Speaking of dinosaurs, it must be unknown. They existed more than 200 million years ago. They once dominated the earth, but mysteriously perished. But in fact, there is also an equally ferocious animal that has survived from ancient times to modern times. It is the “living fossil” crocodile of reptiles. And recently, an investigation that lasted for more than two decades revealed one of the secrets of prehistoric crocodiles. What is it? Next, let me reveal the secret for you.
(All the pictures in this article are from the Internet, thank the original author, if you infringe your rights, please contact the author of this number to delete. The pictures have nothing to do with the content, please do not check the number in the seat)
As one of the top 100 universities in the world, the University of Utah has been established in 1850. Today, it is the most famous and oldest public university in the western United States. There are 5 Nobel Prize winners, 3 Turing Prize winners and 17 academicians of the American Academy of Sciences and Engineering. Professor Marer is a student of the University of Judah. After graduation, he chose to stay and work at the school to become an expert specializing in paleontological research.
He has been teaching in this university for more than 30 years. He is not only full of peaches and plums, but also has made great achievements in the professional field. However, he has a heart knot. It happened 20 years ago when Professor Meyer also Very young, although the high-tech technology of the University of Utah has been at the forefront of the world, due to historical limitations, many studies cannot continue. That year, the school purchased a large number of fossils of ancient crocodiles from the local area through ties. Mel happened to be the chief of this project at the time, which was also the first project he was responsible for.
Using scientific equipment, Meyer first conducted a careful study of crocodile fossils. From the skeletons of these fossils, he found that these crocodiles were about 20 to 30 years old. You must know that crocodiles can live up to 50 or 60 years old. , So these crocodiles are still in their “prime years.” In addition, after further research, he found that these crocodiles should belong to the lion-nosed crocodile, which is a small crocodile, probably living in the late Cretaceous. As the name suggests, the lion-nosed crocodile can be directly translated as “lion-nosed crocodile.” “, its mouth and nose are very distinctive.
Since the conditions at the time were really limited, Professor Meier could not accurately determine why these crocodiles in their prime of life suddenly “turned into” fossils, but he guessed that it was caused by sudden natural disasters. From a certain perspective Look, this kind of guess is very reasonable, because apart from natural factors, it is difficult to have any power that can kill many crocodiles at the same time.
Professor Meyer could only reluctantly seal them in the warehouse, and this one is more than two decades, when mankind entered the 21st century, the level of science and technology developed rapidly, and the large-scale coverage of the Internet allowed mankind to enter. The information age has also brought many new technologies. On this day, Meier gave a lecture to his students and mentioned his heart knot, that is, the sealed crocodile fossils. As he explained his research process vividly, suddenly, a student proposed a brand new idea.
He said: Is it possible to use what is hot now3D printingHow about technology, restoring part of the crocodile’s body structure, and then conducting deeper research? Professor Meier immediately realized that this was a very good proposal, so he immediately reported his application to the school and summarized sufficient reasons for the application. A few days later, he was approved by the school, so Meier took it with him His own students began to study these prehistoric treasures a second time.
After several weeks of continuous efforts, the organs of prehistoric crocodiles have been reproduced. At this time, Professor Meier has a keen interest in the teeth of these crocodiles, and he found that these teeth contain a lot of information. What you need to know is that the shape of teeth can directly reflect the eating habits of living organisms. The teeth of carnivorous animals are very simple in shape, with few separate facades, thin and sharp, and without wrinkles. This kind of teeth is suitable for cutting prey into pieces for easy eating.
The teeth of vegetarian animals are just the opposite. Their teeth are full of depressions and cracks to increase the surface area and create space to grind rough plants. After the restoration of these crocodile’s teeth, there are not only sharp and consistent carnivorous characteristics, but also teeth full of dents and cracks. This shows that the composition of the crocodile family at that time was extremely complex.
Crocodiles that eat meat account for two-thirds of all crocodile fossils, while vegetarian crocodiles account for only one-third. What is unexpected is that primitive society has these unexpected secrets.Pieces of fossils that have been sealed in dust for twenty years, because3D printingWith the increasing maturity of technology, it has once again demonstrated a deeper level of value. Some crocodiles are also vegetarian. While admiring the responsible research attitude of archaeologists, we also want to thank high-tech science and technology for exploring our history, which has brought us new possibilities.
(Editor in charge: admin)
0 Comments for “The University of Utah used 3D printing technology to restore crocodile teeth and discovered that there was a crocodile eating grass in ancient times.”