Volunteers help Polish scientists restore rare Mastodonsaurus skeleton
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Over 2,000 volunteers are assisting Polish scientists in meticulously restoring the nearly six-meter-long skeleton of a prehistoric amphibian, the Mastodonsaurus, at Warsaw’s Copernicus Science Centre.
- The Mastodonsaurus, an ancient aquatic predator from about 240 million years ago, is one of the largest amphibians ever discovered, with this particular skeleton being the largest known and weighing 1,300 kilograms.
- Volunteers, who come from various non-scientific backgrounds, are trained and supervised to carefully chip away rock from the fossil using specialized tools and ultraviolet light to distinguish bone from stone.
- The discovery, made in southern Poland in 2023, provides new scientific insights as this skeleton’s body structure differs from previously known Mastodonsaurus specimens, which were smaller and found in Germany and Russia.
- The project offers a unique educational and reflective experience, highlighting nature’s resilience after mass extinctions and inspiring hope about life’s ability to survive despite environmental challenges like climate change.
