The revolution in dinosaur science started 50 years ago—here's what we have learned
Why it matters: The application of modern scientific methods allows for testable hypotheses about dinosaur paleobiology, moving beyond mere speculation.
- Robert McNeill Alexander revolutionized dinosaur science in 1976 by developing a formula to calculate an animal's speed from its footprints and body size, allowing for the first-time estimation of dinosaur speeds (1.0 to 3.6 meters per second).
- American paleontologists Robert Bakker and John Ostrom spearheaded the "dinosaur renaissance" in the 1970s, arguing that dinosaurs were active, potentially warm-blooded, and direct ancestors of birds, a concept solidified by later discoveries of feathered dinosaurs in China.
- Modern paleobiologists now employ a three-step process—observing fossils, applying neontological toolkits (rules from the modern world), and making inferences—to answer complex questions about dinosaur color, speed, jaw operation, and growth.
- Computational engineering methods, identical to those used in aircraft design, are now applied to 3D models of dinosaur skulls and skeletons to precisely calculate jaw movements, forces, and leg movements, revealing details like bone-puncturing feeding habits in some carnivores.
Dinosaur science underwent a revolution starting 50 years ago, moving from speculative guesses to rigorous scientific methods to understand dinosaur behavior and physiology. Pioneering work by Robert McNeill Alexander, who developed a formula to calculate dinosaur speed from fossilized footprints, laid the groundwork for modern paleobiology, which now uses engineering and neontological toolkits to reconstruct everything from jaw movements to growth rates.
