Image: Pygmy mammoth comparison to other mammoth species

14 minutes

[ Nature ]

The Mystery of the Mini Mammoths

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Fossils are the gifts that keep on giving! They hold mysteries that challenge our notions about what is possible, then leave us with new questions. So when the fossils of a tiny mammoth were found on islands off the coast of California, scientists had a multitude of questions. The biggest, of course, being: How did evolution shrink the mammoth?

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Image: the colorful inside of a polished coprolite

8 minutes

[ Nature ]

How Fossilized Poo Changed Our View on Dinosaurs

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Fossilized dinosaur dung is one really precious gem! From these wonders (really, they are quite beautiful) we can understand the lives of animals that died millions of years ago and the details of their ecosystems. Not to mention, these fossils played a role in the life of one of the most notable women in paleontology!

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Image: Stand of Orange Pore Fungi

8 minutes

[ Education Enrichment ]

Your World: Made Possible By Giant Fungi

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What does a 420 million-year-old giant fungus have to do with life on Earth as we know it today? Much more than you might think! (You might have to thank its early cousins for making our lives possible!)

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Image: Darwinius Masillae fossil from Messel Germany Fossil Deposit

10 minutes

[ Saturdays Around the World ]

The Fossil Lake that Froze Time

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In Messel, Germany there is a place where time was frozen. Preserved in magnificent fossils, the animals of land, water, and air tell a remarkable story.

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Image: Smilodon skull from the La Brea Tar Pits

6 minutes

[ Education Enrichment ]

A Story Told in Millions of Fossils

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The La Brea Tar Pits are home to some of the world’s richest fossil deposits. So, what unique insights can we glean those millions of specimens? Why is having one more dire wolf skull in a collection of thousands so important?

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Image: Medieval Image of a Griffin, Protoceratops Skull, and ancient Greek Pottery of a Griffin

6 minutes

[ Animals ]

The Fossil Record of Mythical Beasts?

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In a time before we understood extinction, how did people interpret the fossils they found? From Griffins to snakes turned to stone through prayer, here are just some of the explanations we’ve used through time!

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Image: the beach at Lyme Regis, England, Jurassic Coast with an Ichthyosaur skeleton

9 minutes

[ Animals ]

The Amazing Woman Who Discovered Dinosaurs: Mary Anning

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The most important scientific discoveries almost always contain the key elements of a great story: drama, serendipity, hardship and perseverance. Here’s a fabulous tale of the WOMAN who discovered dinosaurs!

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15 minutes

[ Animals ]

Exploring Fossil Lake

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a paleontological dig? On this Saturdays Around the World feature, we take you to Wyoming’s Fossil Lake in search of prehistoric life!

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6 minutes

[ Education Enrichment ]

Virtual Reality Museums: Let’s Go to the Smithsonian!

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The future is now! Take an amazing virtual tour (“walk” through at your own pace!) of the Smithsonian Museum from the comfort of your own home, featured today on EWC!

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