Discover the Astonishing World of Arctic Dinosaurs with Lauren Wilson!

Join us for a captivating evening with Lauren Wilson, a rising star in paleontology, as she unveils groundbreaking discoveries about dinosaurs in the ancient Arctic. In her talk, "Alaskan Dinosaurs: New Discoveries from an Ancient Arctic Ecosystem," Lauren will share her research on fossils from Alaska's North Slope, revealing that dinosaurs and ancient birds thrived in this challenging environment millions of years ago.

Learn how baby dinosaurs endured months of frigid temperatures and darkness, and how these findings are reshaping our understanding of dinosaur behavior and physiology. Lauren will also share firsthand accounts of the demanding fieldwork required to uncover these rare polar fossils, from battling summer mosquitoes to braving winter temperatures of -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

This special Bruce Presents event includes an early reception from 6:00-6:30 PM, providing an opportunity to connect with fellow enthusiasts before Lauren's engaging presentation. Don't miss this chance to hear directly from a leading researcher and explore the fascinating world of Alaskan dinosaurs!

Space is limited, so register online today.

Each year, hundreds of bird species migrate to the Arctic to nest and raise their young, benefitting from seasonally abundant food resources and up to six months of continuous summer daylight. They are essential members of their ecosystems, aiding in crucial tasks like pollination and seed dispersal and insect and small mammal population control. But work by paleontologists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has made the surprising revelation that this behavior isn’t new- birds and non-avian dinosaurs have been nesting in Alaska for nearly 73 million years! Fossils from Alaska’s North Slope represent one of the best collections of baby dinosaur material in the world and research has revealed that they wouldn’t be old enough to migrate to lower latitudes before winter, so they endured months of frigid temperatures, snowfall, and continuous winter darkness. The birds and their hatchlings may have been able to fly in time, but it still would have been no easy feat to migrate to more equable conditions mere months after hatching. And just as it wouldn’t have been easy to be a dinosaur or bird living in this Cretaceous ecosystem, it isn’t easy for us to collect their fossils either! In the summer, we are faced with cold and rainy days, mud, and mosquitoes. In the winter, we deal with deep snow, temperatures down to -50 degrees Fahrenheit, and limited daylight. It’s worth it though, as polar dinosaur fossils are some of the rarest on the planet and are challenging our perception of dinosaur physiology and behavior by providing new and exciting insights into ancient Arctic ecosystems.

Support for Bruce Presents is generously provided by Berkley One, a Berkley Company.