Articles for category: Fossils & Fieldwork

a dinosaur skeleton standing on top of a rock

Dinosaurs and the Big Five Extinctions: Winners and Losers

Earth’s history reads like a cosmic thriller, punctuated by five devastating mass extinctions that wiped out entire worlds of life. These catastrophic events, known as the “Big Five,” didn’t just reshape the planet—they determined which creatures would dominate the next chapter of evolution. For dinosaurs, these extinctions were both their greatest opportunity and their ultimate ...

a dinosaur skeleton standing on top of a rock

When Paleontology Goes Viral: Social Media’s Dino Moments

Picture this: you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed when suddenly, a 100-million-year-old dinosaur fossil stops you dead in your tracks. The post has millions of likes, thousands of comments, and everyone’s talking about it. Welcome to the wild world where ancient creatures meet modern technology, where dusty museum specimens become internet sensations overnight. Social media ...

A close up of a dinosaur head in the woods

From Microraptors to Massive Finds: Beijing’s Dino Museum Uncovered

Beijing’s natural history scene has been quietly revolutionizing how we understand prehistoric life, and the city’s dinosaur museum is at the epicenter of this transformation. Hidden among the bustling streets and modern skyscrapers lies a treasure trove that houses some of the most extraordinary fossil discoveries ever made. This isn’t just another dusty collection of ...

brown pelican flying during daytime

From Feathers to Flight: The Jurassic Evolutionary Leap

Picture this: a world where massive dinosaurs ruled the earth, their thunderous footsteps shaking ancient forests. But high above their heads, something extraordinary was happening. Small, feathered creatures were preparing to make one of evolution’s most audacious leaps – from ground-dwelling runners to masters of the sky. This wasn’t just any ordinary transformation. It was ...

A skeleton of a bird on a rock

How a Tiny Fossil Tooth Unlocked a Giant Dinosaur Mystery in Argentina

Sometimes the most earth-shattering discoveries come in the smallest packages. Deep in Argentina’s remote badlands, a single fossilized tooth no bigger than a human thumb has completely revolutionized our understanding of the world’s largest land animals. This remarkable specimen, discovered in 2023, has solved mysteries that have puzzled paleontologists for decades and opened entirely new ...

people standing near dinosaur skeleton

Discover Colorado’s Dinosaur Past at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

The ground beneath your feet in Colorado once trembled with the footsteps of massive sauropods, while overhead, pterosaurs soared through ancient skies. This isn’t just imagination running wild – it’s scientific fact. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science stands as Colorado’s premier gateway to understanding the incredible prehistoric world that existed millions of years ...

Do Dinosaur Bones Rot, Dissolve, or Disappear?

Do Dinosaur Bones Rot, Dissolve, or Disappear?

Picture this: a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex collapses in what is now Montana, its final breath escaping 68 million years ago. Fast forward to today, and paleontologists are carefully excavating its fossilized remains with tiny brushes and dental picks. But here’s the mind-bending question that keeps scientists awake at night – if organic material typically decomposes ...