The Data in a Dino's Smile
15 days ago
- #dinosaurs
- #paleoclimatology
- #climate change
- T. rex teeth are providing new insights into Earth's ancient climate through chemical analysis.
- Oxygen isotopes in fossilized dinosaur teeth reveal that the Mesozoic atmosphere had higher CO2 levels than today.
- Plant life during the Mesozoic Era was twice as photosynthetically active as current vegetation.
- Late Jurassic CO2 levels were four times higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
- The study marks a breakthrough in paleoclimatology by using terrestrial vertebrate fossils for climate reconstruction.
- This method offers new ways to study ancient atmospheric composition and vegetation productivity.