Kenneth Lacovara with Dreadnoughtus schrani fossils (Photo: Drexel University)
Long after the last of them roamed the earth, dinosaurs continue to captivate us. But what can long-dead animals teach us about our future? Plenty, according to paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara. By tapping into the wonder that dinosaurs inspire, Lacovara discusses stories of the planet’s geological origins, the struggle to understand the nature of deep time, the meaning of fossils, and our own place on Earth.
Join him on a journey through time to discover how dinosaurs achieved feats unparalleled by any other group of animals. Learn the secrets of how paleontologists find fossils and the answers to questions such as whether a penguin is dinosaur and if the tiny arms of T.rex are the key to its power and ferocity.
Lacovara is the founding dean of the School of the Earth and Environment at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and the founding director of the university’s Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park. He has unearthed some of the largest of prehistoric creatures, including the supermassive Dreadnoughtus schrani, which weighed more than seven T.rex. His book Why Dinosaurs Matter (Simon and Schuster) is available for signing.
Smithsonian Connections
Smithsonian.com reported on Kenneth Lacovara’s discovery of the Dreadnoughtus schrani, a gigantic, exceptionally complete sauropod dinosaur. The excavation in Argentina produced such a well-preserved specimen that Lacovara was able to estimate its likely size (85 feet in length and 65 tons), as well as the circumstances of its death
In a TED talk, Lacovara discusses how this discovery prompted him to consider the human species’ place in the universe.
