Dinosaur bones aren't found everywhere because fossilization is a rare process that requires specific conditions. Most bones decay before they can fossilize, and only a tiny fraction are preserved in sedimentary rock. Erosion, natural disasters, and human activity can also destroy fossils before they're discovered. Plus, many fossils are buried deep underground, making them hard to find. Check out our latest video to learn more about the fascinating process of fossil formation and why these ancient treasures are so rare! #brightside
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Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Listen to Bright Side on:
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
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FunTranscript
00:00If dinosaurs once ruled the Earth, it seems like we should stumble upon their bones everywhere.
00:07But we don't.
00:10Why is that?
00:11Aren't you curious?
00:13There's no conspiracy here.
00:15The truth is that the quest to find dino remains is much more complex than meets the eye.
00:21Yes, dinosaur bones are real, we've found tons of them, and they've already been uncovered
00:26on every continent, despite many people arguing otherwise.
00:30And the uneven distribution of these prehistoric treasures is simply a quirk of nature.
00:38Turns out fossilization is an incredibly rare phenomenon.
00:42It only happens under specific conditions.
00:44When a dino bites the dust, the journey to fossilization begins.
00:49The carcass needs swift burial by sediment, followed by layers upon layers, creating a
00:54geological pressure cooker.
00:57Minerals sneak into the bones, morphing them into stone.
01:00This unique recipe predominantly occurs underwater, where sediments like sand and mud can gracefully
01:07cloak the fallen giants.
01:09Which is why dinos meeting their end above ground rarely end up as fossils.
01:14For example, we barely find any fossils of species who lived in the jungle, and especially
01:19in the mountains.
01:23Researchers reveal that many fossils arise from areas near lakes or rivers.
01:28Whether drowned before a flood or carried away by rain, these dinosaurs lucked out in
01:33fossil formation.
01:35These are the reasons why we don't discover dinos in every nook and cranny.
01:39The harsh reality is that we might never meet many dino species, all because of these limitations
01:45of fossilization.
01:47Around 71% of dinosaurs will never be discovered.
01:50We don't even know how many species we've lost due to unsuitable conditions.
01:55If we're super lucky, we might find some fossils of mountain dinosaurs in local rivers.
02:00But that's a very rare case.
02:02So yes, while dinosaurs graced the globe, all the fossils we've found so far were
02:08due to great luck.
02:12This makes you wonder how much dinosaurs lived in general.
02:15There are myths about them leading a tortoise-paced life.
02:18People believe that dinos were sauntering through centuries to achieve colossal sizes.
02:23Funny enough, the truth is exactly opposite.
02:27In reality, dinosaurs lived shortly and shone bright like rock stars.
02:31Unfortunately, once these animals hit the prime of reproduction, they often found themselves
02:36on the fast track to fossilization before reaching their full-size potential.
02:41What's interesting is that dinosaur life cycles align with the rhythm of trees.
02:46Perhaps you know that it's possible to determine how old the tree lived by its rings.
02:51It's true.
02:52Each pair of light and dark rings equals one year of age.
02:56Like the rings tell us about trees, dinos' bones tell us about them.
03:01Researchers examined slices of bones under a microscope, analyzing different tissues
03:05to gauge growth rates.
03:07Thick rings mean rapid growth, and narrow ones mean a more leisurely pace.
03:15In the animal kingdom, bigger usually equals longer life.
03:19So some people wonder whether big dinos actually lived longer.
03:22Apparently so.
03:24Large sauropod dinosaurs, akin to ancient behemoths, likely took around 30 to 35 years
03:30to reach their colossal peak.
03:33Following that, they might've enjoyed a few more decades on the prehistoric stage.
03:37For smaller dinosaurs, like the nimble orthopods, life was a swift affair.
03:42They grew to their full size after around 4 to 5 years of life.
03:46But after a mere 3 to 4 years, these mini-dinos, unless super-fortunate, might have bid adieu.
03:53So it turns out, many dinosaurs didn't live for hundreds of years.
03:57Most of them, even colossal ones, rarely marked even their 50s.
04:00It's a surprise if you compare them to today's giants like blue whales and elephants.
04:06These animals boast human-life-like spans.
04:09Blue whales live for around 80 to 90 years, and many elephants make it to their 60s to
04:1470s.
04:15And they're not as big as some dinosaurs.
04:18It's a pity that they left our planet so early, and we don't have a chance to study
04:24so many of them.
04:25What's even sadder is that dinosaurs have been doomed from the beginning.
04:30Even if a random cosmic rock hadn't hit our planet, dinosaurs would still have gone
04:35extinct by today.
04:37The Chicxulub meteorite smashed into our planet 66 million years ago.
04:42For the record, it didn't actually destroy all the dinosaurs, only the non-avian ones.
04:47The rest became birds.
04:48Yep, some of these colossal creatures became tiny chickens and pigeons we see today.
04:54Guess they know what wolves might feel like.
04:57But even before that happened, the Earth was slowly preparing a catastrophe for them.
05:02And research shows that the era before the asteroid impact wasn't exactly a paradise.
05:08It was more like a brewing cauldron of environmental challenges.
05:14The scientists delved into the Deccan Traps, one of the largest volcanic regions in present-day
05:19West India.
05:21They came up with an innovative technique to study the past through volcanoes, by measuring
05:26sulfur concentrations in rocks.
05:28That's how they learned that the Deccan Traps, spewing millions of cubic miles of molten
05:33rock, contributed to global climate shifts.
05:36Over 100,000 years before the infamous Chicxulub meteor struck, global temperatures might've
05:42plummeted by several degrees.
05:45This sudden drop was most likely triggered by sulfur emissions from the Deccan Traps.
05:49And this, in turn, led to pretty wild, unpleasant climate conditions.
05:54The Earth ended up experiencing volcanic winters.
05:58This made life super-challenging for flora and fauna, and set the stage for the eventual
06:03dinosaur extinction.
06:04So even if there was no asteroid, dinos wouldn't survive for too long.
06:13For a long time, scientists have been arguing whether it was the asteroid that wiped out
06:17the dinosaurs, or the volcanic activity.
06:20Finally, technology is developing, and we can use it to answer this question.
06:25An AI system developed by researchers offers its own perspective.
06:30Using over 100 processors fed with geological and climatic data, the AI explored the fossil
06:36records and over 300,000 possible scenarios to find the truth.
06:41And according to the machine, the volcanic theory is far more plausible.
06:46It told the scientists that the climate changes required for a mass extinction were likely
06:51caused by the Deccan Traps alone, even without the asteroid impact.
06:55The volcanic eruptions coincided with a Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, starting 300,000 years before the
07:03asteroid, and it continued for an extended period.
07:07This raised some questions about human vs. AI judgment.
07:10Some scientists expressed skepticism and talked about the AI's potential bias.
07:15But the researchers who led the project are excited about the novelty of their method
07:20and its potential to explore other periods of Earth history.
07:24However, it will likely take some time for humans to build trust in AI.
07:31We already mentioned that non-avian dinosaurs survived this apocalyptic event.
07:36For some reason, neither volcanoes nor an asteroid wiped out everything on our planet.
07:42Many animals survived, evolving into mammals, and many plants continued to flourish.
07:48Plants went through this even better than animals, actually.
07:51A catastrophe bid farewell to about 75% of Earth's species, not to count all the individual
07:57losses.
07:58Yet, botanical wonders survived.
08:01Around 78% of our plant species owe their existence to their persistent ancestors.
08:07Unfortunately, plants don't turn into fossils as easily as animals do.
08:11And we already know that this process isn't quick or common either.
08:15So the researchers had to turn to evolutionary trees.
08:19They analyzed up to 73,000 surviving plant species.
08:23The findings revealed a remarkable narrative of evolution and dominance.
08:28Turns out, after the Great Extinction, these sneaky plants seized the opportunity, just
08:34like mammals who rose to prominence after the dinosaur era.
08:38Major orders, like those of mint, magnolia, and orchids, not only coexisted with dinosaurs,
08:44but thrived beyond the extinction.
08:46The secret to their success lies in how they could adapt for pollination.
08:51They didn't care whether they were pollinated by wind or insects or anything else, basically
08:57eating resources from anywhere they could find.
09:00Thanks to this awesome adaptability, which scientists call flower power, their legacy
09:05lives and flourishes today.
09:14That's it for today!
09:15So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
09:19friends.
09:20Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!