Dinosaurs Become Birds in Kenosha, Wisconsin

At the entrance of the Field Museum of Natural History, the jaw of the first time visitor drops. Her eyes move over the heads the crowds, engrossed in awe -- the white marble interior, the Fighting African Elephants and the overwhelming power of Sue's Tyrannasaur jaws. With the spectaular sight of Stanley Field Hall, it's a wonder folks ever make it to the rest of the exhibits.

A first impression can be deceiving, however. This is especially true in the case of the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Under the leadership of Carthage College paleontologist Dr. Thomas Carr, the tiny foyer of this space is the portal to a museum with a serious and specific mission -- to research and promote the relationship between dinosaurs and modern birds. The compact space, which houses the largest cast collection of Theropod dinosaurs in the North America, also contains the only gallery dedicated to the evolution of dinosaurs into birds.

This past weekend, the museum held a series of lectures and small exhibits for an event called "Darwin Day," a celebration of the birth of the famous naturalist. Lectures from local experts focussing on evolution (Dr. Greg Mayer), Darwin's life and legacy (Dr. Summer Ostrowski) and the evolution of birds (Dr. Thomas Carr) enlightened visitors of all ages, including me and my friends.

For my first time at the museum, lured by the notion of formally celebrating Darwin, I brought my iPad for notes and sported a t-shirt featuring a dinosaur boxing a robot (pictured above) to emphasize my dedication to the theory of evolution. I was not disappointed!

The creatively arranged Theropod casts in the mere 90 feet of gallery space depict imagined poses (crouching, eating, running) bringing the beasts to life in the mind of the visitor - and conjuring connections with their modern ancestors with little effort. I don't believe that there are many folks left in this world who doubt the origins of birds, but I think the evidence in this gallery would be hard for any skeptic to deny.

No dinosaur fossils have been found in the state of Wisconsin, but this little gem of a museum and the experts involved in its creation and development prove that there is a lot to learn about prehistoric life the heart of the midwest.

The Origins of a Dinobsession

Dinovember might change your life.

The newspaper-thin, almost translucent, paper crinkled between my fingers. The few pages full of seemingly endless possibilities of information and excitement. Four times a year, the day that our teachers passed out the flimsy catalogue and order form for Scholastic books remain some of the brightest school moments in my memory. In these pre-internet days, searching for books in the library could be a grueling and time-restricted task. How many books were out there? What books was I missing by choosing the four that I held in my hands? How many times could I read them before their due date?

Although money wasn't abundant, my mother, a teacher, was always supportive of my overzealous book ordering. I began building the collection that dominates my current home very early. By 3rd or 4th grade, I gravitated toward science topics, and started obsessively collecting trading cards. Coinciding with the baseball rush of the late 80's and early 90's, Scholastic advertised cat and dinosaur trading cards (which I never once traded, but kept in a binder or plastic sleeves intended for card-collecting so that I could admire them often.)

When I think about it now, I wonder what it was about dinosaurs that intrigued me then. I don't think I had any dinosaur toys and I don't remember my siblings being interested either.  I certainly didn't understand how long ago 65 million years was, or how an Asteroid could wipe out an entire ecosystem. I just loved them. A lot of kids do. My niece and nephew always squeal with excitement when I gift them dino-themed birthday and Christmas presents.  They don't love them with the complexity and awe that nerdy adults might, but they love them because they've never seen one, because they were huge (and probably because they think they all RAWWWRRed and stomped the hell out of things).  Happy to once again witness that children are filled with with magic and adventure few real, actual things can give them, I found this beautiful story of some creative parents who strive to bring dinosaurs to life in their own home. If nothing makes you desire parenthood, this post might change that.

Tiny Tri Sighting

A friend of mine in Hyattsville, Maryland spotted this tiny guy in a gas station parking lot. I hope he can find his way home!

"I AM DINOSAUR!" - Thinks Local Golden Eagle

Although this item of interest may not match perfectly with this blogs intention of highlighting how dinosaurs are imagined in the modern day - it really is too cool to take a pass on.

Even the most lay-dinophiles support the theory that some dinosaurs evolved to become modern day birds, although this theory didn't gain popularity until the last couple of decades. Its hard for some people to imagine that delicate little multi-colored, weightless birds could be related to dinosaurs - who still exist in most of our imaginations as immense and formidable creatures.

 Of course, folks who only think of 10 ton beasts when they think of dinosaurs aren't remembering all our tiny feathered friends like Epidendrosaurus and Xiaotingia, but thinking about birds as being delicate and minute is wrong, too.

A camera in Russia recently caught this image of a massive eagle taking attacking a deer in the most dinosaurian of take downs.

If this doesnt cause you to start thinking about birds in a new way, I don't know what will. 

 http://strangebehaviors.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/eagle-schools-deer-on-dinosaur-ancestry/

The Traveling Dinosaur - Jay Ryan

Fancy yourself a traveler? Jay Ryan brings this beautiful guy, called "Actual Navigatosarus" to life - complete with his sleeping bag and approach pack.

Those honest eyes just shout, "Let's have an adventure!" Don't they?

View the print here at Gallery 1988. Or visit Ryan and McCarthy's blog here.

The Best Wedding Crasher Ever

Even though the arteries of the internet are clogged with musical proposals, embarrassing engagement photos and wedding flashmobs there is at least one recent wedding gimmick on the web that is fresh and hilarious.  This has got to be the most creative (and I can only imagine the most requested of wedding photographers) bridal party shot of all time. My only question is this - how'd they get that T-Rex to pose like that?

Read more about the now-famous photo here.

In Japan, the Raptor is Alive and Well

The raptor chase scenes in Jurassic Park are as terrifying today as they were in 1993 when the film first came out. Remember shaking along with Lex and Tim, huddled in the kitchen as the giant beast used highly evolved brains and natural hunting abilities to stalk them?

Can you imagine what it would feel like to see that 10 foot tall creature (which is really a Jurassic Park myth, since in real life a velociraptor was about 3 feet tall) come barreling around a corner craving your blood? 

I bet this guy can.