Paleontological Audio Technology :: Geology Science Research

Paleontological Audio Technology In very recent years the advances in science and technology we have made have been incredible; from cloning sheep and human tissue to almost completing the human genome, the scientific community has taken great steps with the help of technology. One such area in this community is the study of geology. Computers aid geologists in determining the best places to drill for oil and natural gas, along with trying to determine mineral deposits and the compositions of rocks. Now, computers have the capacity to infer information from limited data collected in the field. Now, in the paleontological sense, we have the technology to simulate the sounds that prehistoric creatures might have produced so long ago. In August 1995 Thomas E. Williamson and his crew discovered a fossil that makes computer simulation of ancient dinosaur sounds possible. Since then, there has been increased excitement throughout the geologic community and with those infatuated with dinosaurs. Two years later on December 5th the ancient sounds of a long extinct dinosaur could be heard throughout the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Later this excitement spilled over into the entertainment industry when Steven Spielberg came out with â€Å"Jurassic Park III† which showed this experimentation. The fossil found was the most complete skull of a duck billed dinosaur called â€Å"Parasaurolophus† meaning the â€Å"trombone dinosaur†. The hollow crest atop the skull is what scientist believed produced a sort of mating call or warning sound. Before computer technology there were many different views offered as to what was the purpose, if any, of this large hollow crest. Some believed it could have been a way to shed heat like an internal radiator or aid in the recognizing of those in its own pack or even just to warn others away. Others were just not sure what to think. Paleontologists had noticed the passageways inside the crest but had no way of knowing how intricate these tubes and chambers were until computers were used to scan the insides of the crest and differentiate between what was actual fossil and what was clay and sandstone. Computer Scientist Carl Diegert used a CT Scan (Computer Tomography, i.e.; CAT Scan) and scanned the skull at intervals of 3mm to produce 350 cross sections.