VOA科学技术2024--Researchers in Brazil Say Rain Uncovered Fossil of Old Dinosaur

Scientists in Brazil say heavy rains helped them discover a fossil¹ they believe came from one of the world's oldest dinosaurs³.

Researchers found the fossil in May in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. They said the fossilized bones make up nearly a complete dinosaur² skeleton⁴.

A leader of the team, paleontologist Rodrigo Temp Müller, said the fossil is believed to be about 233 million years old. It was discovered next to a body of water in the area of Sao Joao do Polesine.

Müller is with Brazil's Federal University of Santa Maria in Rio Grande do Sul. He said heavy rains in the area had helped speed up the natural process of erosion⁵ that led to the discovery. Fossils⁶ are more likely to get exposed after rains because water washes away the dirt that covers them.

Details of the discovery have not yet been confirmed by other scientists or published in any scientific publications.

The researchers believe the dinosaur lived during the Triassic Period. The first dinosaurs are thought to have appeared at that time after Earth's largest mass extinction⁷ event about 252 million years ago. During the Triassic Period, all continents were part of a single land mass called Pangea.

The team thinks the dinosaur belonged to a group known as Herrerasauridae. A document received by The Associated Press explains this family of creatures once lived on land that now makes up present-day Brazil and Argentina. The document said the size of the bones suggests the dinosaur would have been around 2.5 meters long.

After about four days of excavation⁸ work, researchers transported a large piece of rock containing the fossil back to their laboratory. There, they carried out tests.

At first, Müller said he thought the team had only collected "a few isolated⁹ bones." But after detailed¹⁰ testing, the researchers said they had almost a complete skeleton.

Müller told the AP his team was "very excited and surprised" by the discovery. He said the new find might be the second most complete skeleton found for this kind of dinosaur.

The researchers are carrying out studies to see whether the fossil belongs to an already-known species¹¹ or a new kind. The effort is expected to take several months.

Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state reported record rainfall earlier this year. Officials said the rain caused widespread flooding in May that led to at least 182 deaths. Some weather experts say climate change makes extreme weather events more likely. They say the burning of oil, gas and coal affects the climate.

Müller said other fossils appeared after the heavy rains. He noted¹² these finds had launched a race against time to rescue the materials before they are ruined. For example, team members in the field said they had observed what appeared to be a leg bone and a pelvis bone. But they said these were in danger of being destroyed because of the rain.

Müller hopes the new discovery can help further explain the origins of dinosaurs. "Having new fossils that are so well preserved certainly helps us better understand this topic that is still much debated," he said.

Words in This Story

fossil - n. something (such as a leaf, skeleton, or footprint) that is from a plant or animal which lived in ancient times and that you can be seen in rocks

paleontologist - n. a person who studies fossils as a way of getting information about the history of life on Earth

erode¹³ - v. to slowly decay¹⁴ over time

extinction - n. a situation in which something no longer exists

excavate¹⁵ - v. to remove earth covering very old objects buried in the ground in order to discover things about the past

isolated - adj. not near to other places

species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

expose - v. to remove what is covering something so that it can be seen

origin - n. where something begins or comes from

preserve - v. to keep something from decaying, being damaged or destroyed

1 fossil   

n.化石，食古不化的人，老顽固

参考例句：

• At this distance of time it is difficult to date the fossil.时间隔得这么久了，很难确定这化石的年代。
• The man is a fossil.那人是个老顽固。

2 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

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 skeleton   

n.骨骼，框架，骨干，梗概，提要

参考例句：

• A long illness made a skeleton out of him.长期的卧病使他骨瘦如柴。
• Her notes gave us just the bare skeleton of her theory.她的笔记只给我们提供了她的理论的梗概。

5 erosion   

n.腐蚀，侵蚀，磨损，削弱，减少

参考例句：

• The erosion of beach here is serious.这里海岸的腐蚀很严重。
• Drought and soil erosion had long been a major problem.干旱和水土流失一直是个老大难问题。

6 fossils   

n.化石( fossil的名词复数 )；老顽固；食古不化的人；老古董（老人）

参考例句：

• fossils over two million years old 两百多万年的化石
• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley. 在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

14 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

15 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。