Dinosaurs research as a tool for science education, public education and life long learning, with special reference to East Asia

项目主要有两个方面的目的：(1)在地质和古生物研究的基础上，对中国、蒙古、韩国、泰国、老挝和日本等东亚地区的恐龙高速公路进行研究，并推测其在东亚地区的分布方式。我们也研究恐龙的迁徙和它们喜欢的环境。（二）提出建立现场工作站和活动方案。研究结果如下：(1)研究了中国、蒙古、韩国、泰国、老挝和日本的恐龙足迹及其含层，揭示了恐龙的年龄约束、具体组成和栖息环境。这覆盖了这些地区90%的恐龙足迹遗址。这些地区的恐龙足迹组合发生在三叠纪-白垩纪-侏罗纪。低纬度地区以粗壮恐龙足迹为主，高纬度地区则以细趾恐龙足迹为主。三叠纪至早侏罗世的恐龙足迹组合与北美和西欧的相似。这意味着这些恐龙足迹作为关键化石对陆地地质对比很有用。然后，我们可以识别出“晚三叠纪到早侏罗世期间亚洲和北美之间的恐龙高速公路”。晚侏罗世至白垩纪的组合具有独特的特征。这意味着恐龙在东亚和东南亚进化。(2)恢复了蒙古早白垩世河湖盆地陆地生态系统。我们展示了一个食物链模型，并基于能量流估计了现存陆生脊椎动物的个体数量。(3)我们沿着中内村的马莫泽泽山谷制作了一条地质小径，并试图将这条小径用于中内村的小学和初中学生。然后，我们为这些学生上了恐龙课，并为村里的退休老人做了关于恐龙的讲座。

There are two major aims of the projects : (1) The study of dinosaur freeway in East Asia including China, Mongolia Korea, Thailand, Laos and Japan based on geological and paleontological studies, and we infer where the ways in East Asia. We also study dinosaur migration and their preferred environments. (2) Propose of making filed stations and a program for activities.We had the following results : (1) we studied dinosaur tracks and their bearing strata in China, Mongolia, Korea, Thailand, Laos and Japan and show age constraints, specific composition and environments of dinosaur habitat. This covers 90% of dinosaur track sites in these areas. The dinosaur track assemblages occurred from the Triassic to Cretaceous through Jurassic in these areas. Robust dinosaur tracks are dominated in the low latitude area, but a gracile toed dinosaur tracks are in the high latitude areas. The dinosaur track assemblages in Triassic to early Jurassic are similar to these in North America and Western Europe. This means these dinosaur tracks are useful for terrestrial geologic correlation as key fossils. Then, we can recognize "dinosaur freeway between Asia and North America during late Triassic to early Jurassic." The assemblages in late Jurassic to Cretaceous are unique characters. This means dinosaurs evolved in East and Southeast Asia. (2) The Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem of fluvio-lacustrine basin in Mongolia are restored. We showed a food chain model, and an estimation of individual numbers of existed terrestrial vertebrates based on energy flow.. (3) We made a geologic trail along the Mamonozawa valley in the Nakasato Village, and tried to use the trail for elementary and middle high school students in the Nakasato village. Then, we had dinosaur class for these students and gave a lecture about dinosaurs for the retired residence in the village.