Wealthy Collectors Are Snatching Up T. Rex Fossils, Leaving Scientists Behind

Tyrannosaurus rex may be the most famous dinosaur to ever roam the Earth, but these days, it’s at the center of a very modern problem: the luxury fossil trade. According to a study published in Palaeontologia Electronica, commercial fossil collecting has walled off so many T. rex fossils to scientists that it has severely hindered the scientific record. The study reveals a sobering stat: of the 141 scientifically useful T. rex fossils known to exist, over half—71 specimens—are in private or commercial hands, rather than public museums or accredited research institutions. That’s a major problem, because in science, replicability is everything. Even if researchers once studied a fossil, its scientific value drops if future teams can’t access it. If a fossil is locked in a collector’s mansion or a storage unit, other scientists can’t study it. They can’t confirm findings, test new hypotheses, or build on the research. And this isn’t a fringe issue. Since the blockbuster auction of “Sue ... Read full article.