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The Field Museum has added a new fossil to its collection, calling it the museum’s most important fossil acquisition since Sue the T. rex. An Archaeopteryx, it has feathers, hollow bones, a long tail and 50 teeth — and is the earliest known avian dinosaur, a link between dinosaurs and modern birds.
The fossil was unveiled at an event Monday attended by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. It will go on display to the public on Tuesday, accompanied by a hologram-like projection showing how the Archaeopteryx would have looked in life.
It’s one of two Archaeopteryx specimens in the United States — and only a dozen others have been found. This fossil was discovered in southern Germany before 1990 and arrived at the museum in 2022. For those wondering if the fossil will be given a name, like Sue (maybe Archie?), the Field says it already has one: All Archaeopteryx specimens are named after the city in which they reside, so this one is called the Chicago Archaeopteryx. […]
It will be on view until the Museum’s Dinopalooza event on June 8. Then it will be removed to prepare a permanent, immersive exhibition, due to open in the fall.
Click here to watch the unveiling.
* Sun-Times…
Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago, a dinosaur with feathers, hollow bones, tiny teeth and clawed wings. Much about its lifestyle remains unknown. Could it fly? Perhaps, but not very well, Field scientists say. And it was small too — the Field’s specimen is about the size of a pigeon.
In the 19th century, some saw Archaeopteryx remains and couldn’t figure out what it was, with some thinking it might be an angel, according to London’s Natural History Museum.
The first specimen was discovered just two years after the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.” A lot of people at the time didn’t believe that animals could evolve. The Archaeopteryx appeared to prove otherwise — that dinosaurs had evolved into birds.
* More…
* WTTW | The Field Museum Now Has an Incredibly Rare Fossil Proving Birds Are Dinosaurs. Here’s a Behind-the-Scenes Look at How They Got It: After pulling back one last flap of tissue paper, O’Connor finally had her “ta-da” moment, introducing the “Chicago Archaeopteryx … the most important fossil ever.” That’s quite a statement coming from a curator at the Field, home of the mighty T. Rex, Sue. But what Archaeopteryx lacks in size, it makes up for in significance as a “transitional” species that essentially proved Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. … In front of gathered dignitaries and the press, the Field formally announced to the world what had become a not-so-well-kept secret: The museum had acquired just the 13th specimen known to exist of Archaeopteryx (ar-key-AHP-ter-icks), a fossil often described as the “missing link” between dinosaurs and birds. “It’s a spectacular example … teeth like a dinosaur, a tail like a dinosaur, but it’s a bird,” said Julian Siggers, Field Museum president and CEO. “The top-level message is that dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, they actually evolved into birds.” The Field Museum has acquired the 13th known specimen of Archaeopteryx, often called the “missing link” fossil between dinosaurs and birds. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
* WTTW | Meet Jingmai O’Connor, the Punk Rock Paleontologist Who Leads the Field Museum’s Archaeopteryx Team: Dead Bird Nerd alert! WTTW News sat down with paleornithologist Jingmai O’Connor and talked about dinosaurs, birds, the Chicago Archaeopteryx, evolution and why studying fossil birds is more important now than ever. O’Connor is associate curator of fossil reptiles at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.
* WGN | Field Museum acquires fossil of earliest known bird: “Archaeopteryx is arguably the most important fossil ever discovered. It transformed how scientists see the world, by providing strong support for Darwin’s theory of evolution,” said Field Museum President and CEO Julian Siggers. “This is the Field Museum’s most significant fossil acquisition since SUE the T. rex, and we’re thrilled to be able to study ‘the Chicago Archaeopteryx’ and to share it with our visitors.”
posted by Isabel Miller
Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:04 pm
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Considering it involved fossils in the state of Illinois, I’m surprised that Durbin wasn’t there.
Snark aside, neat.
Comment by TJ Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:18 pm
“Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago”
Impossible. Everyone knows the world is only 6,000 years old. /s
Comment by Huh? Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:25 pm
I’m tired of these liberal scientists shoving this evolution nonsense down our throats. Archaeopteryx aren’t real. /s
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:29 pm
I agree with the thought that birds are Dinosaurs. I can remember reading speculation like that in the 1960’s books. I plan on dinosaur eggs for b3eakfast Tuesday.
Comment by anotheretiree Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:57 pm
There is still a lot of debate going on regarding the origin of birds and bird flight.
Archaeopteryx was an avian dinosaur that could fly for very short distances, but it co-existed with other species of birds and bird like dinosaurs.
It seems unlikely that archaeopteryx is an ancestor of modern birds, but it does provide solid evidence that theropods were the ancestors of modern birds, which we really can think of as living dinosaurs.
Especially the heron and Secretary bird.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:13 pm
My dream is for one day there to be high speed rail between Carbondale and Chicago.
Spending the day at the Field Museum and Museum of S and I then coming back home would be fantastic.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:22 pm
Since it is bird related I thought I should share a cool app on my phone that I’ve been using as of late called Merlin. It can be used to record the bird sounds you hear and identify them live. It wound up being way more fun and interesting than I thought. You can pair it well by going to the Cornell website, they are the ones running the app, called All About Birds to get some more info on various species. Hope some of you like it. It’s become a must have when I go walking through various Forest Preserves in and around Cook County.
Comment by Blitz Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:06 pm
Blitz, cool info Thanks
Comment by Amalia Monday, May 6, 24 @ 4:42 pm