Articles for author: Amy King

Implications Beyond Paleontology

The Truth About Soft Tissue in Dinosaur Fossils – And Why It’s Not DNA

When Mary Schweitzer first announced in 2005 that she had found soft tissue inside a 68-million-year-old T. rex bone, the scientific world erupted into controversy. This discovery seemed to contradict everything we knew about fossilization and the preservation of ancient organic material. Yet nearly two decades later, these findings have not only held up to ...

The Rise of Laurasia and Gondwana

Continental Drift: The Hidden Force Behind Dinosaur Evolution

The story of dinosaurs is far more complex than towering beasts roaming prehistoric landscapes. The ancient supercontinent Pangaea began breaking apart approximately 200 million years ago, triggering one of the most significant evolutionary experiments in Earth’s history. This massive geological process, known as continental drift, created natural barriers that isolated dinosaur populations from one another, ...

Famous Faces from the Depths

The Muck Preserves: Fossils Found in Ancient Swamps and Boglands

Picture this: a prehistoric time machine hidden beneath our feet, where creatures from millennia past lie perfectly preserved in nature’s own formaldehyde. Ancient swamps and bogs have become the ultimate keepers of secrets, maintaining incredible records of life that would otherwise vanish into dust. These waterlogged time capsules hold everything from human remains with visible ...

Prehistoric Sharks and Ancient Terror

Inside the Jurassic Aquarium: Incredible Creatures of Prehistoric Seas

Picture yourself floating through crystal-clear waters two hundred million years ago. The sun filters down through waves, illuminating a world completely different from today’s oceans. You’re witnessing what scientists now call the Jurassic aquarium – an underwater realm where massive marine reptiles rule the seas, enormous spiral shells drift like living submarines, and razor-toothed predators ...

Understanding North America's Ancient Flying Giants

The Only Flying Dinosaur Ever Found in the U.S.

You might have heard countless stories about dinosaurs stomping across ancient landscapes, but very few people know the remarkable tale of flying reptiles that once ruled the skies above North America. The discovery of pterosaurs in the United States has fundamentally changed how we understand prehistoric life, revealing creatures that were both magnificent and mysterious. ...