Lecture Series: "A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fossil Freeway"
Tues., March 30, April 13, April 27, May 4
Burke Museum, lectures start at 7 pm
Can extinction be good? When can evolution become an "arms race"? Explore the answers to these questions and more with Burke paleontology curators in a series of talks inspired by the Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway exhibit. Learn about current research in paleontology from the people who do it, and how the study of fossils informs our understanding of evolution and extinction. Each evening you will get a chance to discover something new and to ask questions of our in-house experts. Click here to view a full schedule of lectures and to find details about registration.

Lecture: "Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent," with Scott D. Sampson
Fri., May 21
Burke Museum, 7 pm
For more than a century, paleontologists have been collecting abundant, often spectacular dinosaur fossils from the Western Interior of North America. Only recently have we learned that most of these dinosaurs existed on a "lost continent" known as "Laramidia." How were so many giant animals able to co-exist on such a diminutive landmass? Why were most of these dinosaurs adorned with bizarre bony features such as horns, crests, domes, or spikes? How did the giant Tyrannosaurus rex ultimately evolve, and what factors may have led to the great extinction of dinosaurs at the close of the Mesozoic Era? Dr. Scott Sampson will address these questions and explore ideas and controversies raised in his recent book, Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life, the first comprehensive review of dinosaur paleontology for a general audience in more than two decades. For more information, click here.