The Life Scientific Nick Longrich on discovering new dinosaurs from overlooked bones
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Apr 2, 2024 Dr. Nick Longrich, a palaeontologist, shares how he discovers new dinosaurs from overlooked bones. He talks about uncovering new species, childhood adventures on Kodiak Island, nature's influence on his work, and the complexities of identifying new dinosaur species. The podcast also delves into the controversy surrounding the classification of Tyrannosaurs and the value of scientific openness in paleontology.
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The Last Drawer Discovery
- Nick found a small, overlooked pelvis in a museum drawer that matched tiny Asian raptors and turned out to be a new species, Espernicus.
- Years of persistent museum searching paid off when the last drawer revealed the specimen he had hunted for.
Make Teaching An Idea Generator
- Treat teaching as an opportunity to explore interesting subjects rather than a burden.
- Use lectures to generate ideas and avoid covering boring topics just because they belong in a syllabus.
Brains Are Fine-Tuned For Spotting Species
- Human brains evolved to spot subtle species differences, aiding fossil identification by recognizing outliers.
- Nick trains this perceptual skill by comparing many specimens to find ones that lie apart from known variation.