Think You Know Why Dinosaurs Dominated? Think Again. | Emma Schachner | TEDxLSU

How did dinosaurs climb to global prominence? Was it their armor? Their spikes and large teeth? In this informative talk Emma Schachner, evolutionary biologist and paleontologist, argues that it was actually the dinosaurs’ lungs that helped them survive, thrive and dominate the planet. Evolutionary biologist and paleontologist Emma Schachner’s research is investigating how the specialized dinosaur lung may have helped the ancient creatures dominate the planet and thrive for millions of years in a low-oxygen environment. An Assistant Professor at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Schachner studies the anatomy of the respiratory system of reptiles and birds, and how they have evolved over time. She is also an accomplished artist, and her detailed scientific illustrations have been published in a number of scientific journals and major media outlets. Emma was previously part of a research team from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History that discovered and named a 66-million-year-old bird-like, 500-pound dinosaur species, Anzu wyliei, which the researchers nicknamed the “chicken from hell.” This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@DeinosDinos]

I remember when I first learned about the avian respiratory system, and how at awe I was of that. Simply amazing!

[@leocarioshiny]

5:09 excellent jurassic park reference, and a great video! Paleontology is an amazing field, and I’m glad to find out about more and more women who are helping spread the good word of this fascinating field

[@mehridin]

fantastic. gender is so important in science and education. imagine how much better all scientific discoveries would be if we just changed the gender of the people discovering them. amazing observation.

[@rogeredrinn4592]

Excellent presentation. Learned a little more today. Thanks

[@jamesT008]

My head rolling ..feeling like attending zoology class...

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Absolutely excellent short talk!!!

[@trishcomey6322]

Very interesting. More please

[@Anythingforfreedom]

I enjoyed that, thank you.

[@colebergfeld403]

Me who watches Ted Talks for fun and accidentally gets Teducated.

[@dannyboots]

I found this information interesting, thank you

[@dannyboots]

I'm not the weird word

[@jorgevillegas5321]

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[@jorgevillegas5321]

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[@jorgevillegas5321]

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[@Dogman690]

So if you had any doubts, birds are literally dinosaurs

[@fernandodelgado6134]

Interesante. No me lo había planteado nunca.

[@tfsheahan2265]

So, if I understand correctly, birds/dinosaurs do not have a diaphragm that flexes to cause their lungs to expand and contract. Is it my imagination that has caused me to perceive a bird's torso expanding and contracting? I have clear recollection of a pet bird, breathing his last, literally.

[@gizmomckopp1131]

No. It's pretty complex. She said, that not the entire lung structure of birds move. Of course it needs to be ventilated still.

[@vertify3r]

Birds draw air into their air sacs, which are at each end of the lungs. Its the air sacs, rather than the lungs, that expand and contract. What interesting is that the air sacs are structured in such a way that fresh air goes through the lungs when the bird is inhaling AND when the bird is exhaling. That makes their lungs basically twice as efficient as ours, which spend half the inhale/exhale cycle expelling oxygen depleted air.

[@tfsheahan2265]

@@vertify3r Thanks. I kinda-sorta almost understand that.

[@Thefakemattk]

Landscrape

[@chaztitan6457]

so if an elephant is a vegetarian and spends most of its time trying to find food.
explain a brontosaurus had enough time in its day to eat and sleep...
i used to be obsessed with dinosaurs.
now im not to sure of what we are told is true. let alone museums

[@caviramus0993]

Actuallly the feeding method of sauropods was very effective.
Theur mouths were very broad and they didn't waste time on chewing their food, it was all made by their digestive system.
As to the feeding lifestyle, they stood in one place for some time, saving energy required in moving, and using their long necks to reach branches of the trees, eating tremendous numbers of vegetation at relatively low energy expense.

[@jkeutsch]

Most of what is said about dinosaurs us guess work, not knowledge.

[@fishtank1015]

@@jkeutsch I mean, it isn’t guess work if it’s backed up with reasonable logic and evidence.

[@jkeutsch]

@@fishtank1015 Educated guesses. We don't really have much evidence. Bones, few fragmentary highly degraded samples of DNA. That plus assumptions & logic.
That doesn't mean the guesses are wrong. It is still a "guess", sometimes called a hypothesis.

[@fishtank1015]

@@jkeutsch ohh I assumed when u said “guesses” u were saying it’s just clueless guesswork (a lot of people think paleontology is clueless guesswork lol.

[@bigmac1598]

So to lay down and sleep all the dinosaurs went up the hills to avoid the low level pollution

[@adelew5871]

一cc CX

[@adelew5871]

一cc CXx

[@tyronelocke3786]

lol

[@tinabragger5684]

😂😂😂what a load of bs

[@gizmomckopp1131]

Why do you say this? Arguments please.

[@tinabragger5684]

@@gizmomckopp1131 evolution is not true fake

[@dannyboots]

@@tinabragger5684 the moment you realise it does exist. Will be the same moment you experience it.

[@caviramus0993]

@@tinabragger5684 it's always easier to call something fake when you can't understand it, isn't it?

[@tinabragger5684]

@@caviramus0993 evolution is a false religious cult