Endotherms are animals such as modern birds and mammals that keep their body temperatures constant. For instance, humans are endotherms and maintain an internal temperature of 37°C, no matter whether the environment is warm or cold. Because dinosaurs were reptiles, and modern reptiles are not endotherms, it was long assumed that dinosaurs were not endotherms. However, dinosaurs differ in many ways from modern reptiles, and there is now considerable evidence that dinosaurs were, in fact, endotherms.
Polar dinosaurs
One reason for believing that dinosaurs were endotherms is that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in polar regions. Only animals that can maintain a temperature well above that of the surrounding environment could be active in such cold climates.
Leg position and movement
There is a connection between endothermy and the position and movement of the legs. The physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. But running is efficient only if an animal’s legs are positioned underneath its body, not at the body’s side, as they are for crocodiles and many lizards. The legs of all modern endotherms are underneath the body, and so were the legs of dinosaurs. This strongly suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms.
Haversian canals
There is also a connection between endothermy and bone structure. The bones of endotherms usually include structures called Haversian canals. These canals house nerves and blood vessels that allow the living animal to grow quickly, and rapid body growth is in fact a characteristic of endothermy. The presence of Haversian canals in bone is a strong indicator that the animal is an endotherm, and fossilized bones of dinosaurs are usually dense with Haversian canals.
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific points made in the reading passage.
The reading passage states that dinosaurs were endotherms because of some characteristics found in fossilized bones. However, the lecture says that the arguments used in the passage do not prove these animals were endotherms.
First, the passage says that some dinosaur fossils were found in polar regions and only endotherms could support the low temperatures of such sites. The lecuture conters this argument by stating that dinosaurs in these regions used to be warmer most part of the year. Furthermore, dinosaurs could have migrated or hibernated like modern repitiles do if the temperatures were lower.
Next, the reading claims that the position of the legs in dinosaurs, underneath their bodies, were like so to support running activity. The legs of modern endotherms are all underneath their bodyes and the pysiology of endothermy allows for sustained physical activity. This suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms. The lecture, however, says that dinosaurs may have had legs underneath their body to support heavy weights and not to benefit running activities. This would allow them to reach large sizes.
Finally, the reading says that fossilized bones of dinosaurs were found with a substancial amount of Haversian canals, which is a bone structure common in endotherms that allows them to rapdily increase. Thereby supporting the fact thet these animals are endotherms as well. The lecture, conversely, counter arguments this, by saying that besides Haversian canals, another kind of bone structure, called grouth ring, was found in abundance too. The later, in contrast to the former, induces a slow or no growth at all. An intercalation of rapid growth with small or no growth is a characteristic of not endotherms. Because of that, the lecure concludes that dinosaurs were not endotherms.
| Post date | Users | Rates | Link to Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-21 | liboooyang | 81 | view |
| 2020-01-04 | Tharwat | 83 | view |
| 2019-12-19 | savikx | 66 | view |
| 2019-12-18 | TEJAS PATIL | 80 | view |
| 2019-12-14 | fafar | 80 | view |
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Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 7, column 145, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ersian canals, which is a bone structure common in endotherms that allows them to...
^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
besides, conversely, finally, first, furthermore, however, if, may, so, well, in contrast, kind of, in contrast to
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 10.4613686534 134% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 7.30242825607 82% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 12.0772626932 108% => OK
Pronoun: 24.0 22.412803532 107% => OK
Preposition: 38.0 30.3222958057 125% => OK
Nominalization: 4.0 5.01324503311 80% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1531.0 1373.03311258 112% => OK
No of words: 284.0 270.72406181 105% => OK
Chars per words: 5.39084507042 5.08290768461 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.10515524023 4.04702891845 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.80498138166 2.5805825403 109% => OK
Unique words: 149.0 145.348785872 103% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.524647887324 0.540411800872 97% => OK
syllable_count: 469.8 419.366225166 112% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.55342163355 109% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 12.0 8.23620309051 146% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 4.0 2.5761589404 155% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 16.0 13.0662251656 122% => OK
Sentence length: 17.0 21.2450331126 80% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 42.9250800815 49.2860985944 87% => OK
Chars per sentence: 95.6875 110.228320801 87% => OK
Words per sentence: 17.75 21.698381199 82% => OK
Discourse Markers: 7.125 7.06452816374 101% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 4.19205298013 24% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 4.33554083885 208% => Less positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 4.45695364238 67% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.27373068433 94% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.178874928488 0.272083759551 66% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0626814336057 0.0996497079465 63% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.044729635935 0.0662205650399 68% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.112105313942 0.162205337803 69% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0216100822043 0.0443174109184 49% => Paragraphs are similar to each other. Some content may get duplicated or it is not exactly right on the topic.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.8 13.3589403974 96% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 45.76 53.8541721854 85% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.1 11.0289183223 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.69 12.2367328918 112% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.48 8.42419426049 101% => OK
difficult_words: 72.0 63.6247240618 113% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 10.7273730684 79% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.8 10.498013245 84% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.2008830022 80% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 85.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 25.5 Out of 30
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.