Photo credit: Carolyn Van Houten
When you’re a paleontologist, you had better get used to fielding questions from children. In general, that’s a good thing. They mean well, and I like being kept on my toes. Also, I know that I have to raise my game for the deceptively tough but straightforward questions, such as the inevitable, “Can I find a fossil in my backyard?” The answer, if I’m honest, has to be, “Depends on where you live.”
The odds of finding a fossil aren’t evenly spread across the world. There are a lot of reasons why desert sand dunes, jungle canopies, and glaciers might obscure the rocks that enclose fossils — the tangible evidence of past worlds. And if you’re interested in finding a specific kind of fossil...