WORLD-FAMOUS
DINO DOC: PENNSYLVANIA ROAD CUTS PRIME FOR ANCIENT DISCOVERIES
DR. PAUL SERENO ALSO SAYS HE HAS 'TWO DOZEN' MORE DISCOVERIES TO UNVEIL; PALEONTOLOGIST
TO SPEAK IN ALLENTOWN MAY 3.
Want to find the remains of an ancient creature? A scientist known around the world for finding new breeds of dinosaurs says road construction sites in Pennsylvania – including those in the greater Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia regions – are great places to look.
Dr. Paul Sereno –
professor, University of Chicago, president and co-founder of Project Exploration,
and National Geographic explorer-in-residence – said in a Da Vinci Science
Center video news release (VNR) issued today that the state’s road cuts
are known for yielding remains of creatures that pre-dated dinosaurs.
“These are found in road cuts because much of Pennsylvania is green and
the rocks themselves are covered,” Sereno said. “And so the paleontologists
are always out looking for the construction crews on roads to make the big
fossil finds.”
News organizations may download by
clicking here.
As for finding dinosaurs, Dr. Sereno said that southeastern Pennsylvania has
yielded both dinosaur fossils and footprints. Scientists are not exactly sure
what species of dinosaurs created them more than 200 million years ago, but
believe they included a 20-foot-long lizard-like plant-eater and a two-legged
meat-eater that probably chased the plant eaters, Dr. Sereno said.
Dr. Sereno will headline the Da Vinci Science Center’s 2008 Science Hall
of Fame Awards and Keynote on May 3 at The Swain School, Allentown. Tickets
are now on sale at the Da Vinci Science Center for $25 for adults and $15
for children. Dr. Sereno’s program will be suited best for youngsters
in grades 6 and up. Premium tickets – which also include a pre-event
dinner and children’s “Dino Dinner” at the Da Vinci Science
Center – are $125 for adults, $25 for children.
In November, Dr. Sereno made international headlines when he announced the
discovery of a vacuum-mouthed dinosaur called Nigersaurus. In February,
he and a colleague released their findings of two new breeds of meat-eating
dinosaurs.
Dr. Sereno said he and his team are working on “two dozen” other
breeds of ancient creatures they will unveil in the near future. These creatures
would include “crocodiles of unbelievable size” and a dinosaur that
is believed to have burrowed into the ground – a discovery that Dr. Sereno
called “a shocker.”
Issued today, the VNR featuring Dr. Sereno was a joint effort of the Da Vinci
Science Center and the University of Chicago. News organizations may use the
VNR for its broadcasts, web sites, podcasts, and other platforms crediting
“Da Vinci Science Center/University of Chicago.”
About Dr. Paul Sereno
In 1999, Dr. Paul Sereno co-founded Project Exploration, a non-profit outreach
organization dedicated to bringing the excitement of scientific discovery
to the public providing innovative educational opportunities for city kids
and girls. Discoverer of dinosaurs on five continents and leader of dozens
of expeditions, Dr. Sereno is one of the most respected paleontologists in
the world. In the 1990's, his research focused on the Sahara, and the search
for Africa's lost world of dinosaurs. Expeditions to Niger and Morocco resulted
in Dr. Sereno's team discovering and naming: Afrovenator, a new 27-foot-long
meat-eater; skeletons of a 70-foot-long plant-eater named Jobaria;
a bizarre fish-eating dinosaur named Suchomimus, with huge claws and
a sail on its back; and the 45-foot-long plant-eater Nigersaurus. Sereno
and his team also discovered the most fleet-footed meat-eater, 30-foot-long
Deltadromeus, and the skull of a huge, T. rex-sized meat-eater Carcharodontosaurus.
Dr. Sereno's team also stumbled upon the world's largest crocodile, the 40-foot-long
Sarcosuchus, which is nicknamed SuperCroc.
The author of several
books, Dr. Sereno's recognition includes Chicago Tribune Teacher of
the Year Award (1993), Chicago magazine's Chicagoan of the Year (1996),
Newsweek magazine's The Century Club (1997), People magazine's
50 Most Beautiful People (1997), Esquire magazine's 100 Best People
in the World (1997), Boston Museum of Science's Walker Prize for extraordinary
contributions in paleontology (1997), and Columbia University's University
Medal for Excellence (1999).
About Da Vinci
Science Center and Science Hall of Fame
Presented by LSI
Corporation, the Da Vinci Science Center’s Science Hall of Fame Awards
honor teachers and high school students who excel in science. Honorees receive
cash scholarships and other prizes. Educators may nominate any high school
junior or senior in the greater Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia areas and all
community members may nominate teachers of grades K-12. The Da Vinci Science
Center is an independent non-profit organization that promotes hands-on science
learning through inquiry, highlights vibrant and important career opportunities
in science available to every young person, and encourages all people to be
curious and creative. The Da Vinci Science Center stresses the inquiry method.
Utilized by scientists and recognized as the most effective way to learn,
the inquiry method encourages questioning, experimenting actively, observing,
communicating results, and connecting all knowledge.
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