217. Dinosaurs.

Few groups of animals are more recognized than the Dinosauria;
likewise, there are few groups about which more misinformation
(pseudoscience) has been circulated. (Was Jurassic Park actually
Jurassic?) In the setting of vertebrate evolution, this course presents
the science of Dinosauria, explains the history of their study, and
investigates the origins of the group, its paleoecology, collection
techniques, morphology and taxonomy. We consider cutting-edge
issues of dinosaur research (are birds simply dinosaurs with feathers?),
and confront all manner of misinformation, anachronism and
illusion based on dinosaur myths.