www.fieldmuseum.org/thesuefiles

Sixty-seven million years ago Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct so we know that Sue could not be the culprit. However, we want to test whether Sue could have been the culprit if she was alive today. Is the fact that T. rex are extinct and Sue is long dead the only reasons she could not be the culprit?

As you get started, keep in mind that running an investigation takes quite a bit of detective work. You need to:

Identify a question or hypothesis to test,
Gather information to use as evidence,
Determine whether the evidence does or does not support your hypothesis, and
Present your answer or conclusion in a Final Report that will persuade others.

In an investigation there often is not a clear right or wrong answer. Therefore, the strength of your conclusion depends on how well you support it with the evidence you have collected. The method you will use as a detective to figure out whether Sue was the culprit is very similar to how a scientist would determine whether Sue was a predator or laid eggs.

If you are ready to start collecting evidence on whether Sue could have been the culprit, start by reading the article that prompted the investigation.