Where did modern paleontology, the science of studying dinosaur fossils, begin?
Danish geologist and anatomist Neils Stensen (1638-1686) – commonly known as Nicolaus Steno – was among the first naturalists to discern the true nature of glossopetrae. …Although the shark’s head was badly desiccated and many of the teeth were missing, Stensen dissected the jaws, eye, and ear, describing these structures in detail in a report published in 1667. …And that’s the story of how glossopetrae and the head of a Great White Shark played a pivotal role in launching the modern sciences of both geology and paleontology. Not bad for a ‘fallen’ amulet!
