Dinosaurs stole headlines this weekend, following reports about a possibly game-changing fossil site in North Dakota that reportedly will help paleontologists better understand how dinosaurs died following the impact of a meteor 66 million years ago. But many in the science community, including paleontologists, are hesitant to jump in on the hype.
The story spread rapidly, thanks in large part to a sprawling piece in The New Yorker about the site before the official study even hit the web. But it turns out that the actual study might not be quite so awe-inspiring.
National Geographic reported that while The New Yorker said there were remnants of multiple dinosaur groups — including a feather that could have come from a dinosaur and unhatched egg containing an embryo — none of those details appear in the actual study produced by lead researcher Robert DePalma. In fact, dinosaurs aren't mentioned at all in the official paper, and supplementary material lists only the discovery of one hip bone fragment from a Triceratops-like specimen. Paleontologists told NatGeo the article left them with "more questions than answers" and feeling "a little bit queasy."
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This doesn't mean the fossil site is unimportant — most paleontologists agree it could still prove to be a major discovery regardless of what's actually there. But those in the scientific community are concerned that the site has been sensationalized. Per NatGeo, the goal now is for DePalma to broaden access to the site to allow for a better understanding of what's actually there.
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