Lessons from the ‘replication crisis’ in science
Simulated data show that effect-size statistical approaches, rather than significance testing, are more reliable when searching for sexual dimorphism in the fossil record. Dinosaurs show many lines of evidence for sexual variation.
Study: Saitta et al. 2020. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (Invited Review)
Press Release: Field Museum
Media: Discover Magazine, briefly discussed in Cosmos
My Summary: The Conversation
Presentation: Palaeontological Association
Stegosaur plate variation likely correlates with sex
Hesperosaurus mjosi plates show variation between wide and narrow varieties that cannot be solely explained by factors such as growth/development, ‘hidden’ species, or head-to-tail variation and is, therefore, most consistent with sexual dimorphism.
Study: Saitta 2015. PLoS One
Press Release: University of Bristol
Media: BBC, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Popular Science, The Economist, Vice, NBC News, ABC News, IFLScience, International Business Times, Live Science, World Science Festival, Der Spiegel (German), The Naked Scientists, Princeton University, briefly discussed on I Know Dino (Episode 38 “Stegosaurus“ & Episode 50 “Hesperosaurus“) & PBS Eons, featured by Vladimír Socha, Martina Ležáková, & editors of ABC magazine (2022) Dinosauři Czech News Center (Czech), briefly discussed by Joël Ignasse (2025) Sur les traces du nouveau T. rex Eyrolles (French)
Presentation: Palaeontological Association
Evan T. Saitta, Ph.D. 