Beyond Dinosaurs: Thinking about the Deep Past

king's college london, 13 June 2022, 18:00-20:00

Description

When thinking about the deep paleontological past, people tend to immediately imagine dinosaurs. But what about other aspects of deep history? What can things like fossil mammals, plants, and rock layers tell us? Why are these interesting to us today, and why have they been interesting in the past? And how can we use them to think about big issues like biodiversity, climate change and extinction?

Join us for a one-evening discussion event and pop-up exhibition to think about these themes, as part of the "Crystal Palace Park: Beyond the Dinosaurs" project, being run between Dr. Chris Manias of King's College London, and the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

We'll take you through some of the lesser known features at the Crystal Palace Geological Courts (known best for their Victorian dinosaur sculptures), we'll think about what models of geological strata, ancient animals like the Palaeotherium and Megatherium, and community projects to recreate ancient landscapes, can tell us about long-term climatic and environmental change, and how we connect with and value the natural world.

For more details and exact directions, please click here for a pdf information sheet.

Featuring talks from:

* Adrian Lister (Natural History Museum): How can prehistoric mammals help us understand climatic change and biodiversity?

* Jeremy Young (UCL): How can geology help us understand the British natural environment and deep time?

* Ellinor Michel (Natural History Museum): How can prehistoric plants help us understand changing environments and community engagement?

And art by:

* Bob Nicholls ( http://paleocreations.com/ )

* Mark Witton ( https://www.markwitton.co.uk/ )

* Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs ( https://cpdinosaurs.org/ )

Event Images