Dinosaur skeletons are more interesting than animated life-size models + Permian tetrapod burrows in Poland (free pdfs)
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Ben Creisler
Mar 1, 2025, 3:05:05 PMMar 1
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Recent papers not yet mentioned:
Michael Kubi, Matthias Winfried Kleespies & Volker Wenzel (2025)
Dinosaurs as skeletons or lifelike replicas - effects on interest in extinct animals
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1557255
doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1557255
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1557255/full
Introduction: Since their discovery Dinosaurs have attracted the interest of scientists and the general public alike, and are therefore an attractive way of introducing students to various aspects of the Earth's history and stimulating their interest. There are different types of dinosaur exhibitions, ranging from original excavation sites to theme parks, all with varying levels of scientific accuracy and authenticity.
Methods: In this study we developed and conducted a guided tour of a dinosaur exhibition in a natural history museum, showing dinosaur fossils or their replicas and a special dinosaur exhibition with lifelike animatronic models in a zoo. We investigated the effect on interest in extinct, prehistoric animals in these dinosaur exhibitions.
Results: The results show that the skeletons in a natural history museum showed a significant increase in interest, while the lifelike animatronics had no effect. An examination of the gender results shows that boys were the main contributors to the increase in interest in extinct animals.
Discussion: The main reason for this difference may be that natural history museums, with their original dinosaur fossils (or detailed replicas, which are legitimate substitutes for original objects), provide a more authentic atmosphere that arouses interest, curiosity and surprise, something that the lifelike dinosaur models could not do. However, these effects were not long-lasting, as demonstrated by follow-up tests.
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Grzegorz Sadlok (2025)
Tetrapod origins of small burrows from the Permian of Southwest Poland?
Lethaia 58(1): 1-15
doi: https://doi.org/10.18261/let.58.1.5
https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/let.58.1.5
Free pdf:
https://www.idunn.no/doi/epdf/10.18261/let.58.1.5
This paper reports on early Permian continental burrows from Poland. The in situ orientation of the burrows, their size, morphology, and wall margin sculpture suggest that they could have been excavated with limbs of small tetrapods. The burrow-makers likely used a technique similar to that applied by modern amphibians and reptiles with sprawled limb posture. Putative small-sized tetrapod tracks are preserved on laminae parting surfaces within the burrow-casting sediments. Their presence may suggest that some small-sized tetrapods utilized the preexisting, abandoned shelters. The purported fossorial behaviours could increase the environmental fitness of tetrapods inhabiting the environment of the circa equatorial early Permian Pangaea.
===
Free pdf:
Michael Kubi, Matthias Winfried Kleespies & Volker Wenzel (2025)
Dinosaurs as skeletons or lifelike replicas - effects on interest in extinct animals
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1557255
doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1557255
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1557255/full
Introduction: Since their discovery Dinosaurs have attracted the interest of scientists and the general public alike, and are therefore an attractive way of introducing students to various aspects of the Earth's history and stimulating their interest. There are different types of dinosaur exhibitions, ranging from original excavation sites to theme parks, all with varying levels of scientific accuracy and authenticity.
Methods: In this study we developed and conducted a guided tour of a dinosaur exhibition in a natural history museum, showing dinosaur fossils or their replicas and a special dinosaur exhibition with lifelike animatronic models in a zoo. We investigated the effect on interest in extinct, prehistoric animals in these dinosaur exhibitions.
Results: The results show that the skeletons in a natural history museum showed a significant increase in interest, while the lifelike animatronics had no effect. An examination of the gender results shows that boys were the main contributors to the increase in interest in extinct animals.
Discussion: The main reason for this difference may be that natural history museums, with their original dinosaur fossils (or detailed replicas, which are legitimate substitutes for original objects), provide a more authentic atmosphere that arouses interest, curiosity and surprise, something that the lifelike dinosaur models could not do. However, these effects were not long-lasting, as demonstrated by follow-up tests.
======
Free pdf:
Grzegorz Sadlok (2025)
Tetrapod origins of small burrows from the Permian of Southwest Poland?
Lethaia 58(1): 1-15
doi: https://doi.org/10.18261/let.58.1.5
https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/let.58.1.5
Free pdf:
https://www.idunn.no/doi/epdf/10.18261/let.58.1.5
This paper reports on early Permian continental burrows from Poland. The in situ orientation of the burrows, their size, morphology, and wall margin sculpture suggest that they could have been excavated with limbs of small tetrapods. The burrow-makers likely used a technique similar to that applied by modern amphibians and reptiles with sprawled limb posture. Putative small-sized tetrapod tracks are preserved on laminae parting surfaces within the burrow-casting sediments. Their presence may suggest that some small-sized tetrapods utilized the preexisting, abandoned shelters. The purported fossorial behaviours could increase the environmental fitness of tetrapods inhabiting the environment of the circa equatorial early Permian Pangaea.
===
mkir...@gmail.com
Mar 1, 2025, 4:51:37 PMMar 1
to Dinosaur Mailing Group
I thought that most journals now require a generative AI statement in papers, to be placed before the references section. I see one in the Dinosaurs as skeletons or lifelike replicas - effects on interest in extinct animals* but none in the Tetrapod origins of small burrows from the Permian of Southwest Poland? paper. I am starting to check for the statement.
*"The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript."
*"The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript."
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