16, 2008 Little Is Written About African Dinosaurs in Popular
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For daily news visit: www.news.uct.ac.za/dailynews Annals of UCT – Page 6 Monday Paper Newspaper of the University of Cape Town March 3 – 16, 2008 Volume 27#02 African dinosaurs emerge from the shadows Little is written about African dinosaurs in popular culture, which makes Prof Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan’s new book an important contribution to our heritage. It’s also a fi rst for the continent Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Niger. for a palaeontologist like Professor HELEN THÉRON Something else you probably Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, that’s not didn’t know: Africa is also home to good for science. uccessful machine that it is, the the fi rst stegosaur ever discovered, Her new children’s book, Famous SAmerican media may have given Paranthodon, which once lived just Dinosaurs of Africa, puts African di- T Rex its celebrity status as the most across the border in the Eastern Cape. nosaurs fi rmly on the world map - and fearsome meat-eating dinosaur to And more recently, Africa got its dispels some of those T Rex myths. have stomped the planet, but did you fi rst dinosaur name with an isiXhosa Not that she’s interested in one- know that the title actually belongs to click, Nqwebasaurus thwazi. upmanship. North Africa’s Carcharodontosaurus Nqwebasaurus is the earliest- She wants to introduce Afri- (put your teeth in for that one)? known coelurosaur from Gondwana, can children to their own heritage. This six-tonner makes Tyranno- a small species unearthed in the Though African dinosaurs are impor- saurus, which roamed North America, Kirkwood Formation (Nqweba is tant to palaeontology, they’re often look like a wimp on the prehistoric the isiXhosa name for the Kirkwood omitted from books. beastie scale. region) in the Algoa Basin in 1995. “I believe that dinosaurs can be a Dubbed the shark-toothed lizard Information like this seldom kind of stepping stone into the world (Below, left) Heterodontosaurus or of the Sahara, Carcharodontosaurus reaches the public of science.” “Different-toothed lizard”, one of the is the biggest known predator of all and A global expert on the micro- more famous South African dino- time. A product of the Late Creta- scopic structure of fossil bones, saurs. This is one of Luis V Rey’s ceous era (97-90 million years ago) Chinsamy-Turan recently (2005) pub- illustrations from Prof Anusuya Chi- this whopper grew up to 13m long. lished an academic contribution to the namy-Turan’s new African dinosaur Its skull alone measures 1.6m, fi eld, The Microstructure of Dinosaur book for children. Featuring 26 of and its jaws are lined with Bone, which has received glowing the continent’s most famous dino- 15cm-long teeth. Remains reviews in several ISI-rated journals saurs, it is published by Struik and have been found in Egypt, – including Nature. will be launched at the SciFest in Morocco, Her children’s book is a fi rst for Grahamstown on 18 April. It is avail- Africa, completed during her six able in bookshops from 1 March. months’ sabbatical in Turkey, where she also penned fi ve scientifi c papers, saur bones were excavated from and a chapter for a book. the Tendaguru region, and they tell South Africa’s fi rst dinosaur a tale of the incredible diversity of bones were unearthed in the mid-19th dinosaurs that once lived in the region century, but because the country was about 150 million years ago.” a British colony they were shipped Subsequent fi nds in various parts back to the UK to be studied. These of Africa have allowed palaeontolo- bones were misidentifi ed, and it was gists to piece together the history of much later that they were recognised dinosaurs on the continent – and their as belonging to Paranthodon - the relationship with dinosaurs on other stegosaur mentioned above. continents. “In 1854 another South African The book is aimed at young read- discovery, Massospondylius, became ers, but has broad appeal for anyone the fi rst African dinosaur, and interested in Africa’s dinosaur heri- one of the fi rst few in the world, tage. For Chinsamy-Turan, getting the to be identifi ed and named,” book on the shelves for under R100 Chinsamy-Turan writes in her was important. introduction. It’s all about access to knowledge “Among the most remark- and to science. MP able 20th century palaeonto- logical expeditions undertaken in Africa were those to the Tenda- guru region of southwestern Tanzania, which took place in the early 1900s. Many signifi cant dinosaur discoveries were made here, fi rst by German palaeontologists, and later by the British. Illustration by Luis V Rey “More that 250 tons of dino- 2 Monday Paper NEWS March 3 – 16, 2008 Volume 27#02 One hundred and fi fty not out LETTER he publication of the 150th edi- Filling this gap, well over 3 000 Ttion of the high school magazine articles have appeared in the 150 n his/her letter to the Monday of the total number of criteria. Even Mathematical Digest was celebrated editions of Mathematical Digest IPaper (18 February) Aggrieved if Aggrieved Goose does outstand- in the Department of Mathematics last since 1971. They include readable Goose claims that “there is no in- ing research, but does not reach week. Founded by Emeritus Profes- articles on mathematics just outside centive (for individuals at UCT) for the same level of excellence in the sor John Webb in 1971, the magazine the school curriculum, anecdotes (writing) high-level publications”. category, say, of social responsive- has appeared quarterly without a of famous mathematicians from In her reply the Dean of Science ar- ness, the rigid numeric formula break ever since. Pythagoras to Stephen Hawking, gues instead that: “The value placed being used may well block any ac- Way back then, Webb noticed that news of mathematical Olympiads, by the university on these outputs is cess to an ad hominem promotion or there was little on mathematics for puzzles and problems, with Sharp evident in our ad hominem promo- academic excellence notch to which children to read at school other than calculators offered as prizes. tion process, including excellence he or she might aspire. textbooks. Today, one copy of every edi- level payments”. This statement In theory then, an academic at “It is strange because in other ar- tion of Mathematical Digest is sent is relevant to the complaint by UCT who wins the Nobel Prize for eas of schoolwork, you watch movies free to 2 000 high schools across Aggrieved Goose and the ensuing their research, but does not reach a on history, you read poetry and nov- South Africa, with support from debate, but otherwise may be quite high numeric score in the category els, you learn your language at home, the Old Mutual Foundation. With misleading. of management and administration, you experience music and drama and further support from the Western Ad hominem promotions and would not be judged as being meri- art outside the school curriculum Cape Department of Education, all academic excellence are judged by torious by UCT. Personally I fail to – but the learning of mathematics Dinaledi schools in the Western Not out: Emer Prof John Webb has a considerable number of criteria see how this policy fi ts the claim is entirely concentrated within the Cape receive ten copies of every produced the 150th edition of his at UCT. These include teaching, that we are a “research-driven” school curriculum,” he says. edition. MP Mathematical Digest magazine. learning, leadership, management, university. administration, social responsive- ness and research. Research is Professor Johann Lutjeharms therefore only a small component Department of Oceanography Ndebele to be honoured by Michigan South Africa as he University of Michigan increasing the number of research T(U-M) in the US earlier this doctoral students at UCT; and for a laboratory for month announced that they will award positioning the challenge of HIV/ an honorary Doctor of Laws degree AIDS centrally at UCT – in terms to Professor Njabulo S Ndebele, UCT of both services to affected students understanding global vice-chancellor and principal. and efforts to address the growing Ndebele will receive the award pandemic. at a graduation ceremony at U-M in “I feel honoured,” said Ndebele. health challenges April. “The University of Michigan has a The US university stated that rich history of academic excellence CHRIS MCEVOY cited exponential population growth the award acknowledges Ndebe- and leadership in tertiary education. It and consumption of the Earth’s le’s achievements as a writer, his will be a privilege to join their list of n his valedictory lecture at UCT’s resources, among others factors, as contributions as a leader in higher honorary graduates.” Imedical school on 13 February, affecting population health in com- education in South Africa and Africa, Ndebele also holds honorary Professor Solomon Benatar of the ing decades. as well as his role as UCT vice-chan- doctorates from the University of Department of Medicine in the Fac- “Understanding the need to shift cellor. Denver (US), Wesleyan University ulty of Health Sciences stated that the away from the 20th century notion The institution also noted that the (US), Soka University (Japan), Vrije health of whole populations - in South of continuous economic growth award recognises Ndebele’s particular Universiteit (the Netherlands), Chi- Africa and globally - is the major and consumption towards solidarity contribution to creating a diverse, cago State University (US), Univer- crisis and challenge for humanity in within a fairer and more sustainable Honoured: VC and principal, Prof multiracial institution; for expanding sity of Natal (now the University of the 21st century.