Prairie Elementary School
500 S. Charles St Naperville, IL 60540
Linda Lindstrom, 4th Grade

Our classroom consists of 23 students-14 boys and 9 girls. This class loves to read! Our first fascination this year was with the subject of the Iceman Mummy. The students really became involved in the subject. They loved the graphic pictures we shared of the Iceman.

When they found out that we were participating in Return to the Sahara, they quickly pointed out that a storm in the Sahara Desert blew dust to the mountains where the Iceman was found. This Saharan dust helped the ice melt more quickly. What a connection! We were amazed that dust can travel as far as Italy and Austria. The students are very eager to continue our study of dinosaurs along with Dr. Sereno and expedition members. We have been watching a video from National Geographic about Dr. Sereno's first expedition. Mrs. Lindstrom has also shared photos taken in the lab at the University of Chicago. We enjoy feeling like we are actually taking the trip along with the expedition members. We have been reading newspaper articles of the many discoveries of Dr. Sereno. We can't wait to find out what new discovery awaits!

Student Questions:

1. What is the smallest dinosaur you have discovered?
   
   SERENO: Eoraptor, which is about 3 feet long.
   
2. Do you believe that a meteor hitting the Earth caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?
   
   SERENO: I believe that it was one of several factors -- the most important one. I have come to that conclusion because of many lines of evidence that scientists have discovered that show asteroid debris and record how quickly much of the extinction occurred. But climate was also undergoing a major change at the same time, which probably added to the stress that many organisms needed to handle.
   
   
3. Why are there so many dinosaur discoveries in the Sahara Desert versus other parts of the world?  What was the Sahara like back then?
   
   SERENO: Well, (1) it’s hard to look for fossils in the desert -- check out the website for all that it involves. (2) A desert is a great place to find fossils because there is no ground cover over the rocks where the fossils are preserved. (3) Africa has not been researched as well or as long as North America or many other places. Did you know that there is not even one paved road that crosses the Sahara, north to south?
   
4. What are you hoping to find this time?
   
   SERENO: I hope to find anything well preserved. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if many of those things were new dinosaurs. But really, as a scientist, I and my team want to paint a picture of Africa’s ancient world, and that involves finding many animals and plants.
   
   
5. Parent Question:
   Should a major discovery be made, how would ownership rights be determined-what process would a country or private individual have to follow to determine ownership?
   
   SERENO: Ownership in Niger is simpler, and I think generally better, than in many countries, including the United States. Fossils belong to the country. I have an agreement with Niger to excavate fossils. I will return those fossils after study and may keep some on long-term loan, but they ultimately belong to the country of origin. This is probably the best way to look at both fossils and artifacts. We have come a long way from the time when you could go someplace exotic and dig something up, take it away, and put your name on it, like the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum.