John Duncan on Mon, 8 Dec 1997 22:05:57 +0100 |
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Syndicate: 971208 Sound of Dinosaurs |
<<>Saturday December 6 1:14 AM EST > >U.S. Scientists Recreate Sound of Dinosaur > >By Zelie Pollon > >ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - U.S. scientists said Friday after two >years of work they had recreated the call of the >duck-billed Parasaurolophus dinosaur and it was a long, low moan. > >They said they had uncovered and simulated the extinct creature's deep, >rumbling, whale-like or elephant-like groan using >scans of a rare dinosaur fossil and powerful computers. > >"It's kind of a sad sound and a little out of this world," Dr. Tom >Williamson at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History >and Science said of the Parasaurolophus' call as the team's simulated >version reverberated around the building Friday. The >two-year project to recreate the Parasaurolophus' sound began after a >skull fossil of the 25-foottall, plant-eating dinosaur was >discovered in northwest New Mexico in 1995. > >Dr. Carl Diegert of the Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque said >the team of scientists wanted to understand the >function of a bony, tubular crest extending from the back of the >dinosaur's head. > >The crest, shaped like a trombone, contained a labyrinth of air cavities >that Diegert believed made a distinctive sound. By >simulating the fossil structure on computer, the scientists came up with >a unique sound which they say is the real thing. > >It can be heard on the following Internet sites: >http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us >and >http://www.sandia.gov > >Williamson said the sound may have been so distinctive that dinosaurs of >the same species could have recognized each other. >"This is not conclusive, but it seems plausible because of the unique >nature of each dinosaur's crest," he said. > >The team has applied for a copyright for the sound. > >"There are some commercial interests," a spokesman for the New Mexico >museum said. "If there's a corporation out there >that wants to make money off it, then we're open to that." > >Chris Miller, a spokesman for Sandia National Laboratory, said Microsoft >Corp was among companies to have shown >interest. "We're expecting the sound to influence any future movies >about dinosaurs," he said.>> http://www.xs4all.nl/~jduncan/