Dinosaurs probably had a different bone structure than mammals and birds that were uniquely able to support enormous weights, a new study has found.
A team of paleontologists, mechanical and biomedical engineers examined the upper and lower bones of duck-billed hadrosaurs and sauropods, long-necked and large-body plant eaters, whose fossils have been found on every continent.
“The structure of the trabecular, like spongy bone that forms in the interior of (the) bones we study are unique within dinosaurs, “said Anthony Fiorillo, a paleontologist from Southern Methodist University and one of the authors of the study, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.
The trabecular bone surrounds the small spaces like holes in the interior part of the bone that you might see in a hambone or in the bones of a steak, Fiorillo explained in a news release.
The team analyzed CT scans of the dinosaur bands and compared them to the fossil bones of extinct mammals such as Siberian tigers and mammoths and animals living today such as sheep and elephants.
“Unlike mammals and birds, the trabecular bone does not increase in thickness as the body size of dinosaurs increases,” he said.
“Instead, it increases in density from the appearance of spongy bones. Without this weight-saving adaptation, the skeletal structure would be necessary to make the duck-fact, plant-eating hasrosaurs so heavy, the dinosaurs would have great difficulty moving.”
Increasing the connectivity of the spongy bone, the study suggests, is a more efficient bone stiffening mechanism for animals of this extraordinary size.
“This would have allowed sufficient mechanical competence to be achieved with less bone material,” the study said.
The authors suggested that the findings may have implications for the design of rigid and light structures that could be used in aviation, construction or automobiles.
“Understanding the mechanics of the trabecular architecture of dinosaurs can help us better understand the design of other light and dense structures,” said Trevor Aguirre, lead author of the paper and a recent doctoral student in mechanical engineering. Colorado State University.
The study, Fiorillo said, was the product of a unique collaboration between scientists in various fields.
“This is one of those cool things that can happen when one is ready to cross disciplinary boundaries to address their curiosity,” he said.
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