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USA Today
11-07-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Denver museum discovers nearly 70-million-year-old fossil under parking lot
A museum in Denver has found a fossil that is almost 70 million years old under its parking lot while running an unrelated drilling project. "This may be the most unusual dinosaur discovery I have ever been a part of," said Patrick O'Connor, director of Earth & Space Sciences at the Museum, in a statement. In January, the museum conducted a geothermal test drilling project to see if it was possible to switch from natural gas to geothermal energy, according to a press release published on the museum's website. "At that time, the team took the opportunity to carry out a scientific coring research initiative to help researchers better understand the geology of the Denver Basin," the press release stated. "The coring investigation led to the unexpected discovery of a nearly [70 million-year-old] dinosaur fossil." The discovery, a partial-bone fossil that was identified as a vertebra of a herbivorous dinosaur, is on display in the 'Discovering Teen Rex' exhibition on the museum floor. 'In my 35 years at the Museum, we've never had an opportunity quite like this — to study the deep geologic layers beneath our feet with such precision," Bob Raynolds, a longtime Earth Sciences Research Associate, said in a statement. "That this fossil turned up here, in City Park, is nothing short of magical.' More news: Pterosaur fossil discovered in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park fills gap in record Where was the fossil located? The fossil was found 763 feet below the surface of the museum's parking lot near the city's largest park, City Park, which also contains the Denver Zoo. It "has been identified as the deepest and oldest dinosaur fossil ever found within the city limits," according to the museum. What did the fossil belong to? The museum only states that the fossil likely belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs. But, it looks very similar to one belonging to a Thescelosaurus from the latest Cretaceous Period. Remains of the dinosaur have been found in Canada and the U.S., according to the Natural History Museum in London. The dinosaur, which name means "wonderful lizard," would have been nearly as tall as the average man and been around 10-12 feet long, or 3.5 meters. How old was the fossil? The bones were found in rock from the Late Cretaceous period, and are dated to be around 67.5 million years ago. 'This fossil comes from an era just before the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it offers a rare window into the ecosystem that once existed right beneath modern-day Denver," James Hagadorn, curator of geology at the Museum, said in a statement. It was a small ornithopod, which means a bipedal dinosaur with only three functional toes, according to Mirriam-Webster. Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance showcases wild animal antics videos on social media
With millions of videos on various social media platforms, it can be difficult to stick out, let alone reach millions, yet the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance has found a way to do just that. Over the last several years, the digital content team at the zoo has worked very hard to take all that happens at the zoo and present it in a new light. Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance's TikTok account. Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance "The way that we do animal care is always evolving, the way we think about conservation is evolving, so the way that we communicate it should also evolve," said Erica Haase, Digital Content Manager. Countless videos posted by the team in Denver have gone viral, reaching millions and millions of viewers. "There is so much that happens behind the scenes, and we get to tell, we would love to share with every single person, and that is why social media is such a powerful tool," said Dailyn Sounder, the Digital Content Coordinator. Dailyn shoots a lot of the video from the zoo for its social media pages. "A photograph can say a million things, but a video can say a million more, and when it comes to integrating humor, we can do that in a way that is not only informative but inspiring," says Sounder. The Denver Zoo's Digital Content Coordinator Dailyn Sounder tapes a social media video with Digital Content Manager Erica Haase. CBS Many of the videos not only feature the silly nature of some of the animals, but also tell bigger picture stories of the work being done at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. "A really interesting element of the zoo is that we have a state-of-the-art animal hospital – and we take care of all of our animals, not just our four-legged creatures, but our aquarium creatures. The fish getting a CT scan being held in a bucket with sponges holding it up, keeping it wet, was such a fun, interesting thing to go out into the world," Sounder says. Many of the videos show the animals at the zoo, just doing what they do, paired with trending audio from pop culture. Others take that special work done behind the scenes and bring it to millions across the world. "Likes are great, and that is fun for me to see, but there is more to the story with social media. Social media is such a powerful tool to reach new audiences and connect with people, and invite people to be part of our mission," says Haase. Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance If you want to get a good laugh or learn something new, give the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance a follow on Instagram and TikTok.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Coloradan whose inclusion on Antartica research trip was denied 70 years ago, because she's a woman, gets another chance to meet penguins
The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance helped make a Colorado grandmother's dream come true this week. She got the chance to meet penguins up close. Doris Garcia, a 96 year old from Boulder, got a behind-the-scenes look at a group of African penguins. And she even got to play with them. CBS She was supposed to see them 70 years ago. She was working for the American government in Argentina, when she was invited on a research trip to Antarctica. Garcia was already on the boat, when everything changed. Doris: "It was very simple. I had the costume, totally the whole deal, I was all ready to go. (They said) 'you're a woman.' That was the end of that," Garcia said. File photo of Doris Garcia early in her career Doris Garcia She was forced to turn around just because she was female. "I was really looking forward to being out there, but c'est la vie," Garcia said. The story is one Garcia's daughter Britt has heard many times. "She's told us ever since we were little about this trip to Argentina and how she had always wanted to see the penguins," Britt Garcia said. CBS Compassionate Hospice worked with the zoo to make the moment finally happen. For Doris and Britt, it was a day they'll never forget. "It's a big, big day," Britt said. In an email to CBS Colorado before Wednesday's event, Compassionate Hospice shared the following statement about Garcia: "At Compassionate Hospice, our goal is to bring peace and comfort to patients at the end of their life, and one of the ways we do that is through our own make a wish program for patients. We have the incredible opportunity to help complete a lifelong dream for one of our patients; a 96-year-old woman whose life story is nothing short of inspiring. As a young woman in the 1940s she attended George Washington University and though faced with constant doubt and verbal discouragement, she was one of the first women to graduate with a degree in mathematics. After graduating, she went on to work with the US government. She was stationed in Ushuaia, Argentina in the 1950's doing research work and was slated to do research work with an all-male crew in Antarctica. She was packed and ready, complete with a custom snow suit! But just one day before departure, she was told she couldn't go; not because she lacked the skills, but because she was a woman. I truly cannot overstate the level of devastation this has left in her life. Every person she has met on our hospice team has been told the story of her grand adventures as a single young woman that traveled to a remote village in Argentina, where she operated one of the first automatic calculators called the Monroe. Each time she recounts her time there, she laments the anguish she carries that she was not able to "step foot on Antarctica with those penguins". ... In a dream world, we'd be able to take this patient to Antarctica, but unfortunately that isn't possible, especially with her health condition. However, I believe, with the help of the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, we can bring a bit of peace and perhaps help fulfill a small part of her dream."
New York Post
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Denver zoo closes early over the weekend to prevent wild teens from pulling off TikTok-inspired ‘takeover' trend
The Denver Zoo closed early on Saturday ahead of a planned teen 'takeover' of the park that went viral on TikTok as part of an alarming trend among youths that is wreaking havoc in public spaces across the country. Zoo staff decided to shutter the park to prevent the so-called 'takeover' before it could happen. They weren't entirely sure what the coup they put a stop to would've looked like, but knew they didn't want to see a repeat of others that have cropped up around the country this summer. Advertisement The Denver Zoo closed early on Saturday ahead of a planned teen 'takeover' of the park that went viral on TikTok as part of an alarming trend among youths that is wreaking havoc in public spaces across the country. AP 'We don't know the exact nature of the event, but we know previous events organized in a similar fashion have led to some disruption to local businesses, damage, vandalism, things like that,' zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie told KUSA. 'We don't believe we're a target of anything. We haven't received any information that suggests that there is gonna be any impact to us. We're always leaning towards caution over everything else.' Advertisement Last weekend, one of the planned events took Denver's Northfield Mall by storm as more than 300 unruly teenagers descended onto the property and started fighting each other following a call-out to meet at the shopping center on TikTok. Following the early closure, zoo staff were still on high alert, but no one showed. Still, other community advocates and police spent the rest of their Saturday afternoon patrolling around Denver's City Park in the sweltering heat just to be extra cautious. Two children watch the penguins at the Denver Zoo's new African penguin habitat in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 30, 2021. Denver Post via Getty Images Advertisement Across the country on the East Coast, Garden State teenagers haven't been on their best behavior either. In just one week, two separate TikTok-fueled pop-ups spurred hundreds of teens to shut down a mall and a carnival that were mere miles apart. In Edison, New Jersey, more than 300 youth turned the Menlo Park Mall into their personal playground, forcing innocent shoppers to take shelter inside stores as fights started breaking out. The following week, another takeover destroyed a carnival in a mall parking lot just 2.5 short miles away from the Edison site. The carnival had tried to impose an 18-and-up limit for after-hours, but the teenagers weren't having it and started scaling fences to get inside.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Denver Zoo to close early due to social media-inspired teenage 'takeover'
The Denver Zoo will close early on Saturday due to a planned social-media inspired 'takeover' of the zoo's surrounding park by a large group of teenagers. A spokesperson for the zoo told NBC affiliate KUSA that it will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 1 p.m. due to the gathering, which is being referred to as the 'City Park Takeover' online. A similar event took place in the city last weekend, with hundreds of teenagers descending at the Northfield Mall, causing some fights to break out that involved the response of law enforcement, KUSA reported. It is unclear if there is a specific group organizing the events. 'We don't know the exact nature of the event but we know previous events organized in a similar fashion have led to some disruption to local businesses, damage, vandalism, things like that,' zoo spokesperson Jake Kubie told KUSA. Kubie said the early closure was a precaution against any disturbances. 'We don't believe we're a target of anything. We haven't received any information that suggests that there is gonna be any impact to us,' he said. 'We're always leaning towards caution over everything else.' No arrests were made and no property was damaged at the event last weekend, KUSA reported. The Denver Police Department said in a statement that it is aware of the 'takeover' events in the city and 'will plan accordingly to try to minimize the impact of these events.' Kubie told KUSA that the zoo is 'prepared.' 'Being a zoo — an 80-acre campus with 2,500 wild animals and almost 2 million guests coming in every year — it's our responsibility to be prepared for anything that can happen,' he said. 'Fortunately we haven't had any incidents along these lines, but we're ready for whatever may happen.' This article was originally published on
