Seminar: Dinosaurs: A synchrotron radiation perspective

Fri., Mar. 22, 2013 3:30 p.m. - Fri., Mar. 22, 2013 4:30 p.m.

Location: CL 410

One of the most outstanding problems yet to be fully understood is that of the past of our planet. The incredible animals that roamed the land millions of years ago, along with their evolutionary paths and eventual extinctions, are still to be fully comprehended. I have recently embarked in a unique project where physics merges with paleontology, geology, biology and chemistry into a multi-disciplinary effort to shed light on several aspects of our planet as it was during the Late Cretaceous period. For that purpose, we have been using advanced technology, such as those available at the Canadian Light Source, to probe deep inside fossils and geological sediments in an attempt to reveal their chemistry composition, understand fossilization and diagenetic processes and to try to reconstruct the way animals such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Albertosaurus, Hadrosaurs, Pachyrhinosaurus and Troodon lived and died in a way never done before. In this talk, you will have the opportunity to join me in a journey back to 70 millions ago. We will see how new technologies can help understand our past, with possible implications on the way we forecast our future.

Speaker: Dr. Mauricio Barbi, Department of Physics, University of Regina

Please download our poster (440 kB) format.