Biodiversity
Brain
EntomOLogy
Genetics
Marine BiOLogy
MicrobiOLogy
PaleontOLogy
ZoOLogy
AnthropOLogy
ArchaeOLogy
Astronomy
Climate Change
Earth
Physics
Water
Nomad Encounters
As the expedition team drives through the desert, they occasionally pass movable, circular dwellings called gers. These seasonal homes belong to nomad families who travel through the desert with their herds of sheep, goats, horses, and camels. When the expedition team visits nomad families, they sometimes take Polaroid pictures of them. Then they give the pictures to the families as gifts. Expedition co-leader Mike Novacek enjoys watching the nomad kids grow up. Mike says, "Some of the children we met as infants are now accomplished horsepeople, helping to tend the herds."
Destination: Gobi Desert, Mongolia
Dates: 1991 to present
Goal: to collect Cretaceous Period fossils
Results: the discovery of an amazing fossil site called Ukhaa Tolgod (OOK-ah TOL-gud), an Oviraptor nest, and many fossil mammals
Participants: paleontologists, other scientists, fossil preparators, students, cooks, and car mechanics
What is the biggest obstacle to fossil collecting in the Gobi Desert?
sandstorms
sunburns
snow storms
Correct!
While the heat makes life uncomfortable and difficult, it's sandstorms that often halt the collecting process.
When paleontologists find a fossil in the desert, they immediately remove all the rock surrounding it.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Scientists have a limited amount of time to collect in the field, so most fossil preparation is done back in the Museum or at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.