Lecture: The Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History
Speaker:
Entry Fee
Members: Free
Visitors: £5.00
Date and Time
19:30 -
Location
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN
Lecture Description
Learn how dinosaur remains are found and excavated, and how palaeontologists read the details of dinosaur’s lives from their fossils - their colours, growth, and even whether we will ever be able to bring them back to life.
Leading palaeontologist Michael Benton explains how the study of dinosaurs has transformed into a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the force of dinosaurs’ bite, their top speeds, and even how they cared for their young. Remarkable new fossil discoveries - giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons in Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers in China, and a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber - remain the lifeblood of modern palaeobiology. Thanks to advances in technologies and methods, however, there has been a recent revolution in the scope of new information gleaned from such fossil finds. Michael will trace the development of the study of dinosaurs from its roots in antiquated natural history to an indisputably scientific field, and explain why, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.
About the speaker
Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol and the author of The Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History. His many previous books include standard reference works, textbooks, and popular books on dinosaurs and the history of life.
Attending via Zoom
This is a hybrid meeting: you can attend in person or join online via Zoom.
Bath Geological Society Members: Free of charge. Joining instructions and the Zoom link are sent to members by email prior to the lecture.
Visitors & Non-Members: (including members of the Geologists' Association and affiliated societies) Please book via Eventbrite to receive Zoom access (see the Entry Fee details above).
How to join: Click the Zoom link provided in your email or Eventbrite confirmation. You can join using the Zoom desktop or mobile app, or directly via your web browser without installing any software. The virtual waiting room opens approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, and attendees will be admitted before the talk commences.
For any queries about joining online, please contact [email protected].