biology

Xu Xing (paleontologist)

Xu Xing (paleontologist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Xu Xing (paleontologist) rather than just read about it. In short: Xu Xing (Chinese: 徐星; pinyin: Xú Xīng; born July 1969) is a Chinese paleontologist who has named more dinosaurs than any other living paleontologist. Such dinosaurs include the Jurassic ceratopsian Yinlong, the Jurassic tyrannosauroid Guanlong, the large oviraptorosaur Gigantoraptor, and the troodontid Mei.

Key takeaways

Xu Xing (paleontologist) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Xu Xing (paleontologist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Xu Xing (paleontologist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Xu Xing (Chinese: 徐星; pinyin: Xú Xīng; born July 1969) is a Chinese paleontologist who has named more dinosaurs than any other living paleontologist. Such dinosaurs include the Jurassic ceratopsian Yinlong, the Jurassic tyrannosauroid Guanlong, the large oviraptorosaur Gigantoraptor, and the troodontid Mei.

Biography Xing was born in Xinjiang, China, in 1969. A graduate from the department of geology of Peking University, he is currently a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He had originally planned to become an economist. However, he was assigned to the department of geology by the Chinese authorities. He graduated in 1995, and claims inspiration from Roy Chapman Andrews. Among Xu's paleontological contributions have been discovery and analysis of dinosaur fossils with avian characteristics, and development of theories in regarding the evolution of feathers. In 2024, Xu became a laureate of the Asian Scientist 100 by the Asian Scientist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2026.

Genera described by Xu Xing

Selected publications Xu, Xing; Norell, Mark A; et al. (2004). "Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in tyrannosauroids" (PDF). Nature. 431 (7009): 680–684. Bibcode:2004Natur.431..680X. doi:10.1038/nature02855. PMID 15470426. S2CID 4381777. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02. Xu, Xing; Clark, James M; Forster, Catherine A; et al. (2006). "A basal tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China" (PDF). Nature. 9 (7077): 715–718. Bibcode:2006Natur.439..715X. doi:10.1038/nature04511. PMID 16467836. S2CID 4424849. Xu, Xing; et al. (2007). "A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China" (PDF). Nature. 447 (7146): 844–847. Bibcode:2007Natur.447..844X. doi:10.1038/nature05849. PMID 17565365. S2CID 6649123. Xu, Xing; et al. (2009). "A new feather type in a nonavian theropod and the early evolution of feathers". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106 (3): 832–834. doi:10.1073/pnas.0810055106. PMC 2630069. PMID 19139401. Xu, X.; et al. (2012). "A gigantic feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China" (PDF). Nature. 484 (7392): 92–95. Bibcode:2012Natur.484...92X. doi:10.1038/nature10906. PMID 22481363. S2CID 29689629. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2012. Xu, Xing; et al. (2015). "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings". Nature. 521 (7550): 70–73. Bibcode:2015Natur.521...70X. doi:10.1038/nature14423. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25924069. S2CID 205243599.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xu Xing (paleontologist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xu Xing (paleontologist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Xu Xing (paleontologist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Xu Xing (paleontologist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Xu Xing (paleontologist)

In research: Xu Xing (paleontologist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Xu Xing (paleontologist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Xu Xing (paleontologist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1969 births, Biologists from Xinjiang, Chinese paleontologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xu Xing (paleontologist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Xu Xing (paleontologist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Xu Xing (paleontologist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Xu Xing (paleontologist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xu Xing (paleontologist) in simple terms?

Why does Xu Xing (paleontologist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Xu Xing (paleontologist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Xu Xing (paleontologist).