Dinosaurs and cocktails together in San Francisco

Dinosaurs and cocktails together in San Francisco
mongabay.com
September 18, 2006

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and like giant scaly beasts then you might want to head down to the California Academy of Sciences Thursday evening to explore its latest exhibit, DINOSAURS: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries. From 5-9 PM on September 21st, visitors can learn about the latest dinosaur discoveries while enjoying Brazilian jazz and cocktails. Of course the aquarium's famous finned creatures and smaller scaly beasts will also be on display.

The dinosaur exhibition opened at the Academy on September 16, 2006 and features more than 35 different ancient species. The Academy promises that visitors will never think of dinosaurs the same way again.

"This remarkable exhibition illustrates how scientists are using new ideas, new discoveries, and new technologies to revolutionize our understanding of dinosaurs," said Patrick Kociolek, Executive Director of the Academy. "It will give visitors a chance to see that science is an ongoing and incredibly dynamic pursuit, demonstrating how new discoveries often compel us to reevaluate what we think we know, sometimes with quite surprising results."

Sinornithosaurus, a feathered dinosaur found in what is now China. Image courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences.

THE EVENT

At Jurassic Third Thursday, test your dinosaur smarts by visiting our newest exhibit! DINOSAURS: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries is a tantalizing exhibition that shatters many preconceived notions by presenting some of the most recent dino discoveries in the fields of paleontology, biomechanical engineering, and paleobotany. Boca do Rio's Brazilian jazz will complement your journey back in time while BBC's cash bar will serve old standards with a new twist. Arrive before 6 pm for our early fossil special — $2 Margaritas!

September 21, 2006
5pm to 9pm
$5 Admission
875 Howard Street

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"The exhibit showcases a wide array of fossil specimens and fossil casts, many of which are on display for the first time," according to the Academy. "It also features the new technologies that are being used to unravel some of the most persistent and puzzling prehistoric mysteries about dinosaurs, including bioengineering software and CT scans. Provocative life-sized models, video footage of scientists working in the field, and the most detailed diorama ever created of a prehistoric environment all bring the exhibit to life."

Exhibition Highlights

A stunning 60-foot-long model of an Apatosaurus skeleton, whose construction was based on new drawings produced by DinoMorph software. This computer program allowed scientists to investigate the full range of vertebral movements for this huge, long-necked creature. Resembling a robotic version of a traditional fossil skeleton, with gleaming geometric arcs replacing the usual assembly of bones, the stunning life-size dinosaur skeleton stretches across the center of the exhibition.
A 700-square-foot diorama depicting a 130-million-year-old forest that existed in what is now Liaoning Province, China - one of the largest re-creations of a prehistoric environment ever built. Fossil discoveries from Liaoning have shed light on the origins of birds, mammals, feathers, flight, and flowering plants. Dozens of scientifically accurate, fleshed-out, life-size models of more than 35 different species of dinosaurs, reptiles, early birds, insects, mammals and plants are included in the diorama.
A life-size model of a newly identified primitive tyrannosaur, Dilong paradoxus, covered with branched protofeathers - precursors to the feathers found on living birds. This new finding suggests that other tyrannosaurs, such as Albertosaurus sarcophagus, and even the fiercest T. rex, were covered with fluffy protofeathers at some stage in their lives.
A small birdlike dinosaur depicted in a sleeping position with its head tucked between its forearm and trunk and its tail encircling its body. The model is based on the first fossil found in this position, a theropod called Mei long, described by paleontologists last year. The pose matches the typical sleeping or resting posture found in living birds, and it supports the hypothesis that non-avian dinosaurs, like the modern birds that evolved after them, were warm-blooded.
Bambiraptor feinbergi, the best-preserved and most complete dromaeosaur yet found in North America. Visitors can view colorful graphics and CT scans to see how this fossil provides evidence for the evolutionary links between birds and dinosaurs.
A model of a Microraptor gliding between trees with wings on both its arms and its legs. Discoveries like this provide further compelling evidence that birds are living descendants of theropod dinosaurs.
A large"trophy wall" of mounted dinosaur skulls, ranging from the three-horned Triceratops to the dome-headed Pachycephalosaurus, which illustrates the latest theories on the purposes of the unusual horns, frills, crests, and domes found on many dinosaur skulls.
A 15-by-10-foot re-creation of the famous Davenport Ranch Trackway, a collection of sauropod and theropod dinosaur prints unearthed in Texas by Museum scientists in the 1930s and 1940s. Recent analysis of the tracks has revealed new ideas on the herding behavior of these dinosaurs. Special lighting displays retrace the steps of individual dinosaurs across the trackway.
A full-size cast skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex standing on one leg and bearing down on visitors below.
A six-foot-long mechanical T. rex skeleton that walks in place, illustrating how experts in biomechanics and paleontology are teaming up to estimate the typical speed and gait of a rampaging tyrannosaur.
Three large high-definition video screens showing a computer animation of a steel Apatosaurus skeleton that morphs into a realistic fossil skeleton then gradually adds layers of muscle and skin until a full-fleshed Apatosaurus is moving on the screens.
A model of the largest Mesozoic mammal yet uncovered, the badger-sized Repenomamus giganticus. Museum scientists recently studied the fossil of a related species called R. robustus and found the remains of a two-legged, parrot-beaked dinosaur called a psittacosaur in its stomach area. This is the first direct evidence that primitive mammals ate dinosaurs and competed with small dinosaurs for food and territory.
A slab of sedimentary rock newly collected from New Jersey, which clearly shows a thin layer of iridium, a metallic element that marks the boundary between the end of the Cretaceous Period and the beginning of the Tertiary Period about 65 million years ago. Scientists believe this layer represents the remnants of a massive asteroid or comet that vaporized upon impact and contributed to the extinction of more than half of all species on Earth, including the Mesozoic dinosaurs.

A Walk through the Exhibition

The exhibition is divided into eight major sections, each exploring a different aspect of the latest research in the field of paleontology.

Upon entering the Introduction gallery, visitors will come face-to-face with a fossil that has been called the Rosetta Stone of paleontology — a Bambiraptor feinbergi that provides an evolutionary link between birds and dinosaurs and is the best-preserved and most complete dromaeosaur yet found in North America. Colorful graphics and CT scans in this gallery illustrate how modern paleontologists are using new technologies to revolutionize our understanding of dinosaurs.

In How Dinosaurs Moved, guests will encounter one of the most fearsome predators to ever roam the Earth, a 40-foot Tyrannosaurus rex, and then examine a six-foot model that recreates its typical speed and rampaging gait. Throughout the gallery, dinosaurs spring dramatically to life in computer simulations. Visitors can conduct biomechanical experiments with the technology scientists use to make these new discoveries and meet a five-year-old Gorgosaurus, a small but speedy tyrannosaur.

Visitors will also experience cutting-edge DinoMorph technology, a fascinating, new high-tech program that allows scientists to see how the fossils they uncover would actually work together in a living dinosaur. A spectacular, 60-foot, life-size steel Apatosaurus model developed from this new technology dominates the gallery. Resembling a robot makeover of a traditional fossil skeleton, this model reflects new findings about how this magnificent animal moved its enormous body. Visitors can experiment with DinoMorph technology at an interactive station and see a vibrant graphic simulation that demonstrates this gigantic, long-necked creature's full range of vertebral movements. Then, they may examine the prehistoric fossils that sparked these new findings. They can even feel the bumpy surface of the 150 million-year-old, touchable fossil of an Apatosaurus' foreleg and see where the cartilage formed a barrier between this bone and the foot.

In How Dinosaurs Behaved, visitors will discover the sauropod and theropod dinosaur prints unearthed in Texas in the 1930s and 1940s. Colorful projections pick out the track-ways of the multiple dinosaurs that walked there, illustrating their prehistoric herding behavior. Footprints of a Diplodocus and a Tyrannosaurus rex are on display, along with the fossilized foot of a Coelophysis, which resembles that of a modern turkey.

A life-size, 20-foot Stegosaurus will inspire marvel and awe, allowing visitors to discover why these animals possessed such distinctive features. A large wall of mounted dinosaur skulls and tail-spikes, ranging from the three-horned Triceratops to the dome-headed Pachycephalosaurus, illustrate the latest theories on the purposes of the unusual horns, frills, crests and domes found on many dinosaurs.

Dynamic video presentations will take visitors into the work of paleontologists in the field in Scientists at Work. The footage follows the scientists as they make fascinating discoveries and interpret the evidence they uncover.

Visitors can also travel through time to The Liaoning Forest, a 130 million-year-old site of vast scientific importance that is considered to be one of the most important fossil-bearing sites in the world. Fossil discoveries from Liaoning have shed light on the origins of birds, mammals, feathers, flight and flowering plants. One of the largest and most detailed re-creations of a prehistoric environment ever built, this 700-square-foot diorama is densely populated by more than 35 different species of scientifically accurate dinosaurs, reptiles, early birds, insects, mammals and plants. Many never-before-seen species, ranging in size from a pigeon-sized feathered Confuciusornis to a formidable six-foot feathered Beipiaosaurus, await discovery in this prehistoric forest.

Finally, the Extinction gallery explores the hard evidence for theories on the possible events that ended the Age of Dinosaurs, including asteroid impact, global climate change, and massive volcanic eruptions. A projection wall provides an animated illustration of the various theories. Here, visitors can examine a recently collected slab of sedimentary rock that clearly reveals a thin layer of iridium. Scientists believe this metallic element represents the remnants of a massive asteroid or comet that vaporized upon impact and contributed to the extinction of more than half of all species on Earth, including the Mesozoic dinosaurs. Visitors can also discover the survivors of this monumental event, including fish, frogs and crocodiles, through the fossils and graphics, and find out why they made it to modern times.

This article uses information and quotes from three California Academy of Sciences news releases.

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