The Brontosaurus Is Back!
You know him from the opening song of the Flintstones, but the poor Brontosaurus has never gotten his due credit in the annals of science—until now.
Back in 1903, a paleontologist named Elmer Riggs concluded that the dinosaur was the same as another species known as the Apatosaurus, and the Brontosaurus name slowly faded away.
But now it's back, thanks to several researchers from Portugal and the United Kingdom, who have published a new study presenting evidence that Brontosaurus is, in fact, a distinct species and genus.
The researchers came to their conclusion by using statistical analyses to calculate subtle differences between Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus fossils. Dr. Mark Norell, division chair and curator-in-charge for the division of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, explains the significance of this finding.
In case this news wasn't awesome enough, you should know that Brontosaurus means "thunder lizard."
