Re: [asa] Untestable -- Is it Science?

Returning to the original example, pachycephalasaurs have fairly
solid, thick skulls. Why? There are some ways that this can be
tested:
examine modern species with similar features and see what they do. In
general, this suggest that they did some sort of head-butting.
However, non-contact communication signaling is possible (big head or
possibly associated soft tissues being used in display).
check the detailed bone structure to see if it has the strength,
fracture patterns, etc. one would expect if they butted heads.
Result: I'm not sure if we have complete skeletons to check out the
neck structure, but overall the bone strength, etc. doesn't look
appropriate for head-on crashing as a regular activity. Maybe they
tried to ram each other in the side?
search for trackways (hard to confidently identify precise
trackmaker-I don't know how distinctive pachycephalasaur feet are;
standard arenas for fighting might not ahve been good for preserving
trackways)
look at patterns of occurence. E.g., do modern animals that butt
heads usually occur in groups? Do pachycephalasaurs occur in groups?
I think they're generally somewhat rare, and often just the massive
skull is found. (In general, for dinosaurs we have the best record
for the most massive bones and worse for other parts. For example, we
would like to have a lot more sauropod skulls but we're short on
ceratopian bodies. The former are the massive long-necked ones; the
latter are the horned dinos with large to enormous frills over the
neck.)

The claim that it cannot be tested is incorrect, though it is often
difficult to test.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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