When you hear the word “paleontology,” you would probably think of khaki-strapped geeks in fedora hats gently powdering half-unearthed fossils. However, paleontology is not such a restrictive field. It can range from the aforementioned sweltering in the hot Arizona sun, to painstakingly analyzing robotic locomotion, to generating computer models of mechanisms. Here are some examples of how engineering can plug in the gaps in prehistoric knowledge.
Placoderms were ancient fish which first appeared in the fossil record during the early Silurian Period but reached their zenith in the Devonian Period (~420-360 million years ago). They were the first vertebrates to develop jaws, and with this powerful tool, alongside bony armored plates, they were able to diversify into an array of highly successful lifeforms. Chief among this fishy bloom was the 33-foot long species Dunkleosteus terrelli, an apex predator and the largest placoderm in Earth’s history.
Through a combination of computer modeling and cast muscles, scientists decoded what lay within the jaws of this tank of a hunter. They discovered that the jaws operated as a four-bar linkage: a mechanism commonly seen in such industrial applications as oil pumps. This allowed it to open and close its scissor-like teeth at a fraction of a fraction of a second and at a bite force comparable to a T. rex, making its bite the strongest of all known fish. At such speed, the gaping of the maw created a vacuum in a chase that sucked in the terrified prey, and the pursuer’s blades clamped down too quickly and too hard for the target to realize. The immobile other half of the victim was devoured soon afterwards. This destructive combination of force and speed secured Dunkleosteus its throne at the top of the food chain.
Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic (~252-66 million years ago). Sporting bizarre flippers and a long neck, they were the basis of the Loch Ness Monster myth. Their monstrous appearance has not only been the subject of fear and terror, but also of fascination, with particular interest in their quadruple identical flippers, which have never before nor after been seen in an animal.
The method by which this creature swam had been subject to debate for a number of years until scientists created and designed a specialized “robosaur” for the purpose. Initial computer projections predicted that the front flippers would provide most of the power for movement, but through the addition of dyes to the water, a more interesting and efficient phenomenon was observed. Each flap of the front flippers creates a vortex (a small whirlpool) with which the back flippers can propel themselves off of for increased efficiency and thrust: 40% more for the former and 60% more for the latter, in fact. This mimics the way geese fly in the V-formation, with the trailing birds riding on the wake of the leads. In fact, scientists are already experimenting with the possibilities of flippered underwater propulsion to rival the speed and efficiency of the propeller, and even a submarine test model is currently under development.
Science, and by extension the world, is not made up of bubbles of different, unrelated, sometimes boring concepts. It is a web of ideas, theories, and imagination interwoven and interacting. What principles and mechanisms you use at the construction site might be seen in a long-dead armored fish, and what you might learn about an ancient marine reptile could advance the powers behind submarines. All you have to do is connect the dots.
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