Which Had the Highest Metabolism While in the Egg: Dinosaurs, Crocodiles, or Birds?

• Scott A. Lee ^[1] ; Joanna G. Larson ^[2] ; Joshua Thomas ^[3]
  1. [1] University of Toledo

     University of Toledo

     City of Toledo, Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] University of Notre Dame

     University of Notre Dame

     Township of Portage, Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] Alfred University

     Alfred University

     Town of Alfred, Estados Unidos

     

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• Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 62, Nº. 8, 2024, págs. 629-632
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Problems involving dinosaurs are sure to spark introductory student interest. In this paper, we describe an intriguing example in which the embryonic metabolism of non-avian dinosaurs, crocodiles, and birds are determined via conservation of energy from the incubation time of the egg and the mass of the hatchling. All students, particularly those interested in the life sciences, understand the relevance of metabolism to living processes. Given the importance of temperature in metabolism, a simple derivation of the Boltzmann factor is presented and used by the students to calculate the activation energy EA of the reactions of metabolism in Crocodylus johnstoni (the crocodile of the Crocodile Dundee® movies). Intriguingly, it is found that the activation energy is lower at the highest incubation temperatures.