When people tell you something is a fact, you should ask them why are they so certain.
I am reading Stephen Brusatte’s remarkable “Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History from The Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us.” It is a remarkable book because Brusatte is a delightful writer and storyteller.
We are living in the greatest period of paleontology discoveries in history. The development of new technologies has enabled us to understand events and animals in a way that was literally impossible even 50 years ago. Furthermore, there are more paleontologists in more countries, and the sheer opportunity for collecting has expanded widely.
Traditionally, we thought dinosaurs were totally dominant, and mammals were tiny creatures hiding in burrows and skulking about to avoid being eaten by their giant neighbors.
As Brusatte points out, we are now discovering many different mammal species that flourished during the age of dinosaurs which we never knew existed. So, we really must rethink our entire mindset about that ancient ecosystem. He argues that mammals dominated at night, and in confined places, while dinosaurs dominated during the day and in open spaces.
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- Respecting Your Enemies
We are a long way from this kind of strategic focus and yet it will be the key to an acceptable future. - A Swiss Warning Bares the Implications of an Older, Greyer, and Smaller West
The entire pattern of younger people having more children, who then had more children, is broken. - If We Lose Chicago
Looking at the consequences of Iran acquiring destructive weapons. - Winston Churchill and the Iran War
Past conflicts can provide valuable lessons for the present. - The Resurrection of Christ is the Foundation of Hope
On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ – the most important day of the year for the Christian community.