Pterosaur Flight Engineering Revealed
You have probably seen those crime scene shows where the investigators search for stains from blood or other things, and it glows under alternative lighting even though it was invisible under normal conditions. Although such things are exaggerated for the sake of the story, there is also truth to them.
In a similar forensic manner (after all, origins science is historical and forensic in nature), researchers examined pterosaur fossil that was probably considered old news and had nothing left to tell. New methods gave insight into its flying ability.
Pteranodon from Pixabay / Damian Trochanowski, modified at PhotoFunia, then cropped |
Flying reptiles once flew through ancient skies. Most of our knowledge of these fascinating animals, called pterosaurs, comes from their fossils. But how well-suited were they for flight? Details from one newly analyzed specimen upgrade our understanding of flight engineering in pterosaurs.
Publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, four scientists affiliated with institutions from four different countries used laser light to reveal new features on a pterosaur fossil. . . .
They used laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) on the pterosaur. This technique reveals different materials that make up a fossil. For example, limestone and bone fluoresce at different wavelengths in response to the same laser light. . . . a third color indicated another substance that led to a discovery.
You can read the entire article by flying over to "Pterosaur Contours Look Engineered."