Dinosaurs ruled the world for over 150 million years, evolving into spectacular beasts like Tyrannosaurus rex and long-necked species that were larger than Boeing 737 airplanes. Some of them sprouted feathers and wings and learned to fly, and became the birds of today. But all other dinosaurs died suddenly when a giant asteroid fell from the sky 66 million years ago. The devastating extinction that followed opened the door for surviving species to forge a new world, and our tiny mammalian ancestors did just that. This talk will weave together the stories of dinosaurs and mammals to show how our modern world emerged. It will also share stories of field adventures and new fossil discoveries, including 170-million-year-old Jurassic dinosaurs found on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
