TLS12E07 The Business of Dinosaurs:

Should dinosaur fossils belong in museums—or can they be bought and sold like works of art?

When the spectacular Tyrannosaurus rex known as "Gus" was preparing to go under the hammer (and has since sold for a staggering $50 million), it reignited one of palaeontology's biggest ethical debates.

In this episode Dr Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence explore the booming fossil market and ask what happens when scientifically important specimens disappear into private collections. Is it wrong for billionaires to own dinosaurs? Can privately owned fossils still contribute to science? And why won't many scientific journals publish research based on privately owned specimens?

Dave draws on his own experience working with museums, private collectors and commercial fossil dealers to explain the surprisingly complicated relationship between science, money and ownership. We discuss museums, fossil laws, famous auction sales, and why a dinosaur's scientific value isn't always the same as its auction price.

Questions covered in this episode:

Should dinosaur fossils be sold at auction?
Why won't scientists study many privately owned fossils?
Is it ethical for billionaires to own dinosaur skeletons?
How do fossil auctions affect palaeontology?
Could private ownership ever benefit science?
Why are some fossils worth tens of millions of dollars?

Support the podcast and get bonus episodes at:
https://www.patreon.com/terriblelizards

You can watch this as a video on youtube here: https://youtu.be/TaLWBc-4vvE

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(136)

S12DB17 Why Palaeontologists Hate 'Biggest Dinosaur' Headlines

In this bite from an old live stream, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone discuss why claims of the "largest dinosaur ever" are much harder to prove than the headlines suggest. They explore how palaeontolo...

5 Aug 10min

S12DB16 T. rex bite marks, the new Spinosaurus model & the next dinosaur superstar?

In this archive discussion, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone answer listener questions about museum exhibits, dinosaur reconstructions, Spinosaurus, and which prehistoric animal could become the next gl...

22 Jul 10min

S12DB15 T. rex under the hammer

With another Tyrannosaurus rex making headlines at auction, we're revisiting this discussion from 2020, recorded just after the famous sale of Stan. Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone explore why the sale...

15 Jul 14min

S12DB14 Inside an Oviraptor Nest!

In this 2021 clip from Terrible Lizards, Iszi and Dave discuss the fossilised Oviraptor nest that made headlines around the world. Was this really evidence that dinosaurs sat on their eggs like birds,...

1 Jul 12min

TLS12E06 Spinosaurus, Jurassic World & Troodon

Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2026, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Hone tackle questions from the audience on everything from Spinosaurus salt glands and Jurassic World to feathered ptero...

23 Jun 54min

S12DB13 Mary Anning, Marine Reptiles & the Jurassic Coast

Mary Anning is one of the most important figures in the history of paleontology but how much do we really know about her? Recorded live at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, Iszi Lawrence and Dr Dave Ho...

17 Jun 17min

S12DB12 What colour were triceratops horns?

Were dinosaur horns brightly coloured? And is there really such a thing as a "top predator"? In this extract of a Terrible Lizards bonus we recorded last year, we tackle two surprisingly big dinosaur ...

3 Jun 12min