Figure 1 – Recent discoveries of appendicular skeletal elements of Late Cretaceous titanosaurian sauropods from the Neuquén Basin of southern Argentina. (a) complete and articulated left hind limb of the unnamed La Invernada taxon (MUCPv-1533), (b) complete and articulated distal left hind limb of the unnamed Agua del Padrillo taxon (UNCUYO-LD 313), (c) right humerus of Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi (UNCUYO-LD 301), (d) complete and articulated right pes of Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi (UNCUYO-LD 302). Scale bar equals 10 cm in (d).




An overview of the appendicular skeletal anatomy of South American titanosaurian sauropods, with definition of a newly recognized clade

BERNARDO J. GONZÁLEZ RIGA 1, MATTHEW C. LAMANNA 2, ALEJANDRO OTERO 3,
LEONARDO D. ORTIZ DAVID 1, ALEXANDER W.A. KELLNER 4 and LUCIO M. IBIRICU 5

1 CONICET/Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Contreras 1300, Parque Gral. San Martin, Mendoza Capital 5500, Mendoza, Argentina
2 Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400
Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, U.S.A.
3 CONICET, División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, s/n, La Plata, B1900FWA, Argentina
4 Laboratório de Systemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
5 Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología (IPGP–CONICET), Boulevard
Almirante Brown, 2915, Puerto Madryn, 9120, Chubut, Argentina






How to cite: GONZÁLEZ RIGA BJ, LAMANNA MC, OTERO A, ORTIZ DAVID LD, KELLNER AWA AND IBIRICU LM. 2019. An overview of the appendicular skeletal anatomy of South American titanosaurian sauropods, with definition of a newly recognized clade. An Acad Bras Cienc 91:e20180374. DOI 10.1590/0001-3765201920180374. 


You can see the paper in PDF format free: (19) (PDF) An overview of the appendicular skeletal anatomy of South American titanosaurian sauropods, with definition of a newly recognized clade (researchgate.net)


Abstract: In the last two decades, the number of phylogenetically informative anatomical characters recognized in the appendicular skeleton of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs has increased dramatically with the discovery of new and comparatively complete specimens. Here we provide an overview of the appendicular skeletal morphology of South American titanosaurs and discuss its significance for phylogenetic reconstruction. The appendicular skeletal diversity of South American titanosaurs is substantially greater than was initially appreciated. Moreover, some regions of the appendicular skeleton, such as the pes, exhibit remarkable variability in form. Multiple synapomorphies of Titanosauria and the less inclusive clades Lithostrotia and Saltasauridae consist of characters of the girdles and limbs. Although the phylogenetic definitions of titanosaurian clades such as Saltasaurinae and Lognkosauria are stable, the taxonomic content of these clades has varied in recent analyses depending on the phylogenetic topology recovered. Within Titanosauria, the results of four recent, largely independent analyses support the existence of a derived titanosaurian lineage distinct from the ‘Saltasaurinae line,’ which is herein termed Colossosauria. At present, this clade is mainly comprised by taxa within Lognkosauria and Rinconsauria, and is useful in discussions of titanosaurian lower-level relationships. Key words: Titanosauria, South America, appendicular skeleton, osteology, phylogeny, Colossosauria.


Figure 4 – Morphological and size comparison of titanosaurian right humeri in anterior view. South American (Argentinean) taxa marked with an asterisk. (a) Neuquensaurus australis* (left, reversed), redrawn from Otero (2010), (b) Rapetosaurus krausei (left, reversed), redrawn from Curry Rogers (2009), (c) Muyelensaurus pecheni* (left, reversed), redrawn from Calvo et al. (2007c), (d) Narambuenatitan palomoi* (left, reversed), redrawn from Filippi et al. (2011a), (e) Mendozasaurus neguyelap*, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2018), (f) Angolatitan adamastor, redrawn from Mateus et al. (2011), (g) Dreadnoughtus schrani* (left, reversed), redrawn from Lacovara et al. (2014), (h) Patagotitan mayorum* (left, reversed), redrawn from Carballido et al. (2017), (i) Paralititan stromeri, redrawn from Smith et al. (2001), (j) Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi*, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2016). Scale bar equals 20 cm.




Figure 9 – The best-preserved pedes of titanosaurian sauropods. South American (Argentinean) taxa marked with an asterisk. (a) Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii, ZPAL MgD-I/48, right pes, redrawn from Borsuk-Bialynicka (1977), (b) Epachthosaurus sciuttoi*, UNPSJB-PV 920, right pes, redrawn from Martínez et al. (2004), (c) La Invernada taxon*, MUCPv-1533, left pes, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2008a), (d) Agua del Padrillo taxon*, UNCUYO-LD 313, left pes, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2015), (e) ?Alamosaurus sanjuanensis, NMMNH P-49967, right pes, redrawn from D’Emic et al. (2011), (f) Mendozasaurus neguyelap*, IANIGLA-PV 077/1–10, 078/1–2, 079, right pes, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2018), (G) Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi*, UNCUYO-LD 302, right pes, redrawn from González Riga et al. (2016). Scale bars equal 10 cm.


An overview of the appendicular skeletal morphology of titanosaurian taxa from South America indicates that this part of the skeleton exhibits greater anatomical diversity than was initially appreciated. Detailed comparative studies of each of these appendicular elements and skeletal regions would likely yield additional character information useful for phylogenetic analyses. From a systematic point of view, the present review shows that there is no definitive consensus on the appendicular character states that serve as synapomorphies for Titanosauria and Lithostrotia. However, within Titanosauria, recent phylogenetic analyses confirm the presence of a titanosaurian lineage that differs from the ‘Saltasaurinae line.’Four recent cladistic studies based on largely independent datasets have recovered this new clade, which is herein termed Colossosauria. At present, this clade is mainly comprised by taxa belonging to Rinconsauria and Lognkosauria, the latter including several exceptionally gigantic species.


Figure 11 – Strict consensus cladogram (limited to Titanosauria) generated from a revised analysis of the data matrix of González Riga et al. (2018) with the addition of three characters (this paper), showing the position and taxonomic content of the newlyrecognized stem-based clade Colossosauria. Abbreviations: Lo, Lognkosauria, Ri, Rinconsauria, Sa, Saltasauridae.



INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA


§  2019. CONICET WEB. https://www.conicet.gov.ar/tag/colossosauria/

§  2019. DIARIO CLARIN.§  2019. CONICET WEB.https://www.conicet.gov.ar/tag/colossosauria/

§  2019. DIARIO CLARIN.https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/cientificos-argentinos-descubrieron-nueva-familia-dinosaurios-gigantes-_0_iDWDSecCA.html

§  2019. DIARIO LOS ANDES. Un paleontólogo mendocino fue reconocido por su labor en la preservación de dinosaurios. https://www.losandes.com.ar/article/view?slug=paleontologo-mendocino-fue-reconocido-por-su-labor-en-la-preservacion-de-dinosaurios

§  2019. DIARIO LOS ANDES. https://www.losandes.com.ar/article/view?slug=un-grupo-de-cientificos-mendocinos-descubrio-una-nueva-familia-de-dinosaurios

§  2019. DIARIO EL SOL. https://diarioelsol.com.ar/2019/09/04/un-nuevo-linaje-de-dinosaurios-identificado-por-una-universidad-argentina/

§  2019. DIARIO PAGINA 12. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/216191-llego-la-era-de-los-colossosaurios

§  2019. DIARIO LA NACION. Cómo son los "Colossosaurios", la nueva familia de dinosaurios hallada por argentinos. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/como-son-colossosaurios-nueva-familia-dinosaurios-hallada-nid2285239

§  2019. MDZ. Liderados por un mendocino, científicos identificaron un nuevo linaje de dinosaurios gigantes. https://www.mdzol.com/sociedad/liderados-por-un-mendocino-cientificos-identificaron-un-nuevo-linaje-de-dinosaurios-gigantes-20190903-42798.html

§  2019. LATIN AMERICAN NEWS. https://www.latinamericanewsagency.com/foto/ampliado/18790

§2019. WEB UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CUYO. Colossosaurio, el nuevo gigante descubierto en la UNCUYO. http://www.unidiversidad.com.ar/colossosaurios-un-nuevo-linaje-de-dinosaurios-gigantes


 Notocolossus, one of largest dinosaurs ever found

Notocolossus, uno de los dinosaurios mas grandes descubiertos

by

Bernardo Gonzalez Riga






Notocolossus, a giant dinosaur from Argentina

(life restoration by Bernardo Gonzalez Riga) 


        Researchers have discovered a gigantic new species of dinosaur that is among the largest yet known to science. Named Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi, the new creature provides key information about the hind foot of giant titanosaurs, which are widely regarded as the most massive land animals that have ever existed. Notocolossus was described from fossil bones belonging to the back, tail, forelimb, and pelvis, plus a complete ankle and foot. The paper describing the discovery appears today in Scientific Reports, a freely-accessible journal from the publishers of Nature. 

        The two described fossil skeletons of Notocolossus were unearthed in southern Mendoza Province, Argentina, from rocks laid down late in the Cretaceous Period, roughly 86 million years ago. Both specimens were discovered by the study leader and project director, Argentine paleontologist Dr. Bernardo González Riga of CONICET (the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) and Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza Province. 


        Other members of the research team include Dr. Matt Lamanna of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, USA, and three other Argentine paleontologists: Leonardo Ortiz David and Juan Pedro Coria of CONICET-IANIGLA and the UNCUYO Laboratorio de Dinosaurios and Dr. Jorge Calvo of the Centro Paleontológico Lago Barreales of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Neuquén Province.


Paleontologists Matthew Lamanna, Bernardo Gonzalez Riga and Leonardo Ortiz David,  together the huge Humerus of Notocolossus


        According to Dr. González Riga, “Giant titanosaurs were the heaviest terrestrial creatures that ever lived. But the hind feet of these dinosaurs—which are critical for understanding how they stood and moved—were not completely known until now. Now we have new evidence that helps to solve this mystery.”



Humerus of Notocolossus and the paleontologist Bernardo Gonzalez Riga, at 
Laboratory and Museum of Dinosaurs, Mendoza, Argentina


        Titanosaurs are an important but puzzling group of dinosaurs. They are a type of sauropod, the huge, long-necked, long-tailed plant-eaters that many people think of when they hear the word “dinosaur.” Comprising more than 60 named species, titanosaurs lived on every continent and ranged in size from the weight of a cow to at least the weight of the heaviest humpback whales. They were the most common large herbivores in the Gondwanan (i.e., Southern Hemisphere) continents during the Cretaceous Period, the third and final time period of the Mesozoic Era, or Age of Dinosaurs. Despite their extraordinary species richness and diversity in body size, many aspects of titanosaur anatomy, evolution, behavior, and ecology are not well understood. This is due largely to the fact that most of these dinosaurs are known from woefully incomplete fossils, a situation that—with only a few exceptions, such as the still-unnamed species unveiled last week at New York’s American Museum of Natural History—is particularly pronounced in giant titanosaurs. Says Dr. Lamanna, “Most of the very biggest titanosaurs are known from just a few bones, which has made it really hard for paleontologists to learn much about them.”

Paleontologists Leonardo Ortiz David and Juan Pedro Coria working on the

bones of Notocolossus. 



Notocolossus is no exception in this regard; nevertheless, evidence suggests that it was among the largest titanosaurs, and therefore one of the heaviest land animals, yet discovered. Although the incompleteness of the skeleton of the new sauropod has prevented scientists from making precise estimates of its size, its humerus, or upper arm bone, is 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) in length, which is longer than that of any other titanosaur for which this bone is known, including other giants such as Dreadnoughtus, Futalognkosaurus, and Paralititan. If, as is likely, the body proportions of Notocolossus were comparable to those of better preserved titanosaurs, the new beast was probably around 24–27 m  (80–90 ft) in length and may have weighed between 40,000 and 60,000 kg (44–66 tons, as much as roughly 9–13 zoo elephants put together). The gargantuan size and Argentinean location of the new titanosaur were the inspiration for its genus name, Notocolossus, which translates to “southern giant.” The species name is in honor of Jorge González Parejas, a Mendoza-based lawyer who has made significant contributions to the protection of that region’s paleontological heritage.


Hypothesized phylogenetic position of Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi and pedal evolution of Sauropoda. (a) Time-calibrated hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships of Notocolossus with relevant clades labelled. Depicted topology is that of the single most parsimonious tree of 720 steps in length (Consistency Index = 0.52; Retention Index = 0.65). (After González Riga et al. 2016)


The enormous sizes attained by gigantic sauropods have generated a great deal of interest in the biology of these dinosaurs. Notocolossus is the first truly giant titanosaur for which the hind foot skeleton is known in its entirety. Interestingly, its foot shows anatomical peculiarities relative to those of other titanosaurs—such as an exceptionally short and robust, uniform construction—that may well be adaptations for supporting its extraordinary bulk. Moreover, the foot of the new creature contains a small number of bones, underscoring the fact that titanosaurs had the most reduced toes of all sauropods. Why these huge creatures apparently shrunk their toes remains a puzzle, but it stands in stark contrast to the evolutionary trend observed in another group of colossal land animals – the Proboscidea, which includes elephants and their close relatives. Rather than decreasing their number of toe bones, proboscideans actually increased the number of bones in their feet over the course of their evolution. 

The hind feet of elephants and sauropods show that these creatures evolved different skeletal strategies for supporting their massive bodies. According to Dr. Lamanna, “Now that we have the whole foot of a giant titanosaur, we can learn more about how these dinosaurs were able to carry more weight around than any other land animal in the history of life,”. And Dr. González Riga adds: “Argentina was truly the land of giants during the Cretaceous – and Notocolossus gives us new evidence on how these giants got so big.”

 



Reference and PDF paper:

González Riga, B.J., Lamanna, M., Ortiz David, L., Calvo, J., Coria, J. 2016. A gigantic new titanosaurian dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot. Scientific Reports 6: 19165.

A gigantic new dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot (nature.com)


AbstractTitanosauria is an exceptionally diverse, globally-distributed clade of sauropod dinosaurs that includes the largest known land animals. Knowledge of titanosaurian pedal structure is critical to understanding the stance and locomotion of these enormous herbivores and, by extension, gigantic terrestrial vertebrates as a whole. However, completely preserved pedes are extremely rare among Titanosauria, especially as regards the truly giant members of the group. Here we describe Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza Province, Argentina. With a powerfully-constructed humerus 1.76 m in length, Notocolossus is one of the largest known dinosaurs. Furthermore, the complete pes of the new taxon exhibits a strikingly compact, homogeneous metatarsus—seemingly adapted for bearing extraordinary weight—and truncated unguals, morphologies that are otherwise unknown in Sauropoda. The pes underwent a near-progressive reduction in the number of phalanges along the line to derived titanosaurs, eventually resulting in the reduced hind foot of these sauropods.


Discovery of the foot of Notocolossus, an exceltionally articulated pes among sauropods. 


TEXTO EN ESPAÑOL:

Investigadores han descubierto una nueva especie que se encuentra entre los dinosaurios más grandes conocidos por la ciencia. Nombrado Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi, la nueva criatura proporciona una información “clave” sobre la anatomía de la extremidad trasera de los titanosaurios gigantes, los cuales son considerados generalmente como los animales terrestres más grandes que han existido. Notocolossus fue descrito a partir de huesos fósiles pertenecientes a la espalda, cola, pata delantera y pelvis, sumando además, un pie posterior completo. El artículo que describe este descubrimiento aparece hoy en Scientific Reports, una revista de libre acceso de los editores de Nature.

Los huesos fósiles de Notocolossus fueron hallados en el sur de la provincia de Mendoza (Argentina) en rocas de fines del Período Cretácico, cuya antigüedad se estima en 86 millones años. Los ejemplares fósiles fueron descubiertos por el líder del estudio y director del proyecto, el paleontólogo argentino Dr. Bernardo González Riga del CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) y el Laboratorio de Dinosaurios de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCUYO) en la provincia de Mendoza. Otros miembros del equipo de investigación son el paleontólogo norteamericano Dr. Matt Lamanna del Museo Carnegie de Historia Natural de Pittsburgh, Estados Unidos de América, y otros tres paleontólogos argentinos: Leonardo Ortiz David y Juan Coria del CONICET y el Laboratorio de Dinosaurios de la UNCUYO, y el Dr. Jorge Calvo del Centro Paleontológico Lago Barreales de la Universidad Nacional del Comahue, en la provincia de Neuquén.

Según el Dr. González Riga, "los titanosaurios gigantes fueron las criaturas terrestres más pesadas ​​que han existido. Las extremidades traseras de estos dinosaurios, fundamentales para conocer su tipo de locomoción y modo de soportar el peso, no eran completamente conocidas. Ahora tenemos nuevas evidencias que ayudan a resolver parte de este misterio".

Los titanosaurios son un grupo numeroso y ciertamente enigmático. Son saurópodos, es decir enormes herbívoros con largo cuello y cola. Representan lo que mucha gente piensa cuando oye la palabra "dinosaurio". Comprenden más de 60 especies y vivían en todos los continentes. Su peso variaba entre el de una vaca hasta el de una ballena jorobada. Los titanosaurios fueron los herbívoros más abundantes de Gondwana (continentes del Hemisferio Sur) durante el Período Cretácico, el tercer y último período de la Era Mesozoica, o “era de los dinosaurios”. A pesar de su extraordinaria riqueza de especies y la diversidad en el tamaño del cuerpo, no se conocen bien muchos aspectos de su anatomía, evolución, comportamiento y ecología. Esto se debe principalmente al hecho de que la mayoría de estos dinosaurios se conocen a partir de esqueletos incompletos, una situación que, con sólo unas pocas excepciones, es particularmente pronunciada en los titanosaurios gigantes. Dice el Dr. Lamanna, "La mayoría de los grandes titanosaurios son conocidos mediante unos pocos huesos, lo que limita el conocimiento que pueden generan los paleontólogos."

Notocolossus no es una excepción en este sentido; sin embargo, la evidencia sugiere que fue uno de los animales más pesados ​​que haya sido descubierto en la Tierra. Aunque el carácter incompleto de su esqueleto impide realizar estimaciones precisas de su tamaño, su húmero (hueso del brazo), tiene 1,76 m de longitud, siendo más largo que el de cualquier otro titanosaurios conocido, incluyendo los gigantes Dreadnoughtus, Futalognkosaurus y Paralititan. Si, como es probable, las proporciones corporales de Notocolossus fueron comparables a los de los titanosaurios mejor preservados, la nueva bestia tenía alrededor de 27 m de largo y pesaba entre 44 y 66 toneladas, es decir 9 a 13 elefantes juntos. El tamaño descomunal y la localización argentina inspiraron el nombre de este género, Notocolossus, que se traduce como "gigante del sur." La especie se refiere a Jorge González Parejas, un abogado con sede en Mendoza que ha hecho contribuciones significativas para la protección del patrimonio paleontológico.

El enorme tamaño alcanzado por los saurópodos gigantes ha generado un gran interés para la biología. Notocolossus es el primer titanosaurio verdaderamente gigante que ha preservado uno de sus pies en forma completa. Curiosamente, sus pies muestran características anatómicas diferentes a la de otras especies, tales como metatarsos y falanges excepcionalmente cortas y robustas. Por otra parte, sus pies presentan un reducido número de falanges, menor que la de otros saurópodos. ¿Por qué estas enormes criaturas –aparentemente- encogieron sus pies? Por ahora esto es un enigma, pero está en marcado contraste con la tendencia evolutiva observada en otro grupo de animales terrestres colosales, los elefantes y sus parientes cercanos. Ellos, en lugar de disminuir su número de huesos en los dedos del pie, los aumentaron a lo largo de su evolución. 

En suma, las patas traseras de elefantes y saurópodos muestran estrategias evolutivas diferentes para sostener sus cuerpos. "Ahora que tenemos todo el pie de un titanosaurio gigante, podemos aprender más acerca de cómo estos dinosaurios fueron  capaces de soportar más peso que cualquier otro animal terrestre en la historia de la vida", señala el Dr. González Riga. "Argentina era verdaderamente la tierra de los gigantes durante el Cretácico y Notocolossus nos da nuevas evidencias de cómo estos gigantes alcanzaron tamaños colosales."


SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH

§  2016. DIARIO PAGINA 12. El gigante de las 60 toneladas http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-290884-2016-01-22.html

§  2016. DIARIO LA NACION. Descubren en Mendoza un dinosaurio que sería el más grande del mundo. http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1864265-descubren-en-mendoza-un-dinosaurio-que-seria-el-mas-grande-del-mundo

§  2016. DIARIO UNO. Del paleontólogo del momento: "El hallazgo se produjo hace unos siete años, luego de 20 años de expedición".https://www.diariouno.com.ar/afondo/del-paleontologo-del-momento-el-hallazgo-se-produjo-hace-unos-siete-anos-luego-de-20-anos-de-expedicion-22012016_r1SUiEEzS7

§  2016. DIARIO CLARIN. Descubren en Mendoza a uno de los dinosaurios más grandes del mundo http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/descubren-dinosaurio-argentina-Mendoza-Notocolossus_0_1508249469.html

§  2016. LA PLATA NOTICIAS. Su nombre científico es Notocolossus y los investigadores creen que pesaba cerca de sesenta toneladas http://laplatapolitica.com.ar/viewtopic.php?t=782

§  2016. RADIO RIVADAVIA. En Mendoza presentaron el fósil del dinosaurio Notocolossus un titán de 60 toneladas. http://rivadavia.com.ar/articulos/en-mendoza-presentaron-el-fosil-del-dinosaurio-notocolossus-un-titan-de-60-toneladas/

§  2016. DIARIO LOS ANDES. Notocolossus: el gigante mendocino que asombra al mundo. https://www.losandes.com.ar/article/notocolossus-el-gigante-mendocino-que-asombra-al-mundo

§  2016. THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW: Fossil discoveries uncover massive dinosaurs http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/19/fossil-discoveries-uncover-massive-dinosaurs/

§  2016. PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE (Pittsburgh): Carnegie Museum scientist helps unearth new dinosaur http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/art-architecture/2016/01/18/Carnegie-Museum-scientist-part-of-discovery-of-new-gigantic-dinosaur/stories/201601180159

§  2016. EL NUEVO HERALD (USA): Hallan en Argentina restos de un dinosaurio gigante desconocido http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/mundo/america-latina/article56027475.html

§  2016. EL TIEMPO (Colombia): Hallan nueva especie de titanosaurio al sur de Argentina http://www.eltiempo.com/estilo-de-vida/ciencia/dinosaurio-notocolossus-nueva-especie-de-titanosaurio/16491000

§  2016. PANAMÁ AMÉRICA (Panamá): Enorme descubrimiento. http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/mundo/enorme-descubrimiento-1010838

§  2016. 20 MINUTOS (España): Descubren en Argentina a uno de los mayores dinosaurios del mundo. http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2654434/0/descubren/mayores-dinosaurios-mundo/argentina/

§  2016. DIARIO CRÓNICA (México): Descubren en Argentina uno de los mayores dinosaurios del mundo. http://www.cronica.com.mx/notas/2016/940854.html

§  2016. LA NACIÓN (Chile): hallan en argentina restos de un dinosaurio gigante desconocido. http://www.lanacion.cl/noticias/tecnologia/ciencia/hallan-en-argentina-restos-de-un-dinosaurio-gigante-desconocido/2016-01-22/095702.html


chapter of book:

TEACHING SCIENCE BY DOING SCIENCE

by
Bernardo González Riga


1. An undervalued aspect in our scientific systems in Argentina is teaching. Sometimes it seems that research and teaching are two different worlds, where there is no clear articulation. That explains the reason why many internationally renowned researchers do not teach, do not share their knowledge at the university.

2. It is therefore time to understand that our country can grow with the advancement of science and education, if they are correctly articulated in such a way that one feeds the other and vice versa.

3. Broadly speaking, "most researchers should teach and most university professors should do research" so that those who teach share their own experiences about science, lived from within.

4- This chapter does not work on ideas but on own experiences lived at the National University of Cuyo, before and during the creation of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences. The first experiences of the founding of the Dinosaur Laboratory and Museum are also recounted, when numerous students, along with teachers, were the protagonists of its construction. They not only did science, but they built the laboratory and preserved paleontological sites on the ground. We have here the students as protagonists of their own formative construction, of their professional ethical values.
5- Teaching science involves a creative effort. If we start from common sense, we see that classes are interpersonal encounters, "dialogues" between the teacher and his students. In this process the teacher shares his experiences, disciplinary knowledge and motivations; For their part, students start from their own experiences and motivations to build their own reflection and personal training. In this game of dialogues, neither of them is the same after a class, since they learned by teaching and they taught by learning.







----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Capitulo de libro: 

ENSEÑAR CIENCIA HACIENDO CIENCIA


1. Un aspecto poco valorado en nuestros sistemas científicos de Argentina es la docencia. A veces parece que la investigación y la docencia son dos mundos distintos, donde no existe una clara articulación. Eso explica la razón por la cual muchos investigadores de renombre internacional no dan clases, no comparten sus saberes en la universidad.

2. Es hora pues de comprender que nuestro pais puede crecer con el avance de la ciencia y la educación, si se articulan correctamente de manera que una alimenta a la otra y viceversa. 

3. En líneas generales "la mayoría de los investigadores deberían enseñar y la mayoría de los profesores universitarios deberían investigar" para que los que enseñan compartan sus propias experiencias sobre la ciencia, vividas desde dentro.  

4- En este capitulo no se trabaja sobre ideas sino sobre propias experiencias vividas en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, antes y durante la creación de la Facultad de Ciencias exactas y Naturales. También se relatan las primeras experiencias de fundación del Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios, cuando numerosos estudiantes, a la par de profesores, fueron protagonistas de su construcción. No solo hicieron ciencia, sino que construyeron el laboratorio y preservaron yacimientos paleontológicos en el terreno. Tenemos aqui a los estudiantes como protagonistas de su propia construcción formativa, de sus valores éticos profesionales. 

 5- Enseñar  ciencia  implica  un  esfuerzo  creativo.  Si  partimos  desde  el sentido  común,  vemos  que  las  clases  son  encuentros  interpersonales, “diálogos” entre el profesor y sus estudiantes. En  este  proceso  el  profesor  comparte  sus  experiencias, conocimiento  disciplinar  y  motivaciones;  por  su  parte  los  estudiantes parten  de  experiencias  y motivaciones propias para  construir  su  propia  reflexión  y  formación personal.  En  este  juego  de  diálogos  ninguno  de  los  dos  queda  igual después  de  una  clase,  ya  que  aprendieron  enseñando  y  enseñaron aprendiendo. 

---O---

La  universidad debería  ser  el  locus  propio  de  la  formación  ética  profesional  y  su correspondiente compromiso social. Cada profesión posee un rol social y un compromiso ético con el bien común. Ser profesional implica trabajar por la defensa de los derechos de la persona humana, por una sociedad sin desigualdades ni relaciones de opresión y exclusión y por el cuidado de los ambientes naturales. Por ello, ser profesional implica un servicio con una  clara  proyección  social.  En  este  contexto,  uno  de  los  aspectos vinculados a la paleontología es la valoración y protección de los restos y yacimientos  paleontológicos,  como  bienes  naturales  y  culturales  de  la sociedad.   


(PDF) Enseñar ciencia haciendo ciencia - teach science by doing science: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354857846_Ensenar_ciencia_haciendo_ciencia_-_teach_science_by_doing_science [accessed Oct 02 2021].


 the role of paleontologists

The role of the paleontologist is not exactly known and perhaps it is believed that he is a person far from social problems. On the contrary, he is a servant of society whose role contributes in various fields that enrich each other through remarkable synergy.

On the one hand, he discovers and studies fossil remains, the existence of which was unknown. In this way, those fossils that are part of the patrimonial heritage of the State (that is, of society) acquire scientific and cultural significance at the national and international level. The fossil is given a scientific, cultural and social entity. In the case of dinosaurs, they receive a scientific name that is recognized internationally. The paleontologist's vocation leads him to search for evolution, climatic changes, extinctions, the history of the Earth. Because he knows, deep down, that the past is the key to understanding the present and anticipating the future.

Second, the paleontologist is a person concerned with the protection of fossil remains and their deposits. For this reason, he works on efforts and projects for their preservation, be it in rescue works, in the creation of paleontological and geological natural areas and parks. Likewise, he focuses on the training of young people in their undergraduate and postgraduate stages until they achieve their doctorate. In this field, teaching is the other side of research, because one should not exist without the other. It is about “teaching science by doing science” to allow young people to have laboratory and field experiences early in their college careers. Another fundamental aspect is the transfer and socialization of knowledge, a task that is carried out through exhibitions, courses, workshops, and even the creation and assembly of museums and laboratories “on sight”. In this way, scientific research, protection of paleontological heritage, teaching and training of human resources, and transfer to society are four gears that, linked together, enhance the growth of scientific culture in society.