Endotherms are animals such as modern birds and mammals that keep their body temperatures constant. For instance, humans are endotherms and maintain an internal temperature of 37°C, no matter whether the environment is warm or cold. Because dinosaurs were reptiles, and modern reptiles are not endotherms, it was long assumed that dinosaurs were not endotherms. However, dinosaurs differ in many ways from modern reptiles, and there is now considerable evidence that dinosaurs were, in fact, endotherms.
Polar dinosaurs
One reason for believing that dinosaurs were endotherms is that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in polar regions. Only animals that can maintain a temperature well above that of the surrounding environment could be active in such cold climates.
Leg position and movement
There is a connection between endothermy and the position and movement of the legs. The physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. But running is efficient only if an animal’s legs are positioned underneath its body, not at the body’s side, as they are for crocodiles and many lizards. The legs of all modern endotherms are underneath the body, and so were the legs of dinosaurs. This strongly suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms.
Haversian canals
There is also a connection between endothermy and bone structure. The bones of endotherms usually include structures called Haversian canals. These canals house nerves and blood vessels that allow the living animal to grow quickly, and rapid body growth is in fact a characteristic of endothermy. The presence of Haversian canals in bone is a strong indicator that the animal is an endotherm, and fossilized bones of dinosaurs are usually dense with Haversian canals.
Both the reading passage and lecture discuses whether the dinosaurs were endotherms or not. The reading passage maintained that dinosaurs were endotherms as they maintained constant body temperature. The reading is supported by three points while the lecture contrasts the reading passage.
First of all, the author of the passage claims that due to dinosaurs being found in polar regions they were able to maintain constant temperature as the surrounding environment is very cold. However, the lecturer contents that when the dinosaurs lived, the polar regions were much warmer. So, even an animal which is not endotherm may have survived. Furthermore, the dinosaurs may have migrated to warmer regions during winters or may have hibernated.
Secondly, the text asserts that as dinosaurs have the legs positioned underneath their body. In fact, such leg position allows for running and physical activities typical of endotherms. However, the lecturer argues that due to legs underneath the body, the dinosaurs may had able to take more weights on the body and hence, this has helped the dinosaurs to grow large.
Finally, the reading passage suggest that the presence of haversian canals in dinosaurs helps them to grow quickly and in fact this is feature of endothermy. In contrast, the lecturer claims the presence of growth ring, which indicate periods of slow growth alternating with periods of fast growth. Such an uneven pattern of growth is typical of animals that are not endotherms.
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- In twenty years there will be fewer cars in use than there are today 70
- A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college. 50
- The world’s forests are facing increasing pressure which, if left unchecked, will threaten the health of many industries, economies, nations, and lives. The development of an international fund to help developing countries implement useful conservation 60
- Some people think that human needs for farmland, housing, and industry are more important than saving land for endangered animals. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer 60
- People benefit more from traveling in their own country than from traveling to foreign countries. 60
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 106, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “Because” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...eath the body, they must be endotherms. Because all endotherms have the legs underneath...
^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, finally, first, hence, however, may, second, secondly, so, thus, while, in contrast, in fact, first of all
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 10.0 10.4613686534 96% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 5.0 5.04856512141 99% => OK
Conjunction : 5.0 7.30242825607 68% => OK
Relative clauses : 9.0 12.0772626932 75% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 12.0 22.412803532 54% => OK
Preposition: 28.0 30.3222958057 92% => OK
Nominalization: 3.0 5.01324503311 60% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1139.0 1373.03311258 83% => OK
No of words: 217.0 270.72406181 80% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.24884792627 5.08290768461 103% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.8380880478 4.04702891845 95% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.59796688331 2.5805825403 101% => OK
Unique words: 113.0 145.348785872 78% => More unique words wanted.
Unique words percentage: 0.520737327189 0.540411800872 96% => OK
syllable_count: 342.0 419.366225166 82% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.23620309051 134% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 1.0 2.5761589404 39% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 12.0 13.0662251656 92% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 21.2450331126 85% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 42.1383303999 49.2860985944 85% => OK
Chars per sentence: 94.9166666667 110.228320801 86% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.0833333333 21.698381199 83% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.33333333333 7.06452816374 132% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 4.19205298013 24% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 4.33554083885 161% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 0.0 4.45695364238 0% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 5.0 4.27373068433 117% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.168397250214 0.272083759551 62% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0693226746031 0.0996497079465 70% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0829190808818 0.0662205650399 125% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.100395621092 0.162205337803 62% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0624533118639 0.0443174109184 141% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.3 13.3589403974 92% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 53.21 53.8541721854 99% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 10.3 11.0289183223 93% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.87 12.2367328918 105% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.24 8.42419426049 98% => OK
difficult_words: 51.0 63.6247240618 80% => More difficult words wanted.
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 10.7273730684 75% => OK
gunning_fog: 9.2 10.498013245 88% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.2008830022 116% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 75.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 22.5 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.