National Geographic | THE COMPASS

National Geographic

THE COMPASS

This week, we journey to the prehistoric past to explore the world of dinosaurs. See the giant "sea monster" fossil that is one of the largest of its kind, travel to the dazzling rock formations that stand where dinosaurs once roamed, and learn about the fierce debate around whether or not T. rex should be 3 species.

Illustration of an asteroid hitting Earth's surface.

ILLUSTRATION BY DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY, SCIENCE SOURCE

New clues reveal the devastation the day the dinosaurs died

Unusual traces found in Texas show what happened when the Chicxulub asteroid vaporized a thick bed of rock, unleashing superheated gas that kicked off a calamitous period of climate changes.

Illustration of an ichthyosaur.

ILLUSTRATION BY BOB NICHOLLS

Giant 'sea monster' fossil is one of the largest of its kind

The roughly 30-foot-long fossil found in England offers new clues to how ichthyosaurs evolved into marine titans.

THE EVOLUTION OF A SEA MONSTER

Rock formations called “hoodoos” fill the Bisti De-Na-Zin Wilderness in northern New Mexico.

PHOTOGRAPH BY EFRAIN PADRO, ALAMY STOCK

These dazzling rock formations stand where dinosaurs once roamed

In the high desert of New Mexico, these sprawling badlands draw hikers and photographers with otherworldly “hoodoos” and a wealth of fossils.

A FERTILE, "BEAST"-FILLED PAST

SO FAR, NOT A SINGLE TRACE OF DINOSAUR REMAINS HAS BEEN FOUND IN ROCKS YOUNGER THAN:

A. 110 MILLION YEARS AGO
B. 66 MILLION YEARS AGO
C. 230 MILLION YEARS AGO

CLICK TO SEE IF YOU'RE RIGHT!

In this life reconstruction, two Scleromochlus taylori circle each other in the sweltering environs of what is now Scotland some 231 million years ago.

RENDERING BY GABRIEL UGUETO

230-million-year-old mystery fossil sheds light on origins of pterosaurs

Discovered 115 years ago, the ancient creature posed a paleontological puzzle that new X-ray scans have solved.

FINALLY UNMASKED

GOOD READS

1.

The world's best trips for dinosaur lovers

2.

Could dinosaurs swim? A new fossil revives an age-old debate.

3.

Jurassic Park' got almost everything wrong about this iconic dinosaur

4.

The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops

View of the completed exhibit installation of the fossil skeleton of Sue, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, seen in a darkened Stanley Field Hall at the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, June 15, 2000.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK WIDHALM, FIELD MUSEUM LIBRARY VIA GETTY

Should T. rex be 3 species? New study sparks fierce debate.

If a controversial new study is right, famous fossils such as Sue and Stan aren’t T. rex after all. But leading experts are highly skeptical.

WHAT'S IN A SPECIES?

WHERE WILL WE JOURNEY TO NEXT?

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