Scientifically, the study of dinosaurs is prospering as never before. New dinosaurs are being described at the rate of one every seven weeks: more than 40 percent of all dinosaurs that we recognize today have been described since 1970. Dinosaur studies were singled out as one of the intellectual standard bearers for all of vertebrate paleontology during the past decade. Three of the first seven Romer Prizes of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology were awarded to students of dinosaurs. Dinosaur paleontologists are working in many disciplines in order to understand dinosaur behavior, ecology and evolutionary diversity. One of the fundamental debates in contemporary dinosaur paleontology involves the impact of cladistics on understanding the relationships of dinosaurs. Indeed, the very concept of dinosaur is now under examination. Additionally, the fossil record of dinosaurs is playing a pivotal role in the controversies over the causes of mass extinction.
Unfortunately, the hard questions ...
