When fossils from dinosaurs were first found, it was very fascinated for all scientists and paleontologists, and their remains changed the mentality that we had about the world and offered us another point of view about our planet. Let’s not forget that dinosaurs were an inspirational subject for great movies like Jurassic Park and King Kong.
Now, scientists from Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s Institute of Earth Science, have found a new mystery that “haunted” scientists for a long time. They are not sure if dinosaurs were cold-blooded or warm-blooded. Clumped isotope geochemistry, is the process that analyzes chemical bonds in calcium carbonate minerals, those minerals are the main ingredient in eggshells.
This study allowed scientists to calculate the temperature of the mother’s body when she was laying eggs. The test was made on three different eggs from three different species of dinosaurs, and they’ve found out the temperature was between 35-400C. Still, the results weren’t able to give the answer that they’ve expected because it couldn’t determine if dinosaurs were cold-blooded or warm-blooded, and they didn’t know where did dinosaurs get their heat from. It could be from the sun and their environment, or it could be from their own body.
Dinosaurs Had The Ability To Warm Themselves
Professor Hagit Affek at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Earth Sciences, said: “The global climate during the dinosaur era was significantly warmer than it is today. For this reason, measuring only the body temperatures of dinosaurs who lived near the equator wouldn’t tell us whether they were endo- or exothermic because their body temperature may simply have been a cold-blooded response to the hot climate, they lived in.”
To have more accurate results, the team focused their research on ancient reptiles that lived in Alberta – Canada, very far north, to be sure that their warm bodies temperatures were the result an internal body warming. To be sure of the outcome, the team had to determine the temperature in Alberta back when dinosaurs lived.
They managed to do this by applying their isotope method to mollusks that lived in that same period with dinosaurs. In conclusion, the team gathered the information needed, and they confirmed that dinosaurs had the ability to warm themselves.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.