News — Events

These are exciting times for British palaeontology, with new important discoveries being documented in the scientific literature on a reasonably frequent basis. Some recent examples that spring to mind include the new Welsh theropod dinosaur Dracoraptor hanigani, the new ichthyosaur species Eileanchelys waldmani from the Isle of Skye, Scotland and most recently the description of two new species of Ichthyosaurus, by Dean Lomax and Judy Massare, in a paper just published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology. Dean is well known as the co-presenter of the TV documentary Dinosaur Britain and also as co-author of our highly acclaimed book: Dinosaurs of...

We are pleased to announce the following excellent review of our book Solving the Mystery of the First Animals on Land - the Fossils of Blackberry Hill by Kenneth (Chris) Gass, just published in the latest edition of Fossil News: Fossil News (Fall 2016: 51, abridged snippets): "...a beautiful, extensively illustrated book on one of the more important Middle Cambrian trace fossil deposits in the United States (the book contains 81 high-quality figures, most of them in colour and published only in this volume). …a great addition to the library of anyone interested in trace fossils, Cambrian life, or the...

On Saturday we are looking forward to visiting the Bakewell Rock Exchange. It is recognized internationally as the UK’s best loved mineral show, with dealers from around the UK and Europe congregating in the heart of England’s Peak District National Park. The show, held at Lady Manners High School, Bakewell, is organized by the Peak Lapidary and Mineral Society and is now in its 36th year. With more than 70 different stalls exhibiting a huge variety of rocks, minerals, fossils and gemstones, there is something for everyone, from the specialist to the family day out. Pete Lawrence, one of our...

It is that time again ... the Yorkshire Fossil Festival will be witnessing its third incarnation this weekend. Last year we had a wonderful time at this event. It was great fun for all the family and well worth a visit. Remember also that we currently have a 10% discount off the RRP of our title: So you want to be a palaeontologist - practical advice for fossil enthusiasts of all ages by David Penney, but the discount code (Deposits2016) expires on Saturday! Click here to go to the product page. Some photos of last year's festival follow: More information...

Recently we have visited two different schools as part of our outreach work. The first was St. Edwards, Rochdale, where we presented a range of different fossils and explained how they were formed and what they can tell us. We took lots of really cool stuff and the kids really enjoyed it, particularly as their own teaching collection consisted of just six very small specimens of common species. The second visit was to Linden Road Academy as part of National Insect Week. We answered questions from the children that had arisen over the course of their week-long entomological forays. Of...