Latest news with #HolyGrail
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Kuwait Times
Eggs en Provence: France's unique dinosaur egg trove
At the foot of Sainte Victoire, the mountain in Provence immortalized by Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, a palaeontologist brushes meticulously through a mound of red clay looking for fossils. These are not any old fossils, but 75-million-year-old dinosaur eggs. Little luck or skill is needed to find them: scientists believe that there are more dinosaur eggs here than at any other place on Earth. The area, closed to the public, is nicknamed 'Eggs en Provence', due to its proximity to the southeastern city of Aix en Provence. 'There's no other place like it,' explained Thierry Tortosa, a palaeontologist and conservationist at the Sainte Victoire Nature Reserve. 'You only need to look down to find fragments. We're literally walking on eggshells here.' Around 1,000 eggs, some of them as big as 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter, have been found here in recent years in an area measuring less than a hectare - a mere dot on a reserve that will span 280 hectares once it is doubled in size by 2026 to prevent pillaging. 'We reckon we've got about one egg per square meter (11 square feet). So there are thousands, possibly millions, here,' Tortosa told AFP. 'Eggs' is not in the business of competing with other archaeological sites - even though Tortosa finds the 'world record' of 17,000 dinosaur eggs discovered in Heyuan, China, in 1996 vaguely amusing. 'We're not looking to dig them up because we're in a nature reserve and we can't just alter the landscape. We wait until they're uncovered by erosion,' he said. 'Besides, we don't have enough space to store them all. We just take those that are of interest from a palaeontology point of view.' Thierry Tortosa shows dinosaur eggs found at the Mount Sainte-Victoire site. Children search for dinosaur eggs at the Mount Sainte-Victoire site. An adult and a child search for dinosaur eggs at the Mount Sainte-Victoire site. A person searches for dinosaur eggs at the Mount Sainte-Victoire site. Holy Grail Despite the plethora of eggs on site, the scientists still have mysteries to solve. Those fossils found so far have all been empty, either because they were not fertilized or because the chick hatched and waddled off. 'Until we find embryos inside - that's the Holy Grail - we won't know what kind of dinosaur laid them. All we know is that they were herbivores because they're round,' said Tortosa. Fossilized dinosaur embryos are rarer than hen's teeth. Palaeontologists discovered a tiny fossilized Oviraptorosaur that was at least 66 million years old in Ganzhou, China, around the year 2000. But Tortosa remains optimistic that 'Eggs' holds its own Baby Yingliang. 'Never say never. In the nine years that I've been here, we've discovered a load of stuff we never thought we'd find.' Which is why experts come once a year to search a new part of the reserve. The location is always kept secret to deter pillagers. When AFP visited, six scientists were crouched under camouflage netting in a valley lost in the Provencal scrub, scraping over a few square meters of clay-limestone earth, first with chisels, then with pointy-tipped scribers. 'There's always something magical - like being a child again - when you find an egg or a fossilized bone,' specialist Severine Berton told AFP. Unique Their 'best' finds - among the thousands they have dug up - include a small femur and a 30-centimetre-long tibia-fibula. They are thought to come from a Rhabdodon or a Titanosaur - huge herbivores who roamed the region. In the Cretaceous period (89-66 million years BCE), the Provencal countryside's then-flooded plains and silty-clayey soils offered ideal conditions for dinosaurs to graze and nest, and perfect conditions to conserve the eggs for millennia. The region, which stretched from what is now Spain to the Massif Central mountains of central France formed an island that was home to several dinosaur species found nowhere else in the world. Alongside the endemic herbivores were carnivores such as the Arcovenator and the Variraptor, a relative of the Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame. In 1846, French palaeontologist Philippe Matheron found the world's first fossilized dinosaur egg in Rognac, around 30 kilometers from Eggs. Since then, museums from across the world have dispatched people to Provence on egg hunts. Everyone, it seems, wants a bit of the omelette. Despite efforts to stop pillaging, problems persist, such as when a wildfire uncovered a lot of fossils in 1989 and 'everyone came egg collecting', Tortosa said. Five years later the site was designated a national geological nature reserve, closed to the public - the highest level of protection available. The regional authorities are now mulling over ways to develop 'palaeontology tourism', a move Tortosa applauds. 'France is the only country in the world that doesn't know how to promote its dinosaurs,' Tortosa said. 'Any other place would set up an entire museum just to show off a single tooth.' — AFP
Observer
4 days ago
- Science
- Observer
Eggs en Provence: France's unique dinosaur egg trove
At the foot of Sainte Victoire, the mountain in Provence immortalised by Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, a palaeontologist brushes meticulously through a mound of red clay looking for fossils. These are not any old fossils, but 75-million-year-old dinosaur eggs. Little luck or skill is needed to find them: scientists believe that there are more dinosaur eggs here than at any other place on Earth. The area, closed to the public, is nicknamed 'Eggs en Provence', due to its proximity to the southeastern city of Aix en Provence. 'There's no other place like it,' explained Thierry Tortosa, a palaeontologist and conservationist at the Sainte Victoire Nature Reserve. 'You only need to look down to find fragments. We're literally walking on eggshells here.' Around 1,000 eggs, some of them as big as 30 centimetres (12 inches) in diameter, have been found here in recent years in an area measuring less than a hectare — a mere dot on a reserve that will span 280 hectares once it is doubled in size by 2026 to prevent pillaging. 'We reckon we've got about one egg per square metre (11 square feet). So there are thousands, possibly millions, here,' Tortosa said. 'Eggs' is not in the business of competing with other archaeological sites — even though Tortosa finds the 'world record' of 17,000 dinosaur eggs discovered in Heyuan, China, in 1996 vaguely amusing. 'We're not looking to dig them up because we're in a nature reserve and we can't just alter the landscape. We wait until they're uncovered by erosion,' he said. 'Besides, we don't have enough space to store them all. We just take those that are of interest from a palaeontology point of view.' Holy Grail Despite the plethora of eggs on site, the scientists still have mysteries to solve. Those fossils found so far have all been empty, either because they were not fertilised or because the chick hatched and waddled off. 'Until we find embryos inside — that's the Holy Grail — we won't know what kind of dinosaur laid them. All we know is that they were herbivores because they're round,' said Tortosa. Fossilised dinosaur embryos are rarer than hen's teeth. Palaeontologists discovered a tiny fossilised Oviraptorosaur that was at least 66 million years old in Ganzhou, China, around the year 2000. But Tortosa remains optimistic that 'Eggs' holds its own Baby Yingliang. 'Never say never. In the nine years that I've been here, we've discovered a load of stuff we never thought we'd find.' Which is why experts come once a year to search a new part of the reserve. The location is always kept secret to deter pillagers. When AFP visited, six scientists were crouched under camouflage netting in a valley lost in the Provencal scrub, scraping over a few square metres of clay-limestone earth, first with chisels, then with pointy-tipped scribers. 'There's always something magical — like being a child again — when you find an egg or a fossilised bone,' specialist Severine Berton said. Unique Their 'best' finds — among the thousands they have dug up — include a small femur and a 30-centimetre-long tibia-fibula. They are thought to come from a Rhabdodon or a Titanosaur — huge herbivores who roamed the region. In the Cretaceous period (89-66 million years BCE), the Provencal countryside's then-flooded plains and silty-clayey soils offered ideal conditions for dinosaurs to graze and nest, and perfect conditions to conserve the eggs for millennia. The region, which stretched from what is now Spain to the Massif Central mountains of central France, formed an island that was home to several dinosaur species found nowhere else in the world. Alongside the endemic herbivores were carnivores such as the Arcovenator and the Variraptor, a relative of the Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame. In 1846, French palaeontologist Philippe Matheron found the world's first fossilised dinosaur egg in Rognac, around 30 kilometres from Eggs. Since then, museums from across the world have dispatched people to Provence on egg hunts. Everyone, it seems, wants a bit of the omelette. Despite efforts to stop pillaging, problems persist, such as when a wildfire uncovered a lot of fossils in 1989 and 'everyone came egg collecting', Tortosa said. Five years later, the site was designated a national geological nature reserve, closed to the public -- the highest level of protection available. The regional authorities are now mulling over ways to develop 'palaeontology tourism', a move Tortosa applauds. 'France is the only country in the world that doesn't know how to promote its dinosaurs,' Tortosa said. 'Any other place would set up an entire museum just to show off a single tooth.' — AFP
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Rural Stirling 'Outlander' site also has plenty to offer for walkers and wildlife fans
Doune Castle has also drawn visitors with its links to TV shows such as Monty Python and Game of Thrones. A new recommended walk for visitors to Doune Castle has been published as part of Historic Environment Scotland's (HES) Historic Places, Breathing Spaces campaign. The campaign is calling for people across the country to connect with heritage to help boost their wellbeing, after a recent HES survey found a majority of people (60 per cent) reported improved wellbeing because of visiting a HES site, and 74 per cent of people felt a sense of connection to the sites after visiting. The new trail at Doune Castle, created by Suzee Gibson, Roving Steward with HES, focuses on places to pause, reflect and encourages visitors to enjoy the sights and sounds of the castle's natural setting. While many recognise Doune Castle from its appearances in TV favourites like Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the grounds offer walks along the river, secluded spots for moments of calm, and an abundance of wildlife to see. Visitors to the castle grounds can enjoy the circular walk, taking in the Ardoch Burn and the River Teith, as well as the historic icehouse and wildflower meadow. In summer, there is a chance to spot kingfishers, red squirrels and butterflies, while the blackthorn arched tunnel is often alive with firecrest birds. For those with a little more time, Suzee recommends extending the walk by starting at Draggie Burn Park and Stride. This scenic route to the castle takes visitors past the Doune Ponds, home to ducks and swans, and the community-run woodland, where visitors can pause at the bird hides and picnic tables on their way to the castle. Suzee said: 'Working at Doune Castle means I've been able to discover all these hidden places around the grounds, and this is a fantastic opportunity to get more people to explore what's on their doorstep – and recommend their favourite spots to others! 'Pausing on the wooden bridge and listening to the Ardoch burn bubbling below me always makes me feel grounded. 'Walking or spending time in this setting, whether you have 30 minutes or two hours, invites you to step away from the everyday, breathe deeply, and find a connection to the landscape, Scotland's heritage and yourself.' Full details of the walk, as well as others around the country, are available at Visitors are encouraged to share their stories, videos and photographs from Historic Scotland sites to help build an online exhibition that illustrates the link between wellbeing and heritage sites, and how it supports the country's wider wellbeing agenda. A video with a voiceover from Suzee to show highlights from the route at Doune is available on YouTube:
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Science
- RTÉ News
Eggs en Provence: France's unique dinosaur egg trove
At the foot of Sainte Victoire, the mountain in Provence immortalised by Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, a palaeontologist brushes meticulously through a mound of red clay looking for fossils. These are not any old fossils, but 75-million-year-old dinosaur eggs. Little luck or skill is needed to find them: scientists believe that there are more dinosaur eggs here than at any other place on Earth. The area, closed to the public, is nicknamed "Eggs en Provence", due to its proximity to the southeastern city of Aix en Provence. "There's no other place like it," explained Thierry Tortosa, a palaeontologist and conservationist at the Sainte Victoire Nature Reserve. "You only need to look down to find fragments. We're literally walking on eggshells here." Around 1,000 eggs, some of them as big as 30cm in diameter, have been found here in recent years in an area measuring less than a hectare - a mere dot on a reserve that will span 280 hectares once it is doubled in size by 2026 to prevent pillaging. "We reckon we've got about one egg per square metre. So there are thousands, possibly millions, here," Tortosa said. "Eggs" is not in the business of competing with other archaeological sites - even though Tortosa finds the "world record" of 17,000 dinosaur eggs discovered in Heyuan, China, in 1996 vaguely amusing. "We're not looking to dig them up because we're in a nature reserve and we can't just alter the landscape. We wait until they're uncovered by erosion," he said. "Besides, we don't have enough space to store them all. We just take those that are of interest from a palaeontology point of view." Holy Grail Despite the plethora of eggs on site, the scientists still have mysteries to solve. Those fossils found so far have all been empty, either because they were not fertilised or because the chick hatched. "Until we find embryos inside - that's the Holy Grail - we won't know what kind of dinosaur laid them. All we know is that they were herbivores because they're round," said Tortosa. Fossilised dinosaur embryos are rarer than hen's teeth. Palaeontologists discovered a tiny fossilised Oviraptorosaur that was at least 66 million years old in Ganzhou, China, around the year 2000. But Tortosa remains optimistic that "Eggs" holds its own Baby Yingliang. "Never say never. In the nine years that I've been here, we've discovered a load of stuff we never thought we'd find." Which is why experts come once a year to search a new part of the reserve. The location is always kept secret to deter pillagers. Six scientists crouched under camouflage netting in a valley lost in the Provencal scrub, scraping over a few square metres of clay-limestone earth, first with chisels, then with pointy-tipped scribers. "There's always something magical - like being a child again - when you find an egg or a fossilised bone," specialist Severine Berton said. Unique Their "best" finds - among the thousands they have dug up - include a small femur and a 30-centimetre-long tibia-fibula. They are thought to come from a Rhabdodon or a Titanosaur - huge herbivores who roamed the region. In the Cretaceous period (89-66 million years BCE), the Provencal countryside's then-flooded plains and silty-clayey soils offered ideal conditions for dinosaurs to graze and nest, and perfect conditions to conserve the eggs for millennia. The region, which stretched from what is now Spain to the Massif Central mountains of central France formed an island that was home to several dinosaur species found nowhere else in the world. Alongside the endemic herbivores were carnivores such as the Arcovenator and the Variraptor, a relative of the Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame. In 1846, French palaeontologist Philippe Matheron found the world's first fossilised dinosaur egg in Rognac, around 30 kilometres from Eggs. Since then, museums from across the world have dispatched people to Provence on egg hunts. Everyone, it seems, wants a bit of the omelette. Despite efforts to stop pillaging, problems persist, such as when a wildfire uncovered a lot of fossils in 1989 and "everyone came egg collecting", Tortosa said. Five years later the site was designated a national geological nature reserve, closed to the public - the highest level of protection available. The regional authorities are now mulling over ways to develop "palaeontology tourism", a move Tortosa applauds. "France is the only country in the world that doesn't know how to promote its dinosaurs," Tortosa said.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Eggs en Provence: France's unique dinosaur egg trove
AIX-EN-PROVENCE: At the foot of Sainte Victoire, the mountain in Provence immortalised by Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, a palaeontologist brushes meticulously through a mound of red clay looking for fossils. These are not any old fossils, but 75-million-year-old dinosaur eggs. Little luck or skill is needed to find them: scientists believe that there are more dinosaur eggs here than at any other place on Earth. The area, closed to the public, is nicknamed 'Eggs en Provence', due to its proximity to the southeastern city of Aix en Provence. 'There's no other place like it,' explained Thierry Tortosa, a palaeontologist and conservationist at the Sainte Victoire Nature Reserve. 'You only need to look down to find fragments. We're literally walking on eggshells here.' Around 1,000 eggs, some of them as big as 30 centimetres (12 inches) in diameter, have been found here in recent years in an area measuring less than a hectare -- a mere dot on a reserve that will span 280 hectares once it is doubled in size by 2026 to prevent pillaging. 'We reckon we've got about one egg per square metre (11 square feet). So there are thousands, possibly millions, here,' Tortosa told AFP. 'Eggs' is not in the business of competing with other archaeological sites -- even though Tortosa finds the 'world record' of 17,000 dinosaur eggs discovered in Heyuan, China, in 1996 vaguely amusing. 'We're not looking to dig them up because we're in a nature reserve and we can't just alter the landscape. We wait until they're uncovered by erosion,' he said. 'Besides, we don't have enough space to store them all. We just take those that are of interest from a palaeontology point of view.' Holy Grail Despite the plethora of eggs on site, the scientists still have mysteries to solve. Those fossils found so far have all been empty, either because they were not fertilised or because the chick hatched and waddled off. 'Until we find embryos inside -- that's the Holy Grail -- we won't know what kind of dinosaur laid them. All we know is that they were herbivores because they're round,' said Tortosa. Fossilised dinosaur embryos are rarer than hen's teeth. Palaeontologists discovered a tiny fossilised Oviraptorosaur that was at least 66 million years old in Ganzhou, China, around the year 2000. But Tortosa remains optimistic that 'Eggs' holds its own Baby Yingliang. 'Never say never. In the nine years that I've been here, we've discovered a load of stuff we never thought we'd find.' Which is why experts come once a year to search a new part of the reserve. The location is always kept secret to deter pillagers. When AFP visited, six scientists were crouched under camouflage netting in a valley lost in the Provencal scrub, scraping over a few square metres of clay-limestone earth, first with chisels, then with pointy-tipped scribers. 'There's always something magical -- like being a child again -- when you find an egg or a fossilised bone,' specialist Severine Berton told AFP. Unique Their 'best' finds -- among the thousands they have dug up -- include a small femur and a 30-centimetre-long tibia-fibula. They are thought to come from a Rhabdodon or a Titanosaur -- huge herbivores who roamed the region. In the Cretaceous period (89-66 million years BCE), the Provencal countryside's then-flooded plains and silty-clayey soils offered ideal conditions for dinosaurs to graze and nest, and perfect conditions to conserve the eggs for millennia. The region, which stretched from what is now Spain to the Massif Central mountains of central France formed an island that was home to several dinosaur species found nowhere else in the world. Alongside the endemic herbivores were carnivores such as the Arcovenator and the Variraptor, a relative of the Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame. In 1846, French palaeontologist Philippe Matheron found the world's first fossilised dinosaur egg in Rognac, around 30 kilometres from Eggs. Since then, museums from across the world have dispatched people to Provence on egg hunts. Everyone, it seems, wants a bit of the omelette. Despite efforts to stop pillaging, problems persist, such as when a wildfire uncovered a lot of fossils in 1989 and 'everyone came egg collecting', Tortosa said. Five years later the site was designated a national geological nature reserve, closed to the public -- the highest level of protection available. The regional authorities are now mulling over ways to develop 'palaeontology tourism', a move Tortosa applauds. 'France is the only country in the world that doesn't know how to promote its dinosaurs,' Tortosa said. 'Any other place would set up an entire museum just to show off a single tooth.'
