Friday, December 27, 2019

Tyrannosaurs The Most Dangerous Dinosaurs

Just say the word tyrannosaur, and most people immediately picture the king of all dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, as any paleontologist worth his pickaxe will tell you, T. Rex was far from the only tyrannosaur roaming the forests, plains, and swamplands of Cretaceous North America and Eurasia (although it was certainly one of the biggest). From the perspective of the average small, quivering plant-eating dinosaur, Daspletosaurus, Alioramus, and a dozen or so other tyrannosaur genera were every bit as dangerous as T. Rex, and their teeth were just as sharp. What Defines a Tyrannosaur? As with other broad classifications of dinosaurs, the definition of a tyrannosaur (Greek for tyrant lizard) involves a combination of arcane anatomical features and broad swathes of physiology. Generally speaking, tyrannosaurs are best described as large, bipedal, meat-eating theropod dinosaurs possessing powerful legs and torsos; large, heavy heads studded with numerous sharp teeth; and tiny, almost vestigial-looking arms. As a general rule, tyrannosaurs tended to resemble one another more closely than do the members of other dinosaur families (such as ceratopsians), but there are some exceptions, as noted below. (By the way, tyrannosaurs werent the only theropod dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era; other members of this populous breed included raptors, ornithomimids and feathered dino-birds.) The First Tyrannosaurs As you might already have guessed, tyrannosaurs were closely related to dromaeosaurs—the relatively small, two-legged, vicious dinosaurs better known as raptors. In this light, its not surprising that one of the oldest tyrannosaurs yet discovered—Guanlong, which lived in Asia about 160 million years ago--was only about the size of your average raptor, about 10 feet long from head to tail. Other early tyrannosaurs, like Eotyrannus and Dilong (which both lived in the early Cretaceous period), were also fairly petite, if no less vicious.   There’s one other fact about Dilong that may permanently change your image of supposedly mighty tyrannosaurs. Based on analysis of its fossil remains, paleontologists believe that this small, Asian dinosaur of the early Cretaceous period (about 130 million years ago) sported a coat of primitive, hair-like feathers. This discovery has led to speculation that all juvenile tyrannosaurs, even the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, may have possessed feather coats, which they shed, or perhaps kept, on reaching adulthood. (Recently, the discovery in Chinas Liaoning fossil beds of the large, feathered Yutyrannus has lent added weight to the feathered tyrannosaur hypothesis.) Their initial similarities notwithstanding, tyrannosaurs and raptors quickly diverged along separate evolutionary paths. Most notably, the tyrannosaurs of the late Cretaceous period attained enormous sizes: a full-grown Tyrannosaurus Rex measured about 40 feet long and weighed 7 or 8 tons, while the biggest-ever raptor, the middle Cretaceous Utahraptor, punched in at 2,000 pounds, max. Raptors were also far more agile, slashing at prey with their arms and legs, while the primary weapons used by tyrannosaurs were their numerous, sharp teeth and crushing jaws. Tyrannosaur Lifestyles and Behavior Tyrannosaurs truly came into their own during the late Cretaceous period (90 to 65 million years ago), when they prowled modern-day North America and Eurasia. Thanks to numerous (and often surprisingly complete) fossil remains, we know a lot about how these tyrannosaurs looked, but not as much about their day-to-day behavior. For example, theres still intense debate about whether Tyrannosaurus Rex actively hunted for its food, scavenged already-dead remains, or both, or whether the average five-ton tyrannosaur could run faster than a relatively poky 10 miles per hour, about the speed of a grade-schooler on a bicycle. From our modern perspective, perhaps the most puzzling feature of tyrannosaurs is their tiny arms (especially compared to the long arms and flexible hands of their raptor cousins). Today, most paleontologists think the function of these stunted limbs was to lever their owner to an upright position when it was lying on the ground, but its also possible that tyrannosaurs used their short arms to clutch prey tightly to their chests, or even to get a good grip on females during mating! (By the way, tyrannosaurs werent the only dinosaurs possessing comically short arms; the arms of Carnotaurus, a non-tyrannosaur theropod, were even shorter.) How Many Tyrannosaurs? Because later tyrannosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus closely resembled one another, theres some disagreement among paleontologists about whether certain tyrannosaurs really merit their own genus (a genus is the next step up above an individual species; for example, the genus known as Stegosaurus comprises a handful of closely related species). This situation isnt improved by the occasional discovery of (very) incomplete tyrannosaur remains, which can make assigning a likely genus an impossible bit of detective work. To take one notable case, the genus known as Gorgosaurus isn’t accepted by everyone in the dinosaur community, some paleontologists believing this was really an individual species of Albertosaurus (probably the best-attested tyrannosaur in the fossil record). And in a similar vein, some experts think the dinosaur known as Nanotyrannus (tiny tyrant) may actually have been a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, the offspring of a closely related tyrannosaur genus, or perhaps a new kind of raptor and not a tyrannosaur at all!

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Poetry Analysis Ode On a Grecian Urn Essay - 1145 Words

The twenty-four old romantic poet John Keats, â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† written in the spring of 1819 was one of his last of six odes. That he ever wrote for he died of tuberculosis a year later. Although, his time as a poet was short he was an essential part of The Romantic period (1789-1832). His groundbreaking poetry created a paradigm shift in the way poetry was composed and comprehended. Indeed, the Romantic period provided a shift from reason to belief in the senses and intuition. â€Å"Keats’s poem is able to address some of the most common assumptions and valorizations in the study of Romantic poetry, such as the opposition between â€Å"organic culture† and the alienation of modernity†. (O’Rourke, 53) The irony of Keats’s Urn is he likens†¦show more content†¦For me, the ten lines of this stanza is a blissful remainder that love only comes like a thief in the night. Indeed, when one least expects it. In the second stanza, the speaker beholds a piper joyfully playing under the tress for his lover to find him with song. â€Å"Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; not to the sensual ear, but, more endeared. The use of imagery of the senses is effective here. For I consider poetry to be more musical in nature than literary text. The speaker claims to be hearing melodies emanating from the urn, which for me the sound transmission from the urn correlates to the finite aspects of fleeting love. While the nature of art of the urn seems to me to represent the exquisiteness and infinity of the universe. Indeed, the sounds of silence from art is akin to vastness of space and time. â€Å"She cannot fade, though, thou hast not thy bliss,† (line19). Keats is asking the readers to not grieve for him. Because, her beauty will not diminish over time it is everlasting. In the third stanza, the speaker praises the urn for its eternal youth and zeal. Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu.†(lines 21-22) He admires the trees that cover the lovers for they will not loose their leaves over the changing seasons. For this he it seems is grateful and feels happy. Moreover, the use of word spring is of key importance for spring signifies the start of a new seasonal cycle ofShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty† Essay767 Words   |  4 PagesOf the five odes written by John Keats, this ode was written to show the beauty of love through a work of art. This work of art is a Grecian Urn, one side adorned with a woman being pursued by a â€Å"bold lover† and on the other a priest leading a heifer to be sacrificed. The beauty of this poem is given in five stanzas of iambic pentameter with a two part rhyme scheme, giving the poem a sense of a two part structure and, furthermore, two meanings just as there are two sides of the urn. The manifestRead MoreHow Does Keats Express His Aesthetic Vision in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’?1542 Words   |  7 PagesHow does Keats express his aesthetic vision in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’? John Keats once said regarding Lord Byron that â€Å"he (Byron) describes what he sees, I describe what I imagine†. Keats is a typically Romantic poet in the way in which he uses the fluid boundaries of imagination within his poem to formulate his aesthetic vision which is projected in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’. Pope notes that the etymology of ‘aesthetics’ derives from the Greek meaning ‘things perceptible to the sense’ and ‘sensoryRead MoreJohn Keats: The Next Shakespeare Essay829 Words   |  4 Pagesbe remembered. However, contrary to his belief, Keats is still remembered today, so much so that his poetry is put into our text books. Throughout Keats’s poems in our literature book, there are several ways he writes his poems. John Keats uses the forms of imagery, personification, figures of speech, and sound structure in his poetry. First of all Keats uses the structure of imagery in his poetry, but much more so in the poem, â€Å"When I have fears that I may Cease to Be.† A prime example of the usageRead More Physical Value in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn Essay1381 Words   |  6 PagesPhysical Value in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn The poetry of John Keats contains many references to physical things, from nightingales to gold and silver-garnished things, and a casual reader might be tempted to accept these at face value, as simple physical objects meant to evoke a response either sensual or emotional; however, this is not the case. Keats, in the poem Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, turns the traditional understanding of physical objects on its head, and uses them notRead MoreKeats Poems : Homer, Fears, Nightingale, And Urn 733 Words   |  3 Pages The Power of Keats Poems (An Analysis of Keats Poems called Homer, Fears, Nightingale, and Urn) John Keats was a romantic poet in the early 1800s. He lived from 1975 to 1821, a rather short lived life and died at the young age of just twenty-five. Although Keats died at a young age, the years that he lived he created a huge impact on society with his poems. Keats developed an interest in poetry and reading at a young age, setting him up to become an avid poet. John Keats expressed one majorRead MoreJohn Keats : The Five Senses, Reality Departures, And Nature1628 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"If Poetry comes not as naturally as Leaves to a tree it had better not come at all† (biography). John Keats was an English-born poet who was known for his sonnets, romances, and epics. He was a well-known romantic poet who was criticized because of his style of poetry. In his poems, Keats uses frequent themes such as death, the five senses, reality departures, and nature. As a romantic poet, John Keats uses imagery and emotion based themes as way to display his beliefs in his poetry. Born inRead More Truth in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn and Cummings since feeling is first1808 Words   |  8 PagesTruth in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn and Cummings since feeling is first Truth remains a mysterious essential: sought out, created, and destroyed in countless metaphysical arguments through time. Whether argued as being absolute or relative, universal or personal, no thought is perceived or conceived without an assessment of its truth. In John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn and E.E. Cummings since feeling is first the concern is not specifically the truth of a thought, but rather, the generalRead MoreA Classical View Of The Romantic Movement1877 Words   |  8 PagesHypothesis: John Keats’ Odes were heavily influence by Classical ideologies which related to the wider philosophy of the Romantic Movement. This essay will apply a Classical perspective to John Keats’ Odes. I will examine how John Keats was inspired by the ideologies of the Greeks and Roman mythology. John Keats based his Odes on Roman myths and Greek artefacts; he used these to explore wider themes that relate to Greek Philosophy. This essay will show how Keats related the wider philosophy of theRead MoreTo Autumn, by John Keats Essay887 Words   |  4 Pages The poem â€Å"To Autumn† by John Keats was written with a sense of him describing his girl as a person, of whom he loved very dearly. This was the last great ode he was able to write before he died (Prince). This poem was written on crisp, fall day in September (Flesch). After Keats had composed this poem, he wrote a letter to his friend calling his work a genesis (Flesch). Even though this poem was written for Keats lover, it also described how as the seasons are changed to fall, summer still has aRead More Essay on Art in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man1577 Words   |  7 Pagesof art may be Romantic, but because his world is no longer the world of the Romantics he has to see art more as a fundamental validation of his own being than as a communication of a special vision. Two aspects of Romanticism figure into this analysis of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. First, the Romantics defining belief in some connection between the human spirit and some higher purpose, and their belief in arts capacity to serve as the vehicle to connect the human with the divine

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Facing failure free essay sample

Life is like a path. On that path, there are many unpredictable turning points, which make your life more dramatic and less boring. For me, an important turning point is when I failed in a literature competition. This failure changed my major from literature to English and changed my point of view about how to face to failure. The competition was of course very hard because it was the large-scale competition; I was hopeful that I would gain the highest award. However, everything was not what I thought. I failed with a very low score and I was the only person in the literature team to fail. This made me extremely disappointed. I was sad and always blamed myself for failing. I cried a lot and thought that life was not fair to me. I had studied very hard and tried my best to do the test but the result was terrible. We will write a custom essay sample on Facing failure or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Why was I the only person that failed? Was I the least knowledgeable person?† I continued to ask myself these questions. However, blaming myself and being pessimistic did not make the situation better. Everything was even worse than before. I kept myself in an invisible snail shell; I did not want to talk to my friends or my parents. It seemed like I was becoming more distant with everyone. This made me think again. I had to change. I stopped my unreasonable crying and told myself that it was too stupid for me to just think negatively. If literature was not suitable for me, why did I have to make every effort toward it to receive nothing? I should change my major. I should open a brighter door when the literature door seemed not to accept me. I decided to choose English and focused more on that subject. And English was also the major I chose to study in university. Everything seems to be better since then. I feel happier and more optimistic with my new choice. I found o ut that I am better at English than at literature, so I do my best to study English. Sometimes I think of my old failure and smile because of the senseless things I did in the past. However, thanks to that failure, I realize that everything is better when we change and think more optimistically.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Writers Goal free essay sample

He was able to get her new clothing for the ball and to finish her outfit she borrowed a diamond necklace from a friend to wear to the ball. They had a great time at the ball however she lost the diamond necklace. She and her husband had to work hard and spend all their life savings to replace the necklace. At the end of the story, the woman ran into her friend she borrowed the necklace from and learned that it was a fake necklace instead of real diamonds. This is a very entertaining story and the writer was able to make the readers understand the deep and hidden meaning of events and because of that I agree that Maupassant ultimate goal is achieved through symbolism. I agree that the writer’s goal was accomplish because through symbolism of a necklace, Maupassant was able to reveal the moral of the story. We will write a custom essay sample on Writers Goal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We see in the story that the main character who was obsessed with her look wasn’t satisfied with her life. She had a good husband who cared for her and did everything to make her happy. She did not see that. This can be applied to reality in the sense that we get caught up with what we look like or what we are wearing, that we go to lengths to make it happen. Through the symbol of a necklace, the author was able to convey to the readers the theme that vanity is worthless and there’s a price to pay for vanity and that we should be grateful for what we have. We also see in the story that obsession with vanity have a price to pay. The main character and her husband had to slave for the rest of their life to pay back for the borrowed necklace. If she had gone to the ball with what she had, than this wouldn’t have happened. One can relate this to their life in the since that if you become obsess with how you look than there’s a price to pay. Beauty doesn’t come cheap. Through the symbolism of a necklace the author was able convey many themes to his readers. He was able to reach his readers on many levels that they could relate to and learn. By him doing this, I can agree that his goal was accomplish. I think that this is realistic fiction. Maupassant through the use of a necklace was able to convey to his readers different themes they can relate to. He convinces reader that vanity is worthless, there’s a price to pay with vanity and that one should be grateful with what they have. Instead of fabricating an adventure and spinning it out in a way that keeps it interesting till the end, Maupassant was able to pick up the main character at a certain point of her existence and carry her by natural transition. He also showed how her mind was modified under the influence of environmental circumstances and her passion was developed. Because of this I agree that he achieve his goal.