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Museum archive turns up new dinosaur family

Paul

Thank you for the truth! 

Well done! The BBC made it out to be "Student discovers new dino" As if some school kid has.

El Reg as normal gives us the truth, that a PhD student (probably a world expert in sauropod vertebrae, as that is what his PhD is in) has found a new dino. Still interesting, and well done to him, but not so over the top.

Thank you.

Solomon Grundy

Musuems 

Stop

This is the kind of crap that makes me doubt the true contributions of museums to a greater understanding of our planet and our past. They are not much different that mega-wealthy art collectors who just grab anything they can for their collection without knowing, or caring what it is, it's all just another acquisition to them.

As this story plainly illustrates, museums don't do a whole lot better job of cataloging their collections than the average "cultural artifact thief", in fact might actually be worse as they don't have the slightest idea of what they have (or in many cases where it came from) deflating their arguments that "amateur treasure hunters" are destroying history.

Don't get me wrong, I like visiting museums as much as the next guy, I just don't approve of their holier than thou attitude when it's painfully obvious that they are just greedy bastards too.

Matt Bryant

"Student"? 

Happy

Come on, look at the grey hair! Someone should tell this guy it's time to let the discounted student bar go and get on with his life!

Joking aside, respect to the guy for the painstaking research that must have gone into this.... as long as it wasn't funded by my taxes, I prefer them to go on the more whizz-bang research.

Liam Johnson

paging all currently unemployed Hollywood writers 

Coat

They are all on strike I think - try again later

Ken Hagan

Re: Musuems (sic) 

"As this story plainly illustrates, museums don't ... have the slightest idea of what they have (or in many cases where it came from) deflating their arguments that "amateur treasure hunters" are destroying history."

I don't know which story you were reading, but the one I read noted the place, person and time of discovery. The museum then preserved the artefact for a century, until someone who understood it had a chance to see it. It will now make it available to researchers who want to study it.

Anonymous Coward

Coming to a screen near you! 

Paris Hilton

"The Bone Wars"

Synopsis : a paleontologist discovers a complete dinosaur fossil. While examining it, the bones ANIMATE themselves! They begin rampaging the countryside, killing all in its way. The army is dumbfounded until some BRIGHT KID has the bright idea of letting the dogs have their way. Cue ending with handsome male protagonist (paleontologist) and his hot assistant making out in a field with the dogs gnawing at million years bones.

Of course, it follows naturally the satiric porn flick "The Boner Wars".

I chose Paris, because, you know....

Hollerith

Those shovelling Victorians 

The British Museum has crateloads of stuff from the Middle East. Millions to cuneiform tablets. They teach amateurs to read them and let them loose on as many as they can handle. That's how a big missing chunk fo the ancient epic poem Gilgamesh was discovered. The earlier futures trade was found by a amateur: a woman buying a famer's crop from the next summer. There are masses of amazing things waiting to be found. On one hand, I am appalled by the extent of Victorian looting. On the other hand, all these clay tablets came from what are now bombed and ruined war zones in Iraq.

BitTwister

Hmm... 

Dem looks-a like deys-a de bones of Jar-Jar!