Rise of the Mammals: Colorado Discovery that Rocked the World

Sixty-six million years ago a 6 mile wide asteroid slammed into Earth and caused the extinction of more than 75% of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. This was the single worst day for life on Earth. How and when life rebounded in the aftermath of the extinction has been shrouded in mystery due to a poor fossil record. An extraordinary new discovery east of Colorado Springs preserves a remarkably complete fossil record with entire fossil mammals, turtles, crocodiles, and plants and paints a vivid picture of how life rebounded after Earth’s darkest hour.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dr. Tyler Lyson is curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he is responsible for the fossil reptiles collection. His research focuses on the early origin and evolution of reptiles, particularly turtles, as well as the driver(s) and tempo of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction and subsequent ecosystem recovery. He is working on projects in the Denver Basin in Colorado, Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana, and Karoo Basin in South Africa. Lyson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in geology and paleontology from Yale University, and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. Lyson was a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the Denver Museum in 2014.

Dr. Ian Miller is Curator of Paleobotany and Director of Earth & Space Sciences at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. In addition to running the Earth and Space Sciences Departments, he is in charge of the world-class collection of fossil plants at the Museum. His research focuses on fossil leaves and their applications for understanding ancient ecosystems and climate. He is presently working on projects in the Colorado Rockies and along the Colorado Front Range, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah, the San Juan Basin in New Mexico, the Williston Basin in North Dakota, and the Morondova Basin in Madagascar.

Видео Rise of the Mammals: Colorado Discovery that Rocked the World канала Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum