#fossil preparator

[fossilprep]

There's a lot this article touches on, but the parts about fossil preparation are kind of in poor taste. I'll go over some of it under the cut.

There's a reason we usually don't publish on things we prepare. They say it right here - we can literally, whether purposeful or accidental, modify fossils as we see fit. We could imitate pathologies or create marks with air scribes or picks that are misinterpreted as pathologies, remove or obscure parts of a fossil that may be diagnostic, etc. (Of course we don't endear to do these things, they're just possible).

Whether through inexperience or poor dexterity some budding preparators can cause damage that only someone with a trained eye could notice. Preparators aren't always required to be trained in the sciences or have thorough anatomical knowledge, and thus can reconstruct things wrong, without scientific guidance. Like filling holes where there's supposed to be… holes! Like a fenestrum or foramen, for example. This is why we have references, but more importantly, we do the minimum unless instructed to do otherwise by a supervisor or exhibits team - one of a few scenarios where a curator can rightfully step in.

This is why we're trained to preserve almost any bone we see. Often there are small isolated bone chunks hovering in matrix that are thrown in a box with the specimen. A lot of pieces can't be reattached because they're too weathered or of indeterminate origins (“IBF’s” for short).

"Creating" something "artistic" is another way of implying we're making it up as we go.

If someone hands me a fossil and tells me to look at this "multimedia sculpture", I'd be confused. It's a fossil, not an art project.

Academic fossil preparation is fundamentally a scientific endeavor that also requires artistic abilities, but not creativity. We use various methods that are tried and true (and sometimes experiment with new ones) to expose an element from matrix.

The act of preparing a fossil is not providing new data. The fossil itself is the data. We just make it available. That being said, if we provide measurements, take and analyze samples of the matrix for various analyses, then that's providing valuable data. Would that warrant an authorship? Maybe.

This raises another question though. If anyone who worked on a fossil gets an authorship, then can authorship compound?

The person who found the fossil but didn't do anything with it afterwards - just dug it up and sent it to the lab, for example. Do they get to be an author? On our field crews we have up to 30 people over the whole season. 30 coauthors and 99% of them are not scientists.

The collections manager who just painted a number on it, catalogued it, and put it away?

How about the curator who allowed a researcher access to the collection who didn't collect any data but just answered some emails and opened the drawer for it to be studied?

The land owner who gave you permission to dig?

Finally, the preparator who just exposed it from the rock. They do more science inherently than the others, but if no parts of the scientific method were conducted and no data was produced (save for the fossil simply being brought back into the world), do they get an authorship?

tl;dr We don't need authorships for the act of preparing fossils unless we provide data and go through the scientific process (like what's usually required for any authorship). Many parts of the process is not science. Just acknowledge our work in your paper and we'll be more than happy.

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

Fossil lab has decided to take me on as a part time employee rather than unpaid intern. I am absolutely normal about this (I am lying)

[romigodon]

[prepareforclimatecrisis]

"This means that in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we need to develop new hybrid crops, adopt policies to discourage building in flood-prone or wildfire-prone areas, build seawalls and dikes–among other approaches–to counter the effects of rising sea levels, extended drought, and more intense and frequent storms."

By MIT Sloan Office of Communications, Jan 17, 2023

#jail climate criminals  #we want climate action now

  #climate change  #cambio climático #climate crisis

  #prepare for climate change  #greenwashing

  #big oil   #fossil fuel industry #plastic  #climate washing

  #floods  #climate activism   #calentamiento globa

   #medio ambiente   #IPPC   #prepare for climate change

   #climate hope  #sea level rise  #late stage capitalism

 #victims of capitalism  #klimakatastrophe   #klimawandel

 #changement climatique  #qihou bianhua

 #izmeneniye klimata  #cambiamento climatico

 #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन   #jalavaayu parivartan

   #das Alterações Climáticas

[fossilprep]

Using a ZOIC T-rex to expose the distal end of a cervical rib on our opisthotonic tyrannosaur 🦖

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

What I spent an hour trying to do: Glue a piece of fragmented bone back onto the rest of the fossil

What I actually did: Made the matrix absorb a shit ton of PaleoBond so that it was super hard to chip off

After about an hour and a half I finally managed to get it to stay only for another fragment between it and the rest of bone to fall off.

[prepareforclimatecrisis]

Plastic avoidance is top priority

We must urgently eliminate waste and build a so-called “circular economy”. For plastics, that means reuse or recycling back into the same type of plastic, not lower grade plastic. The plastic can be used to make similar products that then can be recycled again and again.

This means plastics should only be used where they can be captured at their end of life and recycled into a product of the same or higher value, with as little loss as possible.

#jail climate criminals  #we want climate action now

  #climate change  #cambio climático #climate crisis

  #prepare for climate change  #greenwashing

  #big oil   #fossil fuel industry #plastic  #climate washing

  #floods  #climate activism   #calentamiento global

   #medio ambiente   #IPPC   #prepare for climate change

   #climate hope  #sea level rise  #late stage capitalism

 #victims of capitalism  #klimakatastrophe   #klimawandel

 #changement climatique  #qihou bianhua

 #izmeneniye klimata  #cambiamento climatico

 #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन   #jalavaayu parivartan

   #das Alterações Climáticas

[fossilprep]

NEW RAPTOR HAND! This is the partial hand of a raptor dinosaur that we collected from our super-site "Jack's bonebed" in 2024. It does not look quite right to be from the troodontid raptor that we have been collecting from this site, so we think it is from another skeleton that we have only just identified coming out of the same bed - a parrot-mimic oviraptorid (technically a Caenagnathid). We have a few tentative pieces of this skeleton so far, but it's looking really promising!

What's especially cool about this specimen is that it contains the "semi-lunate carpal" (meaning: half-moon wrist bone, outlined in red). This strange little bone was really important in the "birds are dinosaurs" debate: when the raptor bends its wrist, the twisted shape of the semi-lunate carpal means the arm folds like the wing of a bird. Super cool!

I purposely left a bit of matrix between the bones for stability. The bone is fairly crunchy and cracked so there was a little Apoxie gap filling plus the tiny cracks in the bones had to be meticulously cleaned grain by grain. All work done under a compound lens microscope between 12-50x magnification.

From US Public Lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management - Montana/Dakotas

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

I think I spent too long in the warehouse today. I swear that I can still smell buzz saws struggling to cut through rock.

In case anyone is curious, it smells like burning. But not like a bonfire or wood, closer to burning plastic but not quite. Sparking metal has it's own particular scent.

Anyway it's been 6 hours and I've already showered the dust off of me so idk why I'm still catching whiffs of it. I might be going insane.

[fossilprep]

Preparing a Lambeosaurus

Jacket 2: articulated cervical series

Second jacket containing four articulated cervical vertebrae

There was a liberal application of thin, medium, and then thick Paraloid B-72 followed by supporting the broken surfaces with Carbowax strengthened by cheese cloth. Matrix removal was mainly done with a Microjack #3 under a microscope.

Steve Clawson applying carbowax to cheesecloth with a brush so it adheres to the cross sections of the centra

Cheesecloth coated with Carbowax functions similarly to rebar in concrete - it strengthens the Carbowax, which has the advantage of dissolving in warm water.

Lateral view of the vertebrae with portions of the centra missing

Part of the vertebrae were broken off and situated in a rock that also had some tendons and a quadratojugal.

After being carefully removed and cleaned, the missing piece was glued on with thick Paraloid B-72 and left to dry overnight.

Finally, gaps in the bone were filled in with Apoxie putty and the whole thing was given a coat of Paraloid.

The jacket lines up with the neck elements in the skull jacket. The vertebrae were compressed post-burial making them look smaller than they were in life.

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

Stabbed myself in the hand with an air scribe today. 0/5 stars would not recommend.

[fossilprep]

Progress is being made on the tyrannosaur block! Steve is removing pounds of matrix to expose the neck of Tantalus/Denver's Tyranno/Little Denver (nickname debate ongoing) with the ZPT-BR (ZOIC Bronto). This dinosaur was found in the "death pose", meaning its neck is bent over its back. The top of the head should be near the hip region.

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

I was hoping that I would be able to post some pictures of stuff I'm working on at the fossil lab but I am not allowed ._.

[uk-fossils]

1kg British Jurassic Fossil Mix – 26 x Genuine Fossils from Dorset & Somerset UK – Ammonites, Bivalves, Belemnites & More – With Certificate of Authenticity

This listing is for a 1kg British Fossil Mix packed full of genuine Jurassic fossils discovered in the world-famous fossil beds of Dorset and Somerset, UK. The mix includes a diverse assortment of beautifully preserved specimens such as ammonites, bivalves, belemnites, gastropods, brachiopods, and other trace fossils from the Jurassic Period (approx. 201–145 million years ago).

This particular fossil mix was collected by our own team members, Alister and Alison, on 29 March 2025, and each piece has been carefully cleaned, prepped, and treated by Alison to ensure the highest quality. Every 1kg mix is unique but will always contain a varied and exciting selection of fossils, perfect for collectors, educators, gift-givers or fossil enthusiasts of all ages.

These fossils originate from ancient seabeds that once covered what is now the British Isles. Over millions of years, marine creatures like ammonites (extinct cephalopods), belemnites (squid-like animals with bullet-shaped guards), and bivalves (early clam relatives) were buried in sediment and gradually fossilised, capturing a rich record of prehistoric life.

Item Details:

Specimen Type: British Fossil Mix (approx. 1kg)

Fossils Included: May include ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, and trace fossils

Age: Jurassic Period (201.3 – 145 million years ago)

Location Found: Dorset & Somerset, UK

Discovered By: Alister & Alison (29 March 2025)

Cleaned & Prepped By: Alison

Certificate of Authenticity: Included

Scale Reference: 1cm scale cube (please refer to photo for full sizing)

ACTUAL AS SEEN: The image shows the exact 1kg fossil mix you will receive. Each specimen is individually chosen and photographed to ensure complete transparency. These fossils are naturally shaped, so measurements are approximate.

Please note:

Some fossils may be propped up for photography purposes.

Colours may vary slightly due to lighting and screen settings.

Once sold, a new mix will be listed with new photos and specimens.

Add a fascinating slice of British prehistory to your collection today! 100% Genuine Fossils – Cleaned, Prepared, and Certified.

[fossilprep]

With the completion of the cervical block, the holotype of Daspletosaurus wilsoni has been fully prepared. Approximately 350 hours shared between both Annamarie Fadorsen and I.

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

First day of internship! I did in fact get to work on the stegosaurus. I spent 3 hours extracting chevron fragments from matrix today and walked out more dust than woman.