Public Lecture—Archaeopteryx: Bringing the Dino-Bird to Life

Lecture Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2011. Some 150 million years ago, a strange creature died in a tropical lagoon that today is located in Bavaria, Germany. In 1861, a single feather of this creature was discovered. Not long afterward, a complete fossil was found with the same bird-like feathers but dinosaur-like anatomical features. Darwin had just published "On the Origin of Species," could this be the missing link that Darwin's supporters hoped to find? Recently, 2 of the now 11 discovered Archaeopteryx fossils, and that first feather, were brought to SLAC, where, using the intense X-ray beam, researchers searched for the chemical remains of the original living creatures. Please join us as Dr. Bergmann explains how recent studies attempt to bring the original dino-bird "back to life." Lecturer: Uwe Bergmann, SLAC.

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Science & Technology

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[SystemSymbiosis]

I really found this fascinating. I'm just awestruck by this most Iconic of fossils. I would love to go and visit the Berlin specimen and have plans to do so in future. Great work and thanks for posting!