Fossil Country

Wyoming PBS

5 Sept 202357:01

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video explores the fossil hunting culture in Kemmerer, Wyoming, where for generations locals have made a living collecting and selling ancient fossils found in the region's rich fossil beds. It highlights the tension between commercial fossil hunters, who uncover rare specimens but sell them for profit, and academics who want significant discoveries preserved in museums for scientific research. Yet despite concerns over ownership, the two sides rely on each other to keep discovering fossils and unravel the stories of ancient worlds that refuse to disappear.

Takeaways

😲 Fossils tell stories of ancient life and are found preserved all over the world, including perfectly preserved ones in Wyoming.
👷‍♂️ Fossil hunters endure harsh conditions like extreme weather and treacherous terrain while searching for major discoveries and financial rewards.
🦴 Commercial fossil collectors make a living by digging up and selling fossils, often working together with academics and institutions.
💰 Finding and selling rare fossil discoveries can provide huge payoffs but also fuels tension around private ownership versus public access for science.
😎 Using special lighting at night helps fossil hunters spot treasures that are invisible during the day.
🔬 Relationships between commercial collectors and scientists help ensure significant fossils receive proper study and care.
⛏️ Generations of families have built careers around commercial fossil digging, driven by passion despite backbreaking effort.
👴 The sale of one remarkable, fully-articulated fossil horse enabled a Wyoming collector to pay off debts and set up his retirement.
🔋 A Wyoming town weighed down by a declining coal economy sees new small nuclear reactors as its next energy industry boom.
💡 Children's wonder seeing fossils inspires veteran collectors, keeping an ecosystem of diggers active to make the next big discovery.

Q & A

What makes the fossils found in Fossil Butte National Monument so well preserved?
-The fossils found in Fossil Butte National Monument are very well preserved because the organisms died and were quickly buried under sediments, which prevented scavenging and decomposition. The anoxic lake bottom conditions also aided preservation.
What kind of fossils have been found in the Green River Formation in Wyoming?
-The Green River Formation in Wyoming has yielded abundant fossil fish, as well as fossils of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants. It provides a snapshot of life in North America as it was recovering after the Cretaceous extinction.
How does commercial fossil collecting differ from academic fossil collecting?
-Commercial fossil collectors dig on private lands with the goal of finding valuable specimens to prepare and sell. Academic collectors focus on scientific study and aim to house significant fossils in museum collections.
What are some of the significant fossil discoveries made by commercial collectors in Wyoming?
-Some major finds by commercial collectors include a three-toed horse skeleton found by Jim Tynsky and sold to the Smithsonian, as well as new bird and mammal species acquired by The Field Museum in Chicago.
What are some of the main tools used by fossil hunters?
-Fossil hunters rely on simple tools like picks, shovels, hammers and wedges to split open rock layers and excavate fossils. They also use backhoes and other heavy machinery to remove overburden.
How has the town of Kemmerer been impacted by changes in the energy industry?
-Kemmerer relied heavily on coal mining for jobs for over a century. As coal declines, the town now faces economic uncertainty, but hopes new energy projects can restore prosperity.
What are some of the arguments around commercial vs. academic fossil collecting?
-Some scientists argue commercially collected significant fossils can end up in private hands rather than public institutions. But commercial collectors say they help make major discoveries and work cooperatively with academics.
How does the legal ownership of fossils differ in the U.S. compared to other countries?
-In the U.S., fossils found on private land belong to the landowner, while in most other countries fossils belong to the national government regardless of where they are found.
Why do some fossil collectors prefer to dig at night?
-Some fossil hunters work at night because specialized lighting helps create shadows that make fossils stand out more than during daylight hours.
What steps has Roland Lewis taken to support continued commercial fossil hunting on his ranch?
-Roland Lewis has placed his ranch in a trust to maintain the existing leases for private fossil quarries into the future.

Outlines

00:00

🐟 Introduction to Fossil Hunting in Wyoming

The introductory paragraph provides background on fossils being found everywhere on Earth. In Wyoming, there are exceptionally well-preserved ancient life forms. The video explores the stories of commercial fossil hunters in Wyoming, who endure harsh conditions and rugged terrain while searching for major discoveries and paydays, driven by their passion.

05:01

🚜 Digging Into the History of Kemmerer, Wyoming

The second paragraph gives an overview of the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming and its history tied to coal mining and fossils. As the coal industry declines, the town faces economic uncertainty. Some locals don't fully grasp the fossil riches in their backyard.

10:02

👴 From Family Tradition to Commercial Enterprise

The third paragraph traces the evolution of commercial paleontology in the area from small family operations to larger enterprises with international reach. Carl Ulrich brought fame by gifting fossils to the Emperor of Japan despite his family's wartime losses.

15:05

❄️ Winter Slows Digging, Speeds Fossil Preparation

In the winter months when the ground freezes over, the fossil hunters switch gears to focus on preparing the fossils they already extracted during the warmer seasons.

20:06

🏡 Basements, Barns, and Backrooms: Fossil Prep Spaces

The fifth paragraph explores the unusual spaces where fossil hunters set up makeshift fossil preparation areas over the winter, often in barns, basements, or backrooms of their homes.

25:08

🌙 Illuminating Discoveries: Night Digs Under Generator Lights

Some fossil hunters prefer to dig at night under artificial lighting which helps illuminate the fossils. The contrast and shadows make small details "pop out" more clearly than during daylight.

30:09

💡 Academic Partnerships: Citizen Science in the Quarries

The seventh paragraph discusses partnerships between commercial fossil hunters and academics, describing positive collaborations where dig sites serve as field classrooms to study paleontology hands-on through what they call "citizen science."

35:09

🦴 From Fish Fossils to Rare Mammals

Because of the vast number of fish fossils excavated over time commercially, occasional rare mammal fossils were also uncovered leading to exceptional discoveries like a new early primate species.

40:09

💰 Auctions and Private Sales: The Costs of Rare Fossils

The ninth paragraph delves into the controversies around high-value rare fossil sales, desired by museums but often landing in private collections. The lack of restrictions in the U.S. on private fossil sales compared to other countries is also noted.

45:12

🏆 Fame and Funds from a History-Making Find

The discovery of an incredibly well-preserved fossil horse is detailed as a career-defining event for one digger, letting him pay off debts though issues around private vs. public fossil ownership persist.

50:12

⛏️ Passing the Pickaxe: Generations in the Quarries

As commercial fossil hunting in Wyoming spans across generations, there are concerns around the profession's continuity as young people weigh choices. Retirement also looms for aging diggers, though some still work to stay active.

55:13

⚛️ Uranium and Fish Fossils: Dual Hopes for Kemmerer's Future

As the coal industry winds down bringing uncertainty for Kemmerer, WY, the announcement of a Bill Gates-backed nuclear power plant signals potential renewal. Some also call for promoting the area's fossil resources to boost scientific tourism.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡fossils

Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient life preserved in rock. They are the central focus of the fossil hunters and commercial quarries shown in the video. Examples from the script describe fossils of fish, mammals, dinosaurs, plants, and more found in the quarries.

💡commercial quarries

Commercial quarries are privately owned or leased fossil sites where workers dig up and sell fossils, often splitting the profits with landowners. The video explores the world of these quarry workers who do this for a living in southwestern Wyoming.

💡preservation

Unique conditions in Fossil Lake allowed for exceptional preservation of ancient life. This has resulted in rare fossils that provide insight into ecosystems 50 million years ago. The video showcases multiple beautifully preserved fossils.

💡discovery

Finding significant new fossils that may reveal unknown species or provide scientific insight. Some featured discoveries include a early mammal with a prehensile tail and a complete fossil horse skeleton.

💡carbon energy transition

The town of Kemmerer has relied on coal mining for over a century, but with coal in decline they face economic uncertainty. New nuclear power plans provide hope for transitioning to a clean energy economy.

💡private ownership

Some scientists argue significant fossils should be public property for research, but in the U.S. commercial collectors can sell them. This raises concerns, as auction prices often exclude museums.

💡scientific value

While commercial quarries focus on financial gain, they also supply museums and collaborate with academics to uncover fossils for research. But some still criticize them for prioritizing sales over science.

💡generational business

For many local families, quarry work and fossil sales have been passed down through generations, providing a consistent if difficult livelihood. Their expertise and persistence has led to major finds.

💡tourism

As a sparse rural area, southwestern Wyoming sees fossil-based tourism as an economic opportunity. From public dig sites to Fossil Butte National Monument, fossils could draw more visitors.

💡future generations

Children and teenagers are shown participating in digs and aspiring to paleontology careers, carrying on the local cultural legacy around fossils. This represents hope for the next generation.

Highlights

The study demonstrates a novel method for measuring neural activity during memory formation.

Researchers identified key brain regions involved in episodic memory including the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and visual cortex.

EEG readings revealed increased theta wave activity during memory encoding compared to baseline.

Synchronized firing between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex occurred when study subjects successfully remembered an object image.

The findings support the importance of theta oscillations in coordinating memory formation across brain regions.

Prefrontal cortex activity was greater when associating object images with spatial locations versus temporal order.

Researchers propose a model of episodic memory where the hippocampus binds object and contextual information which is integrated in the prefrontal cortex.

The study provides new evidence for theta and gamma wave coordination between the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and visual areas during memory encoding.

Limitations include small sample size and lack of data on long-term memory retrieval beyond short delays.

Future studies could examine a wider network of regions involved in episodic memory such as the parietal and temporal cortices.

The novel methods allow more precise mapping of the timing and location of memory formation in the human brain.

This research brings us closer to understanding the brain mechanisms underlying episodic memory formation.

The findings could eventually guide therapies for memory disorders like Alzheimer's disease in the future.

Overall, this is an innovative study providing important new insights into the neural basis of human memory.

The work significantly advances our knowledge of how memories are formed and represented in the brain.

Transcripts

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