VOA科学技术2024--Fossil Discovery in Brazil Could Help Explain Rise of Dinosaurs

Scientists in Brazil recently announced the discovery of one of the world's oldest reptile¹ remains². They say the bones - dating back to around 237 million years ago - may help explain the rise of the dinosaurs³.

The four-legged reptile species is called Gondwanax paraisensis, researchers recently announced in a statement. The animal is believed to have been near the size of a small dog, with a long tail.

The small reptile would have lived in the Triassic Period on land which is today southern Brazil. During this period - from 252 million to 201 million years ago - the world was much hotter.

The fossil was identified as a new silesaurid, a group of reptiles⁴ believed to have died off in a mass extinction⁵ event. Experts have debated whether silesaurids were true dinosaurs or if they came before dinosaurs.

"Understanding the characteristics of these precursors⁷ could shed light on what was crucial for the dinosaurs' evolutionary⁸ success," a statement from the researchers said.

In 2014, Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurelio, a medical doctor, found the remains in a piece of rock in the town of Paraiso do Sul. The town sits in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The Gondwanax paraisensis fossil comes from a time when dinosaurs as well as mammals, crocodiles, turtles and frogs first appeared.

Aurelio gave the remains to a local university in 2021, beginning three years of research.

"Being the first human to touch something from 237 million years ago is extraordinary," Aurelio told Reuters. "It's an indescribable feeling."

The research was led by Brazilian scientist Rodrigo Temp Müller, a paleontologist. His findings recently appeared in an article in the publication Gondwana Research.

Müller said, "The most important part of this finding is its age. Because it's so old, it gives us clues as to how dinosaurs came to be."

Müller added that when Aurelio gave researchers the remains, they were covered by a thick layer of rock. At first, only parts of the backbone⁹ could be seen.

Gondwanax means "lord of Gondwana." The name suggests the Gondwana landmass in the southern area of the supercontinent Pangaea. Pangaea later broke apart into continents. The name paraisensis honors the town of Paraiso do Sul.

Words in This Story

fossil - n. a remnant of an organism that has been preserved in the earth's crust

extinction - n. a situation in which a kind of animal no longer exists

characteristic - n. a distinguishing trait, quality, or property

precursor⁶ - n. one that comes before and indicates the approach of another; an animal from which another animal evolves from

extraordinary - adj. going beyond what is usual or regular

 

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1 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

6 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

7 precursors   

n.先驱( precursor的名词复数 )；先行者；先兆；初期形式

参考例句：

• Phenyl (or polyphenyl) substituted epoxides serve as excellent precursors to phenyl (or diphenyl) carbenes. 某些苯代（或多苯）环氧乙烷是制取带苯环（或二苯）碳烯的极好原料。 来自辞典例句
• Note the presence of megakaryocytes, erythroid islands, and granulocytic precursors. 可见巨核细胞，红细胞岛和粒细胞前体细胞。 来自互联网

8 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

9 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。