Dino exhibit might keep boredom away
The lazy days of summer bring splashes in the pool, picnics in the park and family vacations.
Continue read the rest of "Dino exhibit might keep boredom away" by Athens Banner-Herald
However, 90 days of no school, sibling rivalries and reruns on television also brings the inevitable "Mom, I'm bored."
Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta has the antidote to boredom with a special "90 Days of Dinosaurs" exhibit. "A Dinosaur A Day Keeps Boredom Away!" says it all. From the moment you turn in the entrance, the adventure begins: A family of bronze Lophorhothon atopus - 24 feet long and 9 feet tall - meets you at the door.
This dinosaur lived in what's now Georgia during the Cretaceous Period and existed on the leaves, berries and seeds prominent in our area.
Mama Lophorhothon and her two young take center stage as the centerpiece of Fernbank's new amphitheater and stage, which will be used to offer expanded outdoor programming.
Included in "90 Days" is "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries," an exhibit that opened in February. Inside the museum, the first exhibit is dominated by a scaled down model of a walking Tyrannosaurus rex. It's an interesting display of biomechanics and helps explain new discoveries about how dinosaurs moved. Using CT scans and computer software, scientists provide evidence that many dinosaur species have strong avian links. The hands-on display encourages young and old alike to walk with the T. rex and compare its movements to the ostrich, crocodile and elephant.
The next presentation area is devoted to spinal movement and flexibility of vertebra that controlled dinosaurs' neck movements.
Visitors can touch a few bones, and an intricate screen above the demonstration explains bone, nerve tissue and musculature layers. A 60-foot stainless steel model at the center of this display showcases an Apatosaurus' full range of vertical movement. Scientists have begun to disprove the theory that a T. rex could run or jump as fast or as high as portrayed in "Jurassic Park." Hands-on exhibits show that the motion of the film version of the T. rex had to be slowed down considerably to be believable - and there were several camera tricks involved.
A special computer program called DinoMorph generates drawings of the movements of
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