Mark Norell, chairman and Curator of the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, was on campus Sept. 27 to meet with students and deliver a lecture in the Voices of Discovery series. Details...
Norell’s research interests include the discovery and naming of new dinosaur species, studying the relationship of small carnivorous dinosaurs to modern day birds and using modern technology to learn more about fossils.
Before his lecture Tuesday evening, Norell met with students in Dr. William Mackin’s General Zoology lab. Through discoveries in the American West, Europe and Mongolia, Norell said he and other scientists have learned important lessons about birds.
“The big one was feathers,” Norell said. “We found out that a lot of dinosaurs had feathers, including tyrannosaurus rex. These were used for insulation, which indicates that a lot of dinosaurs were warm-blooded.”
Norell said today’s birds are a kind of living dinosaur and are considered a subset of reptiles. Birds exhibit many of the traits and characteristics of reptiles. “Birds that are alive in the egg use ultrasound to synchronize hatching,” Norell said. “That’s the same as crocodiles.”
Norell also discounted some popular theories that dinosaurs were capable of running as fast as 60 mph. Using modern computer technology, Norell said scientists have concluded “the fastest they could probably go was 16 to 20 mph.”
Norell’s visit and lecture was part of the Voices of Discovery Series, which brings noted leaders in science and mathematics to campus to share their knowledge with students.