Crocodile Rock

Triassic forest scene with Placerias in the foreground, a Postosuchus in the midground, a group of small theropods running, and pterosaurs flying overhead

If you were suddenly teleported back to the Triassic period and found yourself being chased by a terrifying meat-eating reptile, you might struggle to tell whether it was a dinosaur or not. While dinosaurs did rise to dominance in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, they were just one of many archosaur groups thriving in the Triassic, a world still recovering from the worst […]

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Walking on Sunshine

Illustration of the solar system showing the Sun at the centre, surrounded by the eight planets with their orbital paths. The inner rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are shown close to the Sun, while the gas and ice giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are farther out. The asteroid belt is shown between Mars and Jupiter, and a comet with a long tail appears to the left. The background grid suggests the curvature of space.

I’ve always felt it’s worth exploring closer to home before venturing too far out. It’s not a hard rule or anything, just a belief that local gems deserve a look before you start chasing treasures abroad. With that in mind, let’s turn our eyes to the Sun and the many planets, moons, and other cosmic neighbours that surround […]

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Come Fly with Me

A digital rendering of the prehistoric flying reptile Eudimorphodon, shown gliding over an ocean with its wings spread wide. It has a long tail with a diamond-shaped tip, an elongated beak with visible teeth, and a lightly feathered or textured body, all set against a blue sky with scattered clouds.

I know pterosaurs aren’t dinosaurs, but it feels like they should be, right? I mean I get it, dinosaurs are defined by their skeleton and evolutionary history, all sharing an upright posture yadda yadda yadda. But I didn’t grow up playing dinosaurs and their somewhat-related reptile cousins who happen to fly and / or swim […]

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Dare to be Stupid

Mounted skeleton of Stegosaurus ungulatus in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I fell in love with dinosaurs early. Awkward and overweight, I was a fan of the giant herbivores who could hold their own against the horrible meat-eaters. Triceratops, popular with friends, was obviously great but never one of my favourites. Stegosaurus though, the oddly-shaped, lumbering dork with a back full of plates and […]

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