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Do you guys know if there are any paleontological museums in Italy?

Okay, say you are in a special area and in that area there are numerous fossils. The local museum and collectors have numerous specimens in their collections but you are visiting and find something awesome! You contact the local museum, let them know you had found something and let the property owner know. You allow the museum to know you are more than willing to help if they will allow you to assist them in their retrieval efforts. What is the likelihood they will contact the finder, and what is the likelihood they will allow you to help? They do need volunteers ...

Hey everyone! I am glad to inform you all that I have been offered admission to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech! I only applied to a total of two universities, James Madison University and Virginia Tech, and I've now been accepted into both. Now it is just a matter of making my decision. There is so much to love about both universities. If I choose JMU, I will major in Geology and have the opportunity to work alongside the head of the department, Dr. Stephen A. Leslie, who conducts research surrounding conodonts. There is also a chance that I will be offered the Second Century Scholarship, a scholarship designated for students majoring in a STEM field who show a great deal of interest and dedication to their desired area. If I am granted this scholarship, I will have 75% of my in-state tuition paid for, in which case I will commit to the university beyond a doubt. Now, if I decide to attend Virginia Tech, I will study Geosciences in the College of Science, and have access to the universities outstanding Museum of Geosciences, which features incredible specimens including a complete cast skeleton of Allosaurus. I will be able to work with fantastic faculty, including Dr. Sterling Nesbitt, who has discovered and described many new species in his time as a paleontologist, including the archosaur Nundasuchus in 2007. In order to enter the field of paleontology with hopes of a strong career, one must typically receive a graduate degree, whether it be a Master's or even a PhD. This is something I must take into account when making my decision for undergraduate study. At the moment, my most likely path will be to attend JMU for 4 years and receive my Bachelor's degree, then apply to Virginia Tech for graduate school. Tech has a spectacular graduate vertebrate paleontology research group, which is something I would love to be a part of. I will not likely make my decision until I have heard back from JMU regarding the scholarship, and until I have visited Virginia Tech during their open house for admitted freshmen. I will keep you all posted on my decisions. Regardless of where I end up, I cannot wait to study geology and pursue my dream of becoming a paleontologist. Here is an excerpt from my essay for the Second Century Scholarship. Enjoy! "There is something about prehistoric life that stimulates the mind. Perhaps it is the mystery of the unknown, or the bizarre and unfamiliar appearances of the organisms themselves. Regardless of the forces which drive it, we humans seem to have an inherent interest in the life that called our planet home before us. Many of us can recall a phase in our childhoods when we became practically obsessed with dinosaurs, the mighty beasts which once ruled our planet. This innate fascination typically fades as one ages, but mine has persisted. The history of the earth, spanning from its formation some 4.6 billion years ago to present day, is a magnificent chronicle. It is a tale of merciless competition, crippling disasters, and recurrent resilience. We have managed to piece together fragments of this story, but as of yet it remains largely incomplete. It is my fierce desire to uncover the unknown that has compelled me to pursue an education and career in paleontology." ~David Hoppe

I was hoping somebody on TFF might be able to point me in the direction of any scientific papers, research or information that members here might have put together regarding dromaeosaurid theropods from the Judith River formation. This is not really about identifying any teeth, though I do have one from that formation. I am starting to do my research for the education program and am looking for scientific information. From what I can gather, there is a possible Saurornitholestes species and of course the dinosaur I have seen referred to as Julieraptor, which is a interesting story all on its own. I have also seen Dromaeosaurus listed from that formation. I would like to sort out what is known and unknown from the formation and the best way to present our "raptor" tooth to the kids. Any help links or suggestions as to where I might find more information on this would be much appreciated

I'd like to make an announcement that a new species of stegosaure has been found in Indiana... A young grad student has uncovered what appears to be a baby stegosaure that can glow in the dark! I'm sure this find will be published in all the big name magazines and that National Geographic Channel will cover down on this scientific discovery. It's great when you can share your hobby and teach your children

Dinosaurs, fossils and the experts who study them have all waited for an end to the shutdown. the Washington Post By Brian Switek, January 25, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/dinosaurs-fossils-and-the-experts-who-study-them-have-all-waited-for-an-end-to-the-shutdown/2019/01/25/4dfddf80-20e4-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html A publication of mine, which has been accepted and is in editing for publication and the planning for a conference volume, for which I have been invited to prepare a short paper all came to a grinding halt beacuse of this gridlock. That said, I am quite lucky because at least I am not a federal employee. One person, whom I know, changed jobs from a federal to state position in mid-December 0f 2018. I now have to apologize for suggesting that he was crazy to do so. Yours, Paul H.

Hello all, Yesterday I heard back from James Madison University after applying Early Action back in November. I am delighted to let you all know that I was admitted into the university! I haven't quite made up my mind yet, as I am still waiting to hear back from Virginia Tech, but I will most likely be attending JMU this coming fall semester. I am so excited to carry my journey on the road of paleontology into college with me. I plan on studying geology, likely with a minor in biology. JMU apparently gives their undergraduate students countless internship and research opportunities that many schools reserve for their grad students only. I think I will thoroughly enjoy my time at the college; I've visited several times now and I could go on forever about all the things I love about the place. My mom graduated from JMU and absolutely loved it, and still does today! She was ecstatic when we opened the acceptance letter. My plan at the moment is to attend JMU for four years, and then apply to Virginia Tech for graduate school and work towards a Master's degree and possibly even a PhD. They have an extraordinary vertebrate paleontology research team led by Dr. Sterling Nesbitt, who has discovered and described several prehistoric species including Nundasuchus! I would be honored to work with him and the rest of the team. Through fossil collecting, my fascination with prehistoric life has only grown, and I can't wait to start studying to fulfill my dream of becoming a paleontologist. Ideally, I'd like to do some field work but also would love learning how to prepare and analyze fossils in the lab with the latest technology. I think I'd like to eventually end up as either a staff member at a natural history museum, or a professor of geology at a university. Whatever happens, even if I totally change my mind and decide to pursue and entirely different career, I will use my knowledge and experience that I've gained from this forum and fossil collecting in general to help me reach my goals. Thanks for reading! ~David

Hey Fossil folks! I dont have much of an outlet for sharing my enthusiasm for fossils outside of the forum. So I really wanted to share this with some people who might think this is cool . Ive always been into fossils but I’ve always had extra interests in trilobites and eurypterids. I’ve seen James hall references over the years in other material whenever I read about fossils from New York. Thinking I could own a copy of a historical book that is always referenced in reading material was just a dream. I was on google trying to find some access to these volumes and came across and amazon link with volume 7 for sale. I ended up buying volume 7 of James Halls Paleontology of New York. Volume 7 is titled “Paleontology Trilobites and other Crustacea”. I wasn’t sure if I saw the description correctly on amazon (there was no photo) and it said the book was from 1888. I took the leap cause I figured amazon wouldn’t mess with me that bad right? I got it in the mail mail the other day and I can’t can’t believe how magnificent this book is! These books are like works of art. The first half is text and the entire second half of the book are trilobite plates!! I cant believe I have a James hall book with all my favorite trilobites as they were first described from 1888! It’s in pretty very good shape I would say too. Now if if I could only get an original “Eurypterida of New York State” book I would die a happy man hah. Here are a couple photos. The book had the binding reinforced so it’s pretty tight. I didn’t open the book all the way to keep it in top condition. The dedication is kinda interesting and odd so I put that in. There are also some really wild trilobites documented in here lol. Al

Bennington, J.B., 2003. Paleontology and sequence stratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous , New Jersey. Long Island Geologists Field Trip. https://pbisotopes.ess.sunysb.edu/lig/Field_Trips/guide-10-03.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bret_Bennington https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237712370_Paleontology_and_Sequence_Stratigraphy_of_the_Upper_Cretaceous_Navesink_Formation_New_Jersey Long Island Geologists Field Trip Announcements and Guides https://pbisotopes.ess.sunysb.edu/lig/Field_Trips/ Yours, Paul H.

This is rather interesting - an old (2013) blogpost from the PLOS Blogs about why paleontology is relevant https://blogs.plos.org/paleo/2013/02/19/why-paleontology-is-relevant/ -Christian

As some might have read in a previous topic, I went to visit my girlfriend in Finland. Unfortunatly Finland must be one of the worst places to find fossils in the world, I did manage to find some quartz vains and a few pieces that may or may not be amber (have to do the hot needle test on them first) Even urban fossil hunting is near impossible as pretty much all buildings are made from the fossil-lacking stones that can be found in Finland. The only urban fossils I found was in the Burger King in the Helsinki Central Station, the floor was littered with orthocones there. But Finland really isn't a good place to hunt fossils. But one thing that definitly is a worth a visit is the Finnish Museum of Natural History! It isn't a really big museum, the collection isn't that big, but the way it is presented is very awesome! One of the few musea that nails being modern and educative at the same time without overdoing it. Especially the Taxidermy diorama's were done amazingly. But I will ofcourse start this topic with what I think will interest you guys the most, the Paleontology part of the museum. A mural with Pikaia, Opabinia & Hallucigenia models Trilobites, most of which were found in Aland (Finland), Gotland (Sweden) and other neighboring countries of Finland Trilobites, most of which were found in Aland (Finland), Gotland (Sweden) and other neighboring countries of Finland Orthocone models Graptolites Eurypterid found in Saarermaa in Estonia (Silurian age) Eurypterid model Giant orthocone model

David C. Kopaska-Merkel and others, 2016, Cretaceous Stratigraphy and Paleontology of West-Central Alabama: A guidebook. Black Belt Museum. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312232486_CRETACEOUS_STRATIGRAPHY_AND_PALEONTOLOGY_OF_WEST-CENTRAL_ALABAMA_A_GUIDEBOOK Yours, Paul H.

Hello everyone, I am an undergraduate student in Natural Sciences, studying in Rome, Italy at "La Sapienza" University. I am mostly interested in Vertebrate Paleontology, though I am attending a course on Micropaleontology. Unfortunately in Italy is not possible to dig for fossils as a private, and to open a dig site is hard due to Italian bureaucracy and laws. The only way to own some fossils in my country is to buy them, from people who tool them in other nations. I hope this will be an interesting experience, I am willing to know new people and new fossils. -Francesco

Hi everyone! I am very passionate about paleontology ever since I was young! And because I am not offered to study this course in my country, I am planning on self-studying and doing my own research. However, the problem is that I have absolutely no idea where to start! I would want to start right at the bottom, with the basics. So that when I move on and learn more about it, I will not be confused by terms or explanations. So should I start with the geological timescale? Or with geology and plate tectonics? Some tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My students and I found this fossil in our garden but can't identify it. Can anyone help us based on the picture? Thank you so much! We think it's some sort of jawbone

Hi all , my name is Brent , I am no expert in paleontology but recently found myself more and more curious about fossils, especially with having great fossil locations in south Africa and I just want to learn some more about something I find really cool... like a capsule back into time if you will . I would love to be able to go out for a walk and maybe find my own fossil but I saw on a previous post that we are not allowed too remove them so I guess photo evidence will be requiredbut id like to see my government stop me from removing something on my own private property .... I'll dig it up and say I saw it after i was done. Besides that I wonder who would new enforcing these laws because rangers, unfortunately are scarce , which is sad and partly due to funding. Is there any South African on here that has found a fossil on their property that went to find out what to do with it ? And did they try and claim it ? Someone else said maybe it's about there being so many fossils that there is such harsh laws , but I think not , I've walked in the karoo, for quite some time, maybe the wrong place , but I never saw anything ... maybe due to ignorance not knowing where to look I just looked at every random rock and where I saw stones and sediment had fallen down . Felt like a true paleontologists . Was fun though , we actually went for the flowers which is still in bloom at the moment , was really stunning. Anyhoo maybe I can find someone with who I can tag along and do as they do for a day , that would be super fun (we only get old when we stop having fun) . Maybe a museum here will be going on a "expedition" and maybe I can get my own little fossil ...just trying to make it sound more adventurous. ( highly doubtful ) Renovation is being done for about 15 years and I think it's still going on , so doubt they will be able to have money to go out and look for fossils , but who knows.

We’re Hardly Using Any Of Our Fossils The vast majority are languishing in museum storage. Is it time to dig them up all over again? By Cara Giaimo Atlas Obscura, September 26, 2018 https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fossil-online-database The paper is: Marshall, C.R., Finnegan, S., Clites, E.C., Holroyd, P.A., Bonuso, N., Cortez, C., Davis, E., Dietl, G.P., Druckenmiller, P.S., Eng, R.C. and Garcia, C., 2018. Quantifying the dark data in museum fossil collections as palaeontology undergoes a second digital revolution. Biology letters, 14(9), p.20180431 http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/9/20180431 Yours, Paul H.

Utah Is A Gold Mine For Fossils Science Friday, September 21, 2018 https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/utah-is-a-gold-mine-for-fossils/ https://www.sciencefriday.com/ Yours, Paul H.

Hello I present an interesting question that I'm not to confident to answer myself and am seeking help from the more knowledgeable. Since it seems like (from what I had seen) iron concretions can at rare times preserve certain fossils or traces in one way or another such as molluscs, brachopods, and such. Due to this would it be possible for material such as turtle shell scutes or maybe even croc scutes to turn up in such concretions in one way or another? (the pics are just snipets of general info that I came across online)

Hi all! My name's Emma and I'm brand new to fossil hunting. I came across the site while trying to find out any information i could on fossils and what to keep an eye out for and on where to even start on prepping. It all began last year when me and my partner when on a break in Torquay and a visit to the quarry at Berry Head in Brixham... Which led to us stopping at Lyme Regis on the way home where we picked up a few nodules and concretions.. a year down the line and another visit to Lyme I've started my first prep work on a gryphaea (I think) that we collected last year. I've learnt a fair amount from the site so far and really looking forward to learning more as time goes on. If anyone has any tips or pointers I'm open to all the help I can get. photo of first prep

Since the US already has their "National Fossil Day", I figured it would be nice for the non-American members of TFF to see this: http://www.ipa-assoc.org/index.php/internationalfossilday What do ya people think?

How an Amateur Collector Changed Paleontology Forever To those of The Fossil Forum, I wish to share with you the story of Maiasaura peeblesorum and Marion Brandvold, both good mothers. Maiasaura was discovered forty years ago in June of 1978; this is the month and year of the Maiasaura. Marion and her son, David Trexler, found fossils fascinating long before Jurassic Park popularized dinosaurs. They would often take a vehicle out and go prospecting in their backyard geologic formation known as the Two Medicine. One hot summer evening when walking back to the vehicle, Marion took a small detour and came upon some tiny fossilized bones. In 1937, the Trexlers had opened a rock and jewelry store, and over the years had created a successful jewelry manufacturing and wholesale business along with their ranching interest. However, Marion's heart was always with the land and the animals, and when her husband passed away, she opened a retail store for her merchandise rather than try to keep up with the wholesale business. That way, she still had time for the ranching and rock hunting that she loved. Marion and David had discovered a partial dinosaur in 1971, and they traveled the State of Montana to compare it to all the wonderful previous discoveries they had read about that had been made in Montana. To their surprise, the only dinosaur on display in the entire State was in a little museum in the basement of the high school in Ekalaka, Montana. It had been assembled by a couple of ranchers who had worked with paleontologists from elsewhere who had come to the State, collected, and left. Chagrined that nothing was left behind when professional work was done, they decided to start a small museum in the back of the family store. The goal was to display a dinosaur skeleton from their local area. After all, if ranchers from Ekalaka could do it, so could they. As far as professional training was concerned, Marion had to rely on her familiarity with the ecology of the modern world, as she had no formal education on the subject. However, a ranch foreman when she was young had taught her the art of tracking, and had shown her how each organism interacted with other organisms and its environment. So, when looking for fossil skeletons, Marion expected to see very young and very old animal pieces, but not much in-between. On the fateful evening mentioned previously, Marion, Dave, and Dave's wife, Laurie, were out collecting what they believed to be a fairly complete duckbilled dinosaur skeleton. It is a long, tedious job collecting all the bones present in a dinosaur, and they had uncovered 15 or so at that point. As tools were being put away, Marion went for a little walk, and when Dave and Laurie caught up with her, she was sitting on a small mound of dirt with a big smile on her face. She said, "look what I found!" She was holding several baby dinosaur vertebrae. Within a few minutes, they had found many more, and Dave had found a piece of a jaw with obviously duckbilled dinosaur teeth attached. However, the entire jaw section could be covered by a nickel! They had a baby dinosaur to go with their adult in the museum. Bill Clemens, a mammal paleontologist from Berkely, had stopped in Marion's shop on his way to dig on fossil fish with some colleagues, and was impressed with what had been done in creating a fossil museum without any formal training. At the fish site, he encouraged Jack Horner, then a fossil preparator at Princeton, and Jack's friend Bob Makela, a high school teacher from Rudyard, Montana, to stop at Marion's shop and see the displays. A few days later, Jack and Bob left the fish site and visited Marion's rock shop and museum. Jack introduced himself to Marion, and for the next few hours, they had a wonderful time going over the specimens Marion had on display. Jack then asked if she had anything else, and she showed him a couple of the vertebrae she had picked up from the baby site. Jack's interest was immediately piqued, and he asked if she had more. Marion directed him across the street to where Dave was reassembling the baby bones they had collected. Jack realized immediately that Marion and Dave had something they didn't understand. He asked, "do you know what you have here?", and Dave replied, "Obviously not, since you are so excited." The concept of babies and old animals dying and being preserved in the fossil record, it turned out, was only partially correct. While that cycle probably did occur, baby bones were generally not preserved in the fossil record. The bones Bob and Jack were staring at turned out to be the first baby dinosaur remains known from North America. Jack asked to be allowed to borrow the fossils in order to write them up in a formal publication. The bones were carefully wrapped and placed in a coffee can, and Jack transported them to Princeton. A visit to the site was also in order, and Marion and Dave took Jack and Bob out to the site. Dave also showed Jack a poorly preserved skull that Laurie had discovered, and Jack offered to try to remove it and clean it up for display in Marion's museum. However, after a few years and the specimen was recovered and prepared, it turned out to be the type skull for Maiasaura, and Laurie donated it to Museum of the Rockies, where Jack was working by then. Baby dinosaurs together in a nest past hatching showed a totally different picture of what dinosaurs were thought to be. Jack returned for many years, and eventually the Museum of the Rockies purchased the land where the babies were discovered. The area has become a mecca for paleontological research. The discovery of all this led to a massive shift in the view paleontologist and indeed science as a whole had for extinct animals and modern reptiles. A realization occurred that dinosaurs were truly living, breathing, majestic animals who cared for their young, much like the life we often see around us today. Hungry and thirsty, often looking for a mate, just trying to stay alive in an unforgiving world were the dinosaurs. Far from terrible lizards, they were much like animals and we humans are today. All this came from Marion’s tiny little find. It was her tiny find which led to a surge of interest and public attention. It was her tiny find which started Jack Horner’s career. It was her tiny find that indirectly caused Spielberg to help create Jurassic Park which in turn inspired many into paleontology and many more into other sciences. Those she indirectly inspired have contributed a near inconceivable amount to mankind through science. They range from medical researchers curing diseases, to those looking for extraterrestrial life, and all the way down to myself. A great many started their interest in the sciences with an early love of fossils and dinosaurs. A love Marion Branvold started and continues through her past contribution. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to meet her and she passed away in 2014, at the age of 102. Over the course of my short time in paleontology, I had the honor to stand where her tiny find was made. As the search for more discoveries continues I have been privileged to search with both Jack Horner and Dave Trexler. In the great quest for knowledge, she played her part well, now it is for us to carry on with the next act. What a massive contribution from an amateur and so tiny a find. As others ogle over the next major discovery, keep all this in mind and tell us more of your own tiny find. Eric P. Made with great assistance by David Trexler

Looking For Fossils On The Surface Of Mars Brian Koberlein, Forbes, May 28, 2018 https://www.forbes.com/sites/briankoberlein/2018/05/29/looking-for-fossils-on-the-surface-of-mars/ McMahon, S., Bosak, T., Grotzinger, J.P., Milliken, R.E., Summons, R.E., Daye, M., Newman, S.A., Fraeman, A., Williford, K.H. and Briggs, D.E.G., 2018. A Field Guide to Finding Fossils on Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. First published: 02 May 2018 https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JE005478 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2017JE005478 PDF file at: https://authors.library.caltech.edu/86220/1/McMahon_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research%3A_Planets.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324904704_A_Field_Guide_to_Finding_Fossils_on_Mars Yours, Paul H.

Here is a parody of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” that points out my fossil and rock collecting philosophy. Roads are good to take you to the areas that few people search, especially the creek beds. Remember, I like to leave no stone unturned. I challenge all TFF members (especially @snolly50) to send in your paleontology related original poems. Consider your own version of Frost's poem. The Roads Not Taken by John, AKA DPS Ammonite Two roads diverged in a rocky wood, And not sorry to travel either one And being an adventurer, long I stood And looked up the nearby creek bed as far as I could To see the rocks glistening in the sun. I took the downstream side, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better rocks Because it was fossil rich and wanted wear; Paleozoic creatures preserved there stood out in massive limestone blocks. The up and downstream sides equally lay In rocks no one had collected. Oh, I kept the upstream side for another day, Knowing fossils that occurred that way, should not be left uninspected. I shall be telling this with never a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the creek bed nearby, And that has made all the difference.

CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM DESIGNATED AS MARYLAND STATE PALEONTOLOGY CENTER http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=278&ARC=418