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"Einstein" the Apatosaurus on display in Mexico. From Flickr user Sultancillo.

In the summer of 2008, “Einstein,” one of the most complete Apatosaurus skeletons ever discovered, made its international debut in the arrivals hall of the Abu Dhabi International Airport. That is a long way from the Wyoming quarry in which it was found. What reason could there be for this unique specimen to make such a journey?

According to the man who organized the display, Khalid Siddiq al Mutawaa, it was because many of the people he met didn’t believe in dinosaurs. In an interview just published in The National al Mutawaa said:

I kept hearing people and especially children say that there is no such thing as a dinosaur. … That really bothered me and so I brought over a dinosaur for our people to see, and everyone else who happens to pass by through here, to learn more about that part of our global history.

While it might be easy to think of young earth creationism or other strains of anti-science as mostly American phenomena there has recently been a resurgence in Islamic creationism. In some Islamic countries there is widespread doubt as to the reality of evolution, and subjects like paleontology are either glossed over or not discussed. Just as within Christianity there is a wide spectrum of beliefs about how to reconcile science and scripture, but in many places evolutionary science struggles for acceptance.

Since Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a country where Islam is the official state religion, the city’s airport was a natural place to introduce a large number of people to dinosaurs. To al Mutawaa’s delight, the response to the Apatosaurus was largely positive, and he has now embarked on a new mission with the cooperation of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. His goal is to create a top-notch fossil hall to reach even more people with details of the Earth’s history. I hope this new project captures the imaginations of even more people who may have never seen a dinosaur before.

Dinosaurs and humans are shown living together in the Creation Museum in Kentucky. From Flickr user yumiec00kies.

Earlier this year Texas updated the name of its official state dinosaur, a sauropod dinosaur previously called Pleurocoelus but recently renamed Paluxysaurus. To celebrate the name change, a team of scientists is creating a full restoration of the dinosaur’s skeleton for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, but not everyone was happy about the announcement of this plan in the Star-Telegram newspaper.

In a letter to the editor, Richard Hollerman of Richland Hills, Texas, took offense that the newspaper did not pay heed to his personal beliefs, namely that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time less than 10,000 years ago. There is no evidence to support this claim, but Mr. Hollerman chastised the paper for “blindly accepting unfounded assertions by unbelieving paleontologists.”

This triggered an overwhelming response from Hollerman’s neighbors in the state. The paper printed at least seven replies that picked apart Hollerman’s anti-science tirade. Said Mark Stevens from Forth Worth:

According to creationists, science is correct about the following:

Chemistry, computer science, mathematics, engineering, sociology, systems science, psychology, medicine, nuclear science, agronomy, astronomy, nanotechnology, acoustics, biophysics, condensed matter physics, electronics, fluid dynamics, geophysics, plasma physics, vehicle dynamics, solar astronomy, meteorology, limnology, soil science, toxicology, marine biology, parasitology, anatomy, biochemistry, structural biology, entomology, cetology, phylogeny, algebra, calculus, cartography, geopolitics, criminology, agriculture, language engineering, pathology, pediatrics, nutrition, physical therapy and dermatology.

But for some reason, according to creationists, science is wrong about evolution. How is that even possible?

Another commenter, Charlie Rodriguez from the city of Arlington, replied that Hollerman’s assertions would be a joke if not for the many others who believe the Bible should be read as a science book. There has been a proliferation of “creation museums” over the past several years, and “evolution” is still a dirty word in some places in the country. Even so, it was heartening to see so many people stand up for paleontology, evolution, and good science.

[Hat-tip to Millard Fillmore's Bathtub for bringing this story to our attention.]

A Stegosaurus outside the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Photo by Sarah Zielinski.

Our latest Dinosaur Sighting comes to us from our very own Sarah Zielinski, who writes for the Surprising Science blog here at Smithsonian. During a recent visit to Paris, Sarah spotted this Stegosaurus outside the Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle, and while she did not see anyone on it while she was there, apparently kids love to clamber onto the back of this dinosaur.

Have you seen a dinosaur in an unexpected place? Snap a photo and sent it to dinosaursightings@gmail.com.

Sculptures of Tyrannosaurus (foreground) and Parasaurolophus (background) at the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park.

There are at least two ways to look at dinosaurs. You can examine their fossilized bones, the stuff that comes directly from the fossil record, or you can imagine what those bones would have looked like when they were clothed in muscle, sinew, and skin during the animal’s life. At the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah, these two visions are brought together.

By the time I visited the park last month I had already seen my fair share of Utah’s dinosaurs, but the Ogden attraction was unique in that it boasted a large collection of dinosaur sculptures. Some of the life-sized dinosaurs were relatively old (they dragged their tails and looked rather dim-witted), while other newer models better fit our present understanding of dinosaurs as active, dynamic animals. The “vintage” dinosaur models were mixed in with the newer ones, creating an odd scene that hinted at the evolution of our understanding about what dinosaurs were like.

While the park is most famous for its sculptures, it also has a museum. The facility boasts a number of fiberglass skeletons and donated fossils, yet they are not presented in an organized fashion. A chunk of meteorite is placed at the feet of a mammoth skeleton while a model of a woolly rhinoceros stands right below the museum’s Tyrannosaurus rex, for example. There are a few labels for some of the larger pieces, but fossil bric-a-brac is scattered everywhere; the place is in desperate need of a good curator. Visitors can also peek in on prep work being done at a fossil lab in the museum, although it is unclear whether any scientific research is carried out there.

After visiting places like the Museum of Ancient Life, Ogden’s dinosaur park paled in comparison. I have no doubt that kids will love it though. It is a great place to just go look at fossils and dinosaurs, and if you (like me) prefer your dinosaurs presented with a little more science there are plenty of other museums in northern Utah to check out.

A skeleton of Torvosaurus greets visitors at the Museum of Ancient Life.

During my trip to Utah several weeks ago I knew I had to stop by the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, not far from Salt Lake City.

As the Web site for the attraction states, the Thanksgiving Point facility “is not an ordinary museum.” Its impressive collection of dinosaurs do not stand alone on isolated islands of plaster or concrete, but instead are placed in dramatic poses among ferns and fallen logs. As visitors follow the path through the museum they will encounter the predator Torvosaurus chasing down a group of fleeing herbivores, a pair of Pachycephalosaurus butting heads, two Tyrannosaurus challenging each other for the rights to a dead hadrosaur, and many other unique dinosaur restorations. Indeed, the Museum of Ancient Life has not only restored the skeletal forms of dinosaurs, but it has attempted to bring them “back to life” as best it can.

As if all this were not enough to lure kids in, there are also plenty of hands-on exhibits in the museum. Young visitors can play with sand and water at the “erosion table” or mix-and-match body parts to create a new kind of dinosaur. While the educational value of playing in the mud and juggling dinosaur parts is questionable, it sure is fun.

While the Museum of Ancient life does not have as strong a research component as some of the best dinosaur museums in the world, its exhibits are very impressive. It was refreshing to see the dinosaurs restored in active, life-like poses rather than the more static positions they are given at other museums. The vast array of skeletons there will no doubt delight children and hardcore paleo-fans alike.

The Natural History Museum's Dinosaur Hall. Courtesy of Flickr user JSmith Photo

Summer might be coming to an end, but the Dinosaur Hall in the National Museum of Natural History still echoes with the voices of tourists. As a spinoff of DCist’s fantastic weekly series “Overheard in DC, here’s our version of “Overheard at the Museum”:

An older gentleman: “I always thought they were five stories high or something, the way they talk about them.”

A young child near the Stegosaurus: “Look at the shark, Dad. See, the shark jaw?”

A little kid, looking at the Stegosaurus: “Mom, that’s not real bone!”
Mom: “How do you know that?”
Child: “Look at it!”

Man with a camera: “Well, I couldn’t get the dinosaur to smile.”

A girl, looking up at a pterodactyl: “Whoa, he looks like he’s about to eat me!”

A little girl: “That’s a very dead Stegosaurus.”

A young girl talking on a cell phone: “Me and my daddy are downstairs, and we saw some beautiful, real dinosaurs. It’s okay that we saw real dinosaurs because they’re dead. The T. rexes are dead, too.”

“That one looks exactly like Rexy,” says a girl, referencing the T. rex from Night at the Museum.

A little boy looking at a pterodactyl: “That’s a big old bird.” (Ed. Note: They are all big birds!) Oops! Thanks to our commenter for catching our error!

A dad to his daughter, while looking at the pterodactyl: “Look at some of the birds that used to fly way back then.”

A little girl looking at the Camarasaurus:  “It’s laying down; it’s dead.”

A little boy near a “Life in the Ancient Seas” display:  “Poor little fish, he’s alone out of the water.”

– Abby Callard

Dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge. From Flickr user Matthew Saunders.

There are a few ways to see Morrison, Colorado’s famed “Dinosaur Ridge.” If you just want to have a look at the tracks you can walk or bike up the roadside trail, but if you want a less strenuous guided tour you can hop onto the new electric-powered “Cartosaurus.”

According to Denver’s CBS4 News the popular attraction, known for its many dinosaur tracks, is now offering tours via an electric-powered shuttle. The vehicle runs on 16 6-volt batteries, not fossil fuels, making it much cleaner and efficient than similar gas-powered shuttles. It is not decorated with dinosaurs like its gas-powered predecessor, but that’s a small price to pay for going green.

A few of the dinosaurs at the National Museum of Natural History.

Earlier this summer I asked readers to decide which city deserved the title of “Dinosaur Capital of the World.” Glen Rose, Texas took an early lead, but Drumheller, in Alberta, Canada, is now sitting comfortably in the top spot. A more contentious question, though, is “What is top museum to visit if you want to see dinosaurs?”

There are a number of institutions that could claim the title. I will list a few here, but please add your own picks in the comments if you think I have missed any!

The American Museum of Natural History

The AMNH will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first major museum I ever visited, and it was the first place I saw real dinosaur bones. Back then, in the late 1980s, the halls were dim and the dinosaurs were still dragging their tails, but seeing those skeletons made me want to be a paleontologist. Most of the mounts have since been updated, though, and the museum has long been home to a vibrant community of dinosaur paleontologists. It is definitely a required stop for any dinosaur fan in New York City.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

I had never been to the National Museum of Natural History before this past spring, but I was very impressed by the dinosaur displays and the scientists working there. The exhibit layouts were great and all the classic dinosaurs stars, like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, were there. Word has it that the dinosaur exhibit is going to get a facelift soon, too, so I will definitely have to go back there when it is finished.

The Natural History Museum in London

I can’t speak from personal experience about this one, but from what I have seen the British Natural History Museum mixes classic architecture with plenty of dinosaurs. It looks like a beautiful place to meander among the skeletons, and they have a really neat animatronic Tyrannosaurus to boot!

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada

This museum helped Drumheller lay claim to the title of the “Dinosaur Capital of the World.” Situated near many fossil-bearing deposits, the museum boasts an impressive array of dinosaur skeletons that seem even more imposing against the dark backgrounds of the exhibits. I have only seen the displays in photographs and television documentaries, but it is definitely a museum I would like to visit.

The Field Museum

Chicago’s Field Museum is one of the top museums in the United States, and as with the other institutions on this list dinosaurs are among the museum’s main attractions. Even better, they have placed dinosaurs into an evolutionary context with their other fossil exhibits. They can also boast the skeleton of “Sue,” the most complete Tyrannosaurus ever found.

The Paleozoological Museum of China

Created by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in China, this museum holds an impressive collection of specimens, including many not seen any display elsewhere. Every major museum has a Tyrannosaurus or two, but the IVPP’s museum contains many exhibits showcasing the prehistory of China.

All of these museums carry out important research and have absolutely stunning exhibits, but if you had to pick just one to visit, which would you choose? Cast your vote in our poll below, and don’t forget to tell us why you picked your favorite!

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