Open Dinosaurs.

You, yes YOU, dear reader, can be published as a paleontologist. That’s what Discovery News says about the Open Dinosaur Project, which is looking for a little bit of help from an awful lot of people:

The Open Dinosaur Project’s purpose is to put all these measurements into one place — to make a master list of sorts. By reviewing information that’s never been compared side-by-side before, the project’s leads hope we’ll learn something new about dinosaur function and evolution.

The deadline for data submissions is Feb. 1, 2010, and the only participation requirement is a desire to do good science and keep it accessible. So yes, you can be a paleontologist submitting measurements for bones you’ve dusted yourself, or a high school student with a library card and an interest in dinosaurs.

You can find out more (and volunteer to submit some measurements) over at the Open Dinosaur Project site.

Tags: paleontology