You may have gone online to shop for dinosaur fossils. Have you ever wondered why dinosaur teeth, in particular, seem to be so readily available and affordable? Many sites offer teeth from famous dinosaurs such as Carcharodontosaurus or Spinosaurus. Yet, they are often priced lower than the jewelry you’re wearing right now. Why are dinosaur teeth so cheap? It comes … Continue Reading
Which came first, the dinosaur or the egg? The answer is, of course, the egg. The hard-shelled eggs we know today first evolved around 312 million years ago! Did dinosaurs lay eggs? Dinosaurs did not first appear until 230-240 million years ago. How do we know that dinosaurs laid eggs? How could something so big take care of something so … Continue Reading
In the movie Pacific Rim, massive monsters called kaiju are completely different from any animals on Earth. One scientist studying these monsters describes them by saying, “The kaiju are so large they need two brains to move around, like a dinosaur.” Say what? You may have heard this dinosaur ‘fact’ before in books or movies. Did dinosaurs have two brains? … Continue Reading
Amateur and professional paleontologists alike are bound to own a fossil or two in their lifetime. Some people stop there while others create huge collections. Some fossils in private collections might be personally collected by the owner, but a lot of the time these fossils were bought and sold. Who decides who can sell fossils and how much they should … Continue Reading
When reading about paleontology or fossils, you are sure to stumble across the words ‘index fossil’ at some point. But what is an index fossil, and why do we have them? Why are some fossils given this title but not others? There are a few factors that decide whether a fossil can be used as an index fossil or not. … Continue Reading
The geologic time scale, sometimes called the GTS, is a standard representation of time. It goes back to the earliest evidence of Earth’s creation and describes up to the modern day. It is divided into smaller units of time called eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages. These stack inside each other to form the entire scale. Why do we have … Continue Reading
Jurassic Park may be the most impactful film of the twentieth century. 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of this monumental movie. Why was Jurassic Park so popular? Jurassic Park benefited from an exceptionally talented film crew, pioneered groundbreaking special effects, and capitalized on a growing public interest in dinosaurs and technology. These factors created a perfect storm that made Jurassic … Continue Reading
Planning a visit to a Universal Studios theme park? I can’t tell you how jealous I am. While the two United States locations get the most attention, Universal Studios has several international parks. You can find Jurassic Park rides in six Universal Studios theme parks: Orlando, Hollywood, Singapore, Japan, and China. The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World rides are fantastic … Continue Reading
Congratulations, you’ve found a fossil! What are the next steps to ensure it lasts a long time in your collection? How can you make sure it looks the best for display? Before starting, it’s important to have a safe and well-equipped workspace. Once you have that, gather the necessary tools for cleaning and preparing your fossils. Lastly, consider how you … Continue Reading
We’ve all seen the meme suggesting that since plastics are made from oil, toy dinosaurs are made from real dinosaurs. Pretty ironic, right? The belief that plastic dinosaurs came from the remains of ancient ones is amusing, but are plastic dinosaurs made from real ones? While it’s true that plastics include petroleum products such as crude oil, natural gas, and … Continue Reading