JROMC is pleased to co-host this event on the mysteries of the underground by Dr. Ben Tobin, Director of the National Cave and Karst Institute, at 7:00pm on Thursday, Jun 19 at Fuller Lodge.
Title:
Rethinking Mass Extinctions
Abstract:
Dr. Spencer Lucas, Curator of Paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, will present a public lecture titled “Rethinking Mass Extinctions”, offering a radically different perspective on one of Earth’s most dramatic biological events. Drawing from decades of research, Dr. Lucas challenges conventional thinking by reevaluating the evidence and arguments surrounding mass extinction events.
The talk coincides with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science’s newly remodeled exhibit, the 3,000-square-foot Bradbury Stamm Construction Hall of Ancient Life. Hundreds of fossils unearthed across New Mexico over the past 30 years are showcased. The exhibit traces the evolution of life and environments from the Paleozoic Era, spanning back nearly 500 million years. This is the first major renovation of the museum’s exhibit hall, first opened in 1987. The new installation brings to life ancient marine ecosystems, prehistoric plants, and long-extinct animals, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the region’s rich paleontological record.
Both the lecture and exhibit underscore the ongoing scientific discoveries being made in New Mexico and the importance of revisiting what we think we know about extinction and survival over geologic time.
Speaker Biography:
Spencer Lucas is an American paleontologist and stratigrapher, and curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. His main areas of study are late Paleozoic, Mesozoic and early Cenozoic vertebrate fossils, stratigraphy, and continental deposits, particularly in the American Southwest.
This event brought to you by the New Mexico Consortium, Zia Credit Union, ScienceFest, and The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee.
To learn more, see: https://newmexicoconsortium.org/ysos/