Editor's note:
The beauty of the national treasure, through ancient and modern times, is used to carry the Tao, and it is magnificent.
Behind each rare cultural relic is the ingenuity and wisdom of the ancients, engraved with the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, and witnessing the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
Starting from February 20, 2023, China News Agency's "East and West Questions" launched a series of plans for "Treasures of Town Halls" (2), using experts to explore the meaning of cultural relics and the stories behind them.
China News Agency, Chongqing, February 25th: From "vegetarianism" to "meat eating", how did this "dinosaur" reverse the academic perception?
——Interview with Jiang Tao, Deputy Director of the Collection Management Department of Chongqing Natural History Museum
China News Agency reporter Zhong Yi
Dinosaurs, the "top stream" of paleontology, have attracted the attention of most people since the 19th century. Fossils are the best way for humans to understand their appearance and the era in which they lived.
In the Chongqing Natural History Museum, the species type specimen (fossil) of "Yongchuanlong in the upper reaches" is known as the "treasure of the town hall".
As the earliest nearly complete carnivorous dinosaur fossil discovered in China, it is still one of the most complete large carnivorous dinosaur fossils in Asia. What significance does the upstream Yongchuanosaurus have to the international paleontological community?
What academic value does it have?
Jiang Tao, deputy director of the Collection Management Department of Chongqing Natural History Museum, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Question".
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: Why is the upstream Yongchuanosaurus fossil the treasure of the town hall?
Jiang Tao:
Upstream Yongchuanosaurus, discovered near the dam of the upstream reservoir in Yongchuan County, Sichuan Province (now Yongchuan District, Chongqing City) in 1976, was jointly researched and named by experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and paleontology experts from Chongqing Natural Museum .
Upstream Yongchuanosaurus is the earliest nearly complete carnivorous dinosaur fossil discovered in China, missing only forelimbs and part of the tail vertebrae, and is still one of the most complete large carnivorous dinosaur fossils in Asia so far.
From the analysis of specimens, the upper reaches of Yongchuanosaurus is a large carnivorous dinosaur with a body length of about 9 meters, a large skull, dagger-shaped teeth, two strong hind limbs, and giant claws on the fingertips. It lived between 150 and 160 million years ago. Before the Late Jurassic.
There are several starting points for choosing it as the "treasure of the town hall": the rarity of "nearly complete" fossils; it is a reliable basis for naming other new genera and species of dinosaurs of the same kind; The appearance of the group, as well as the paleogeography and paleoclimate at that time provided valuable information.
Upstream Yongchuan dragon restoration rack.
Photo by He Penglei
China News Agency reporter: What does the discovery of the upper reaches of Yongchuanosaurus mean to the academic community?
Jiang Tao:
Carnosaurus is a relatively difficult type of dinosaur fauna to preserve intact, especially the complete carnosaurus skull, which has always been the goal of dinosaur researchers.
Before Yongchuanosaurus was unearthed in the upper reaches, many herbivorous dinosaur skeletons were discovered in China, the famous ones were Lufengosaurus Xushi, Mamenxisaurus Hechuan, and Tuojiangsaurus spiny.
Upper Yongchuanosaurus skull fossil.
Photo provided by the interviewee
Although Chinese Carnosaurus fossils were collected by American geologist George D. Louderback in Rong County, Sichuan Province as early as 1915, it was not discovered until 20 years later by American vertebrate paleontologist Charles L. Camp) conducted research and classified it as Megalodon (also known as Megalosaurus).
In 1942, Mr. Yang Zhongjian, the "Father of Chinese Dinosaur Research", named his research on several individual teeth collected in Guangyuan, Sichuan as "Gan's Sichuan Dragon", paying tribute to Gan Po, who was the first to study Chinese carnivorous dinosaurs.
By the 1960s, although China had successively discovered carnivorous dinosaur fossil materials such as Triassic Sinosaurus, King Kongostaurus, and Jilantyrannosaurus, they were relatively broken compared with herbivorous dinosaur skeletons. Appears to be lighter.
This has also caused doubts in the international paleontological community, and some voices even said, "China is a country that does not produce carnivorous dragons, and Chinese dinosaurs are all vegetarians."
The discovery of Yongchuanosaurus in the upper reaches has achieved a breakthrough in China's reliable large-scale carnivorous dinosaur fossils, which has effectively countered this nonsense and allowed China to take off the hat of "no reliable carnivorous dinosaurs".
Emei Film Studio also filmed China's first science and education film on dinosaurs, "Yongchuan Dragon".
Since then, the international academic status of China's Jurassic large carnivorous dinosaur research has been established.
The burial status of Yongchuanosaurus fossils in the upper reaches.
Photo by He Penglei
Reporter from China News Service: It has been nearly half a century since the discovery of the upstream Yongchuanosaurus. Today, China has become the "dinosaur powerhouse" with the largest number of dinosaur species in the world. What value will it play?
Jiang Tao:
To answer this question, it is necessary to popularize two basic knowledge of dinosaur research, one is the research object and method, and the other is the law of priority of biological naming.
First of all, the main object of dinosaur research is the fossil itself, and the more complete the fossil, the more abundant and authoritative the information it can provide.
Taxonomy, functional morphology, bone histology, etc. must be based on fossil materials.
The research results of Yongchuanosaurus fossils in the upper reaches have attracted worldwide attention, which depends on its high-integrity preservation.
The biological naming priority rule refers to the effective name of a taxonomic unit, and the earliest officially published name shall prevail.
If "same thing with different name" or "different thing with same name" is found, the earliest name should be retained and the later one should be abolished.
The research on the upstream Yongchuanosaurus will be continuous.
After the official publication of related research on the upper reaches of Yongchuanosaurus in 1978, China has successively discovered and named fossils such as giant Yongchuansaurus, Heping Yongchuansaurus, Zigong Sichuansaurus, and Nan'an Yongchuansaurus, as well as the skeletons of Sichuansaurus Gans that were later discovered and included, etc. All must be compared with the upstream Yongchuanosaurus. If obvious differences can be found, the species named by it can be recognized.
Taking the naming of the giant Yongchuanosaurus as an example, what is little known is that as early as 1972, researchers actually discovered the giant Yongchuanosaurus, and it was only four years later that the upstream Yongchuanosaurus was discovered in the same area.
However, due to some objective reasons at that time, the fossil materials excavated from the giant Yongchuanosaurus were relatively fragmented, resulting in slow progress in the research work. It was not until 1983 that it was named based on the comparative study of the upper reaches of Yongchuanosaurus.
In recent years, international dinosaur research scholars have proposed that the giant Yongchuansaurus, Zigong Sichuansaurus, Nan'an Yongchuansaurus and Ganshi Sichuansaurus are all included in the genus Yongchuansaurus, and only the upper reaches of Yongchuansaurus and Zigong Yongchuansaurus are retained. The rest of the names are abolished.
For now, I think that "reserve" or "abolish" requires standardized, rigorous, and scientific certification.
The naming of Sichuanlong Ganshi is only based on four individual teeth. Although it is earlier than the upper Yongchuanlong in time, the relationship between it and the upper Yongchuanlong remains to be demonstrated.
At present, I am leading the team to carry out related research by comparing the shape of dinosaur teeth.
The simulated and restored dinosaur fossil excavation scene in the Chongqing Museum of Natural History.
Photo by He Penglei
China News Agency reporter: Dinosaurs are a door to understand the world of paleontology. From the perspective of cultural heritage, what are the benefits of allowing the public to have close contact with dinosaur fossils?
Jiang Tao:
Curiosity is inherent in human beings, and interest is the best motivation to enhance learning initiative.
Through close or even zero-distance contact with dinosaur fossils in the museum, the curiosity of the public, especially primary and middle school students, can be stimulated.
What are dinosaur fossils, how to discover and excavate, how to restore and put them on shelves, etc., "visiting the exhibition" is a direct way for the public to find answers.
Interior view of the Dinosaur Hall of Chongqing Natural History Museum.
Photo provided by the interviewee
Through the exhibition, there are always some people with strong interests to further explore relevant knowledge through the Internet, books and other means.
This process not only helps young people develop the habit of independent learning, but also plants the "seeds of inquiry" in young people's minds, promoting their determination to engage in national basic scientific research.
As far as cultural consumption is concerned, audiences bring home dinosaur cultural and creative derivatives, which also promotes the sales and development of dinosaur cultural and creative products.
China News Agency reporter: We have noticed that the study of dinosaur fossils is in the ascendant in recent years. What do you think is the significance of studying dinosaur fossils?
Jiang Tao:
One is to satisfy the innate curiosity of human beings.
The continuous discovery and research of dinosaur fossils has enriched human understanding of the species that once existed on the earth.
The second is to reveal geological information.
Such as determining the stratigraphic age, interpreting the Earth’s climate and environment when dinosaurs lived, especially understanding the geological background of the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, so as to reveal the laws of Earth’s movement at the macro level.
The third is to discuss the past and the present, and inspire human beings to think about their own way of survival and development.
"Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?" This is not only a philosophical question, but also a matter of human future.
As the land overlords in the long history, non-avian dinosaurs once ruled the earth for 160 million years, and finally became extinct 66 million years ago, giving way to rising star mammals.
Humans began to develop rapidly from Homo erectus 2 million years ago, and Homo sapiens gradually became the ruler of the land 100,000 years ago. Compared with the rise and fall of dinosaurs, the history of rise and fall is very short.
Studying why dinosaurs flourished and declined can provide a lesson for the future of human beings.
In short, to study dinosaurs is to study humans themselves.
(over)
Respondent profile:
Interviewee Jiang Tao.
Photo by He Penglei
Jiang Tao, deputy director and associate research librarian of the Collection Management Department of Chongqing Natural History Museum.
Mainly engaged in the study of Mesozoic reptile fossils and related stratigraphy, and the main research directions are dinosaur morphology and taxonomy.