Re: Medullary Bone Distribution in Archosaurs

[Jura <pristichampsus@yahoo.com>]

--- "Stephen V. Cole" <adbinc@arn.net> wrote:

> >--- "Stephen V. Cole" <adbinc@arn.net> wrote:
> >
> >>  >Medullary bone, a
> >>  >highly mineralized, bony reproductive tissue
> >>  present
> >>  >in the endosteal cavities of all extant
> egg-laying
> >>  >birds thus far examined, has recently been
> reported
> >>  in
> >>  >Tyrannosaurus rex. ..... alligators .... shows
> no
> >>  >differences on the endosteal surfaces of the
> long
> >>  >bones, and no evidence of medullary bone
> >>
> >>  Do we know anything about the presence or
> absence of
> >>  medullary bone in Sauropods, Pterodactyles, or
> >>  the bird-hip dinosaurs (ducksbills,
> ceratopsians,
> >>  etc.)?
> >>
> >++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >
> >Unknown until someone breaks a couple of sauropod
> and
> >ornithischian bones in hopes of finding original
> >cellular material.
> >
> >Jason
> 
> Sounds like a project for somebody, maybe PHD paper?
> 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Possibly. I sure wouldn't want to be the one having to
write the research proposal for that one.

"In order to determine medullary bone presence in
other members of Dinosauria, it is necessary to look
for the presence of preserved original cellular
material. In order to do this, the rending of limb
bones in the more common members of the Hell Creek
Sauropodan and Ornithischian fauna, would need to be
done."

Does anyone know if CT scans, or MRI's are able to
separate preserved tissue from permineralized bone? It
would certainly be nice to figure out some noninvasive
way of doing something like this. 

At the very least it would save the trouble of having
to glue all those leg bones back together.

Jason

"I am impressed by the fact that we know less about many modern [reptile] types 
than we do of many fossil groups." - Alfred S. Romer


 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Have a burning question?  
Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know.