When we visited the Field Museum in Chicago, we saw some incredible things. Even though we were only in one section of the museum, the “Evolving Planet,” we were still flooded with information and exhibits. Fossils of every type of living thing for the past billion years were at the museum. We saw fossils of almost every species of dinosaur, plant, mammal, and even some of the earliest humans. Despite all of these displays, the one that stood out the most was Sue, the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found. Staring up at this massive T-rex, you wouldn’t be able to fully understand the story behind Sue. Not only how it lived, but also the controversy that followed its discovery. Paleontologist Peter Larson understands the story of
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Larson gave great detail on how hard it was to work for 17 days straight in the scorching hot South Dakota summer. He described how they had to use tools like picks, shovels, jackhammers, and eventually a skid loader to remove most of the sediment surrounding Sue. After most of the surrounding sediment was removed, Larson and his team had to use finer handheld tools to uncover the bones. This showed that paleontologists work astonishingly hard to uncover their fossils.
The story of Sue is greatly significant to paleontology. Her skeleton is a great contribution to the science and research of Tyrannosaurus rex and her legal case is also greatly significant to paleontology as a practice. Sue’s story changed the way paleontologists excavate fossils and how people see Tyrannosaurus rex.
Although Sue ended up in the wrong hands after court, millions of people come from all over the world to see and research her at the Field Museum in Chicago and her impact on the paleontological world can still be seen today. When people look up at Sue in the Field Museum, they will see her perfectly assembled skeleton and they won’t be able to really experience all of the work it took to put it all together. When people see Sue, they won’t be able to tell if it is a boy or a girl, but with Larson’s book, Rex Appeal, they can understand the massive T-rex a little bit
Larson gave great detail on how hard it was to work for 17 days straight in the scorching hot South Dakota summer. He described how they had to use tools like picks, shovels, jackhammers, and eventually a skid loader to remove most of the sediment surrounding Sue. After most of the surrounding sediment was removed, Larson and his team had to use finer handheld tools to uncover the bones. This showed that paleontologists work astonishingly hard to uncover their fossils.
The story of Sue is greatly significant to paleontology. Her skeleton is a great contribution to the science and research of Tyrannosaurus rex and her legal case is also greatly significant to paleontology as a practice. Sue’s story changed the way paleontologists excavate fossils and how people see Tyrannosaurus rex.
Although Sue ended up in the wrong hands after court, millions of people come from all over the world to see and research her at the Field Museum in Chicago and her impact on the paleontological world can still be seen today. When people look up at Sue in the Field Museum, they will see her perfectly assembled skeleton and they won’t be able to really experience all of the work it took to put it all together. When people see Sue, they won’t be able to tell if it is a boy or a girl, but with Larson’s book, Rex Appeal, they can understand the massive T-rex a little bit