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(Mis)adventures in Paleontology.

he told him that Aliens told him flat out to expect a shitstorm, that people are too cocky and ignorant and that we have a wakeup call. He, being newly educated, really should make haste to prepare.

So I implied abduction since it didn't sound like a very alien encounter thing to do to stop for tea and discuss things

edit: Just thought I needed to say that yes, I do need to put it that way. If there is one thing science is good at, it's bringing the mystery out of the world and making you see how plain things really are. I am a man of science, so I must take the mysterious wind out of your sails!
 
Fuck me I'm a man of science but can't I be amazed sometimes ?_? I say there must be some balance...they're awesome 'cuz I hadn't seen 'em before

Anyway, haha lol aliens
 
The only room for amazement that science should allow for is the initial captivation in a subject. The "why", followed by the drive to find out. For example, look at geckos and anolis.

They cling to almost any surface, just by sticky toes that they control. They aren't sticky to the touch though...what an amazing wonder of science!! However, once you see how it works, you wonder why it is that more animals don't have it. You observe how logical, sensical and obvious it is and the mystery is gone.

Kind of the problem with science, it's driven by mystery and the end result is the realization of the complete normal reality.
 
Read this if you have a few minutes to spare.

Bats are fucking insane, I'll tell you that right now. Having looked at some of their skeletons, and having the namesake of the ones with the funniest looking skulls, I have to say they are pretty neat little animals. Interestingly, Chiroptera's closest relatives appear to be primates and company, but not the dermoptera as those bastards and thier pectinate teeth aren't even real primates to begin with.

It was an interesting question they raised, however; what came first, the echolocation that is so needed for their brand of flight (cept megachiroptera) or the flight itself? Well, someone found the answer to that too. Also click here and check out the two images of the fossil that answered the question.

It's old news, but this really is an example of a group that desperately needs a transition form found from something that isn't a bat yet but clearly is on the way. Also turtles need the same format of love, despite the recent finding of the earliest known aquatic turtle; My money is STILL on procolophonids on that ancestry.

Ah, I digress. Anyways, despite my love of bats I've never actually seen one in the wild. I have fed large fruit bats at a zoo before as they franticly flew around my head and seen many types of phyllostomid or 'gothic/leaf nosed' bats at the zoo as well. Anyone with any cool experiences here?
 
I have a bunch of uncool experiences with bats!

Apparently echolocation is overrated because they fly into your room if your screen is busted and you left your window open and they scare the shit out of you in the middle of the night. Maybe they think its a cave?

I live in upstate new york...I don't think we even HAVE caves.
 
They don't need caves, they can live in barns or really lots of places that they can hang upside down from. How does them flying into a room make echolocation overrated? I'd say if anything it demonstrates the precision that they can find the hole in the screen, especially considering that screen fucks with echolocation.

Hell, echolocation can pinpoint small insects from a long distance away in a mix of leaves and whatnot. Echolocation can also be used to stun prey if you are in an aquatic environment, as well as detect things incredibly far away thanks to things like spermaceti and labyrinth organs.

Maybe you just didn't express yourself clearly, but echolocation is, if anything, underrated.
 
WOW

So first off, It's pretty awesome that you're a paleontologist. It's something I've wanted to do since I was a little tike, but I figured it'd be hard for me to find a job in that field, so a scrapped that dream. Also, those fossils you have pics up of are amazing. Really Beautiful specimens.
Lastly, That is one crazy shark. But it would make one sweet pet...lol

So, paleontological enthusiasts, What kind of teams are you all running?
I wouldnt be surprised if it included a Kabutops, Bastiodon or maybe an Armaldo??
haha
 
Instead of asmadi's discussion topic of pokemon, I propose we discuss the pictures that my boss took today on our day trip:
redland3.jpg

redland1.jpg

Redland2.jpg
 
well if it's tires you want, look no further than Redland Alberta!

Fuck I swear to you that they had a two floor treehouse made exclusively of front doors from houses as well
 
That's kickass you're a paleontologist. I've always wanted to be one, when I was a little kid I used to go out on my farm and look for fossils and I actually used to find stuff in the hills. It was mostly just ferns and plant matter though.

I still do stuff like that when I'm in the mood though. The cliffside behind the building where I will potentially be working this spring is loaded with seashell fossils. I think it was at one point a riverbed or lake because there are thin layers of polished stones every once in a while in the cliff.

I decided to go into engineering though. I can at least still rock hunt as a hobby. I've always loved it though. I find something very satisfying in unearthing something that hasn't seen the light of day in millions of years. Even if it is only ferns, shells, and the occasional partial fish.

Edit: Forgot to mention I live in Pennsylvania, where there is a shit-ton of coal. The fern fossils I find are nearly identical to the modern ones growing in exactly the same location.
Also my neighbor is a geologist, and used to work at the fossil shop in my mall when it was still open. He used to give me some neat stuff. I think that, the movie Jurassic Park, and my love for chickens really got me interested in the stuff. I was the only kid in my 1st grade class who could spell 'Dilophosaurus'.
 
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