:
Peter Ward,
Research Center,
Charles Darwin,
Robert Baker,
,
North America,
John Sepkowski,
O’ Keefe,
Walter Alvarez,
Age Reptile”,
catastrophe theory,
natural selection,
‘because weather,
life earth,
‘because kinds,
extinction dinosaurs,
earth’s atmosphere,
wilford 273,
olsen http//rainbowldeocolumbiaedu/courses/v1001/impact23html,
ammonites ammonites,
alan hildebrand william,
‘because kinds mammals,
millions tons debris,
suited live environment,
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Approximate Word count = 2956
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)  |
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