Posted: September 16th, 2017

Dino Essay very strict guidling

NATURE OF RESEARCH ESSAY:


A: LENGTH:     A maximum of 1,250 words maximum and either typed or neatly handwritten or hand-printed. 


B. SPACING:    Double spaced (that is the essay must be double spaced)


C: STYLE:     Proper, formal academic English, third person.  Use of first person is not permitted. 


D. FOOTNOTES/ENDNOTES:  In this assignment you will use at least ten (10) or more authorities, eight (8) of which must be real text i.e. book, journal, periodical, article, etc…, either in hard copy form or accessed via a university or other credible e-library.  The other two authorities may be Internet, such as found through Google.  Depending on the form of citation used, you will set out your authorities formally at the bottom of a page, at the end of the assignment or in-text (embedded). You may use any acceptable and accredited style of citation including embedded or in-text citations. 


E: BIBLIOGRAPHY:     Required and mandatory. 


ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR RESEARCH ESSAY:

1.    It has been suggested that it was the manufacture of oxygen through photosynthesis by a certain form of bacteria that was the catalyst for the diverse forms of life on the Earth.  Could life have developed without oxygen and if so, what directions might it have taken.    

2.    Discuss whether it is fair to say that the evolutionary clock is always reset (i.e. that evolution begins anew) as a result of a mass extinction event.

3.    Today, the most widely accepted theory for the cause of the extinction of the Dinosaurs is the Alverez Meteorite theory.  Considering the data/discoveries that is/are currently available, test and/or criticize its validity.

4.    Today, new findings are beginning to suggest that the body covering of dinosaurs may not have been exactly as we previously thought and that dinosaurs may well have had a variety of body coverings, including feathers and hair.    Discuss the new scientific data/discoveries which have led to this suggestion and their importance to our understanding of what dinosaurs may in fact have looked like.

5.    Although mammals lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, many suggest that the extinction of the dinosaurs caused their proliferation into the many forms of life that eventually led to the species of animals we know today, including our own.  Analysing the evidence that is available, discuss whether this suggestion has merit.

6.    Based on an analysis of the scientific data/discoveries that have been accumulated and made to date, discuss what you feel is/are the most likely causes of the extinction of the dinosaurs.

7.    At present the debate wages as to whether dinosaur were cold-blooded or warm-blooded.  Analysing the scientific data/discoveries on the subject, discuss the most likely outcome of the debate.

8.    You have already been exposed to one theory about the creation of the Earth and the Moon.  Based on research, discuss whether this is the only credible theory.

9.    In his book, Dinosaurs: A Very Short Introduction, Norman suggests that there is a very real relationship between the latent appeal of dinosaurs and the human psyche.  Discuss the evidence which appears to give rise to Norman’s suggestion.

10.    What is it about Dinosaurs that humans seem to find fascinating and why?