The Mistakes of Copan Marsh and Arthur Lakes

When Edward Cope and OC Marsh began their race to identify and name new species of dinosaur in the 1870s, palaeontology was still a new discipline. Before these two wealthy men entered the field, just eight species had been identified in North America. In two decades, between them they added 136 more. But how did they manage to produce such a vast body of research? And why was their earlier friendship replaced by a bitter professional feud? 

This is a Short History of the Dinosaur Rush.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Lukas Rieppel, historian of science at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

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