Before Tony Soprano and before Orson Wells landed Martians there, New Jersey was famous for something more in the realm of hard science. In 1858 an amateur fossil hunter unearthed the most complete prehistoric skeleton at the time in rural Haddonfield, NJ. That fossil, Hadrosaurus foulkii, then became the first mounted dinosaur displayed to the public thanks to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Of course, today hundreds of skeletons are exhibited around the world to the amazement and wonder of millions of children and adults. But imagine what a spectacle such an exhibit must have been to the people in 1868 (when the fossil was revealed). Sea monsters and dragons were still considered more fact than myth and science was largely the province of the wealthy and well-bred. Probably the only contemporary comparison would be if the skeleton of E.T. was put on display.
Visit the Academy's web site for more on Hadrosaurus foulkii and the current exhibit in commemoration of its discovery 150 years ago.
Showing posts with label Dinosaurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinosaurs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Monday, December 3, 2007
Dinosaur Mummy Eats Whole Town, Nation Helpless
From out of the vast wasteland of the Midwest it creeps... The bounds of time are meaningless to the creature... Man has never witnessed such a beast...
...it's DINO-MUMMY.
Sorry, I couldn't help using the spooky movie preview voice. This story just screams for it. Well, it does if you only read the headline; afterwards, not so much.
Anyway, paleontologists have released new details on a remarkable fossil find from 1999. What makes this find so exciting is that instead of just fossilized bones, this specimen was "mummified" by mineral deposits before the tissue could decompose, leaving fossilized muscle, ligaments, and even skin. This is the best artifact of dinosaur anatomy yet and will likely lead to new conclusions about the life of those giants of yesteryear.
I was a HUGE dinosaur fanatic when I was a little tyke. I knew all the various species and wanted to grow up to be a paleontologist. (That all lasted until I went to Sea World and fell in love with whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters, and sharks, leading to my next future career as a marine biologist. FYI - I am not now, nor have I ever been anything close to a marine biologist.)
Be that as it may, however, there are two points I'd like to make:
First, scientists have totally changed their thinking on dinosaurs in the last 20-odd years. We used to regard them as lumbering hulks of minimal intelligence who sat around in swamps because they were so damned massive. Then Michael Crichton single-handedly rewrote every paleo-history book. Alright, maybe not, but the dinos portrayed in Jurassic Park represented a new view on the extinct ones. Now we think of them as mobile, agile, and as intelligent as any mammal or reptile living today. So, the lesson to be learned is that the learning is never complete. Science - and scientists - can always add more to the story.
Second, this particular fossil was discovered by a teenager on his family's ranch in North Dakota. This find, and other digging, has led him to found a non-profit research organization dedicated to finding and preserving fossils, and to Yale, where he is currently working on his Ph.D. in paleontology. How wonderfully American dream-ish! Find some bones in your backyard, fall in love with them, and commit yourself to adding to the common understanding of our planet's past.
Oh, one more thing. Did you notice the hexagonal pattern on the skin in the picture above? Ah, the hexagon - Nature's miracle shape. Being a bit obsessive about things like efficiency myself, I admit to a secret love of the hexagon, and it's curvy cousin, the sphere. Why are you looking at me funny?
...it's DINO-MUMMY.
Sorry, I couldn't help using the spooky movie preview voice. This story just screams for it. Well, it does if you only read the headline; afterwards, not so much.
Anyway, paleontologists have released new details on a remarkable fossil find from 1999. What makes this find so exciting is that instead of just fossilized bones, this specimen was "mummified" by mineral deposits before the tissue could decompose, leaving fossilized muscle, ligaments, and even skin. This is the best artifact of dinosaur anatomy yet and will likely lead to new conclusions about the life of those giants of yesteryear.
I was a HUGE dinosaur fanatic when I was a little tyke. I knew all the various species and wanted to grow up to be a paleontologist. (That all lasted until I went to Sea World and fell in love with whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters, and sharks, leading to my next future career as a marine biologist. FYI - I am not now, nor have I ever been anything close to a marine biologist.)
Be that as it may, however, there are two points I'd like to make:
First, scientists have totally changed their thinking on dinosaurs in the last 20-odd years. We used to regard them as lumbering hulks of minimal intelligence who sat around in swamps because they were so damned massive. Then Michael Crichton single-handedly rewrote every paleo-history book. Alright, maybe not, but the dinos portrayed in Jurassic Park represented a new view on the extinct ones. Now we think of them as mobile, agile, and as intelligent as any mammal or reptile living today. So, the lesson to be learned is that the learning is never complete. Science - and scientists - can always add more to the story.
Second, this particular fossil was discovered by a teenager on his family's ranch in North Dakota. This find, and other digging, has led him to found a non-profit research organization dedicated to finding and preserving fossils, and to Yale, where he is currently working on his Ph.D. in paleontology. How wonderfully American dream-ish! Find some bones in your backyard, fall in love with them, and commit yourself to adding to the common understanding of our planet's past.
Oh, one more thing. Did you notice the hexagonal pattern on the skin in the picture above? Ah, the hexagon - Nature's miracle shape. Being a bit obsessive about things like efficiency myself, I admit to a secret love of the hexagon, and it's curvy cousin, the sphere. Why are you looking at me funny?
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