Dinosaur Dynasty

Field Museum scientists—including anthropologists, botanists, and geologists—have been deeply interested in Chinese culture since the early 1900s. The Field Museum's collections hold more than 24,000 artifacts that shed light on the arts, technology, religions, and everyday life in China from 10,000 BC to present day.

The Field has intensified its research in China since the mid-1990s, when the Chinese government became increasingly interested in international collaborative fieldwork. The Field Museum has welcomed the opportunity to better understand this great nation and its human-made and natural wonders.

Museum scientists are currently working with Chinese colleagues on the following projects:

	Dr. Peter Makovicky, Assistant Curator of Geology, collects and studies dinosaurs from China. Dr. Makovicky and his colleagues recently discovered the Liaoceratops, the smallest, oldest and most primitive ceratopsian dinosaur ever found. His analysis of a recently discovered dinosaur, the Sinovenator changii, helped to show that bird-like traits occurred much earlier in the evolutionary process than previously thought.
	Dr. Olivier Rieppel , Chair of Geology, has identified four new genera and species of Triassic marine reptiles from the Guizhou province of China.
	A team of scientists from the Museum's department of Environmental and Conservation Programs recently led a Rapid Biological Inventory of the plants and animals living in the Gaoligongshan mountains. One of the most biologically diverse regions in the world, this area is at risk because of rapid human development. In just nine days, the team documented the presence of nearly 1,500 species, including many plants and animals that are endemic to this region.

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