Wyoming Fossils Preserve Rare 'Mummified' Edmontosaurus

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Above: An Edmontosaurus annectens skeleton on display at Senckenberg Nature Museum in Frankfurt, Germany on April 22, 2020. Image copyright: Arne Dedert/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Wyoming's Edmontosaurus "mummies" give scientists the first complete, fleshed-out view of a large dinosaur. They also establish a blueprint for future research and methodologies — including targeted searches for similarly preserved specimens, biomechanical modeling using reliable external boundaries and studies of clay templating in fossilization.

PHYS National Geographic

Narrative B

This is beyond a simple dinosaur discovery. Wyoming's "mummies" have rewritten evolutionary history altogether. These 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus fossils show that dinosaurs evolved hooves millions of years before mammals, making them the first land vertebrates to develop this key adaptation for efficient movement. The discovery offers unprecedented insight into how major evolutionary innovations can emerge far earlier than previously believed.

GreekReporter.com

Mario Nawfal on X