He Listed a T. Rex Fossil on eBay for $2.95 Million. Scientists Weren’t Thrilled.

Much scientific Ado Over Nothing. Any interested scientists had two years while the fossil was on public display at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum to take photos, measurements and whatever else they needed for research and scientific purposes. There is nothing in the article to indicate that any such request was made either to the museum or to Mr. Detrich, much less denied. It seems to me that the concern of the complaining scientists is more about what might ensue if Mr. Detrich gets his millions; that it might perhaps result in a modern-day gold rush for fossils with amateurs destroying valuable remnants in the process. But hundreds of thousands of fossils ranging from ancient shark teeth to trilobite fossils are already being sold all over the planet. In fact some scientists have made significant discoveries arising from such commercially sold fossils.

The KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas was recently in the news for another spectacular find by Robert DePalma, a Ph.D. student at the Institute who apparently found a Hell Creek fossil bed (Tanis site) formed during the day of the asteroid impact that caused all terrestrial dinosaurs to go extinct (K-Pg Mass Extinction). Robert DePalma apparently has also leased this fossil bed from a rancher in western North Dakota, much like where the T. Rex was found on a private ranch in Montana. In other words, he owns all the rights to the fossils of the Tanis site and has made money by making and selling casts of previous fossil finds from the site. It seems the KU Institute of Biodiversity and Natural History Museum has a number of people who utilize questionable practices in paleontological material.

Seems like another blizzard of fake bids is due to me.

We may need a new next generation of paleontologists to step up and muzzle the old duffers, who think they can and should own everything dug up. There is reason in trying to assure scientific access to rare and unique materials. Good idea. However, the attitude has metastasized to the point where a kid can pick up a bison tooth out of river gravel in a national park and be made to feel a total criminal. There is NO scientific value in such a find- but there would be HUGE value to the kid in owning thattreasure all her life. I guarantee the kid would be 20 times more attuned to "science"; forever. The world is FULL of fossils with zero, or next to zero scientific significance- which could be encouraging people everywhere to tune into the planet's long history. It's amazing to hold something millions of years old in your hand. A T-Rex? We have several, yes? Sure, it could be great to have this one "studied" too- do you know what that costs? Any volunteer scientists out there? No, in this case; the owner could not find a museum that wanted to spend the millions to acquire, curate, study, publish, and display this one. The theoretical billionaire, however- could do all that out of their spare change; and generate more interest, in new directions. Why, for the love of Darwin, not?? Anybody remember the old Aesop fable of "The dog in the manger"? That's exactly what's going on here.

It's his property...If he wants to sell it...he should be able to... If the museum finds this objectionable..then pony up and buy it themselves... I bet the owner will negotiate a fair price...

Life finds a way when it comes to dinosaurs.

Why can't he sell it? You have to be our President to sell things?

If this was a piece of artwork on loan to a museum would we even be having this discussion? I am sure the owner appreciates the NYT for the additional advertising...

C'mon, you one-percenters. Please use part of you big Trump/GOP 2018 tax cut to buy this baby T-Rex and donate it to a museum for the enlightenment of all. I'm sure some natural history museum would name a wing after you for your generosity.

What a promotion! Even better than having it in a Kansas museum... An article in The New York Times! Only thing missing is Detrich's contact information...

So what's the difference between this and having artwork in a private collection? Nothing. If the scientists want this skeleton, they'll have to pony up.

Sounds like the scientists have dropped the ball. They should have contacted a real estate attorney in the state to see if Detrich is really the owner of something found on his landlord's property.

Selling the fossil one time to the highest bidder is thinking too small. I think Mr Detrich should structure the asset as a time share or lease. Lease it to multiple millionaires or billionaires who have access for certain periods, after which time the asset rotates to the next lessor. Perhaps tenured professors with cushy lifetime appointments and 6 months of vacation should stop preaching to people who have to go earn a real wage. You go Mr Detrich. Leverage that fossil for every penny you can!

Are we really talking about a bunch of 'rocks' that have been dug up to be sold, or is this more about scientific information and discovery contained in the rocks? To me, it seems obvious that these fossils possess a scientific heritage that belongs to everyone, regardless of who dug them up. Where are our laws to protect knowledge and scientific investigation? Maybe Mr. Detrich does own the rocks, but does he own Science, too?

Use Eminent Domain and take it from him. It is part of our heritage. Traditonally found items like this belonged to the king or state.

This is a case of "it depends on whose ox is being gored." Ten years ago the Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland was under fire for selling donated vehicles, supposedly to save itself from financial ruin. Who's to say that won't (or hasn't) happened again elsewhere. It also brings to mind, for those of a certain age, a song from Credence Clearwater Revival: "It Fell Out of the Sky. Partial lyrics below, and a quick explanation: Jody found said item (never really identified) after it fell from the sky to his farm. Walter and Eric were Walter Cronkite and Eric Sevareid, popular tv newsmen of the time. "Oh, the newspapers came and made Jody a national hero Walter and Eric said they'd put him on a network TV show The White House said, "Put the thing in the blue room" The Vatican said, "No, it belongs to Rome" And Jody said, it's mine but you can have it for seventeen million." I side with Jody.

I for one am less interested in who owns what and can sell to whom than in the stunning baby T-rex models in the photo. They are feathered head to tail and remarkably bird-like in appearance. Obviously there is a lot of conjecture in their construction, but as we learn about the evolutionary similarities between dinosaurs and modern birds, maybe there is more and more irrefutable fact behind these 3- D representations. Either way, I have never seen dinosaur models that looked less lizardy and more birdy. Maybe an ornithologist should buy up Mr. Detrich’s bones!

You can find fossils for sale in many formats. Figuring out how to make certain fossils a special class that couldn't be sold by a private owner to another individual would be a giant quagmire capable of entombing and fossilizing legal minds. Still the thought of finding a fossil such as this next to Beanie Babies on eBay is just another measure of the power the need to possess rare and not so rare objects.

So anything sufficiently old and rare - as determined by museums and scientists - actually belongs to museums and scientists, by virtue of its age and rarity, rather than to the person who otherwise nominally owns it. And if you ever loan an artifact to a museum, it's treated much as an easement in property law, and you can never take it back. I see.

I wonder how many of these researchers who criticise Mr. Detrich work at Universities whose sports programs make millions and the athletes get very little. They should clean their own institutions first.

How does selling a fossil change its scientific importance? Alan Detrich loaned the fossil to a museum for two years. How much has it been studied during those two years? Is there some rule that says a new owner would be prevented from allowing the fossil to be further studied? I realize there are numerous paleontologists out there who are convinced their own destiny is in the fossil in question, but what happens if Mr. Detrich decides to box the thing up and put it in a closet? He has offered the museum a cast. He is going to die someday, and even if he lives to be 148 years old someone else will then be in charge of the skeleton. The skeleton will then be 77 years older than it already is. The only way this makes any sense at all is that the fossil science community decided to make enough noise to get the attention of rich people in hopes that someone might buy if for them. It's not any more becoming than their own accusations regarding the current owner.

It's his. I don't like that it is not available for public display or for scientific research, but what I like is not relevant here. I can hardly blame the owner for wanting to convert his find to cash... I would want to as well. I bet quite a few other people would do the same, if that were their decision to take. Personally, I would enjoy a couple of million dollars than a pile of fossil bones. And maybe the new owner will allow access to the fossil or even lend it to a museum.

I hope for Mr. Detrich's sake, the future buyer does not open an "item not as described case" which may not bode well for the seller.

He's right. He found it, he owns it, and he can sell it. Is anyone disputing that? Maybe he shouldn't sell it. But that's a different question.

Just because something can be bought doesn't mean it belongs to the buyer. Personal possessions are not categorically made by purchasing something/anything. A car, yes; a house,yes; clothing, yes; personal effects, yes. And so on . . . But Not items of collective meaning and significance, or value for study of collective inheritance of the world we live in.

The article said he found the Rex on land he leased, so, technically, doesn't the Rex belong to the landowner?

Egypt, Israel and I’m guessing other countries have antiquities laws that declare all antique artifacts found even on private land to be property of the state. Whoever finds an artifact is required to turn it in to the authorities. Perhaps a similar law should be passed regarding dinosaur fossils in the US. Until that happens, the collector can sell his T-Rex to whomever he chooses, on eBay or anywhere else. I hope a wealthy benefactor will step forward to purchase the item and donate it to a museum where it belongs.

Attending the Tucson Gem Show several years running, I would often question the morality of what the vendors were selling: Fossilized clutches of dinosaur eggs, trilobites, jaws and skulls of extinct animals. The ethos of, "I found it, I can sell it" prevailed.

Wait a second. Most animal fossils are not actually skeletons (or the animal itself), but mineral deposits (carried by water) that have filled in the imprints or structural molds remaining when an animal or plant dies. Some exceptions apply here such as any captured in plant resins ((amber)), tar, or ice; and such as sharks' teeth. So, in fact, again, most animal fossils are simply mineral cast impressions or imprints, not the actual skeletons as reported here. That is a significant scientific difference (although there is academic value in such fossils), But this case, I am attempting to make a journalistic point, not simply scientific one. I won't digress here by noting that there are very few, if any, complete fossils of animals. Most that one views in museums consist of some fossil mineral deposits , and most often the majority of the exhibit is made up of artificial fill ins, often just guesses. That is where more complete fossil evidence comes in handy.

It seems to me that criticism of Mr. Detrich is presumptuous. We all possess things that would have higher moral value if we gave them away-- our cars, our clothes, our TIME. Think of how much better off the world would be if we stopped surfing the internet, and donated all our newfound free time to helping the poor. But we don't expect that much generosity of ourselves. Why do we expect it of Mr. Detrich?

I am surprised that almost all commentors so far are so critical of the museum and give no consideration to the scientific importance of the fossil. Some things should be regarded as more than mere property regardless of where it is found or who finds it. Yes, in the strict sense, Detrich is the owner and has the legal right to grind the fossil to dust if he so chose. But selling the fossil would deprive all people the scientific heritage embodied in that fossil. This is not a legal question, it is an ethical one. This is no different than if a private collector had found the Dead Sea Scrolls or King Tut's tomb and tried to sell them to the highest bidder.

Museums all over the world are packed with great stuff that never gets researched. There aren't enough trained researchers to even look at most of it and I'm pretty sure the new owner would provide access if asked.

Of course, he can do as he likes. Let him cast his own financial shadow over his guise of philanthropy and good will. It’s the pretense of using the museum’s autograph and authentication blindly that should make anyone’s mouth taste funny.

Wahhh! Sounds like the museum is crying because someone wants to exercise their rights of ownership. As I read this, I couldn't help but think the museum personnel's quotes indicate they thought they owned it, and not the owner....but that said, this fossil hunter is also selling something he doesn't own: he pulled it from land he leases: does he have the mineral and resource rights to sell those fossil's? Regardless, the museum has no ownership claims at all, so why are they shaming the finder? Why are they arrogantly assuming they can dictate how it is sold? Journalists should have answered the obvious questions.

The museum should help him to find a buyer. They would incentivize other amateur scientists like fossil hunters who would create more knowledge with their amateur discoveries. Simply fighting with Detrich over his attempt to find compensation for his amazing find is unproductive towards scientific discovery and towards strengthening the scientific community.

"owner had abruptly listed the specimen for sale on eBay without prior warning or checking with us.” Since when does the owner of something on loan to a museum is required to inform the "exhibitor" of the object any plans for future sale? The argument that the owner is using the exhibit as free publicity for the sale could be applied to any museum exhibit of artwork that is on temporary loan. Why should a dinosaur skeleton fossil be any different? It's only different because a few scientists want it to be different. What's their solution? Government expropriation of private property?

He owns it, and he can do what he wants. If other people want it to be handled another way, they can buy it. Or, talk to whoever does buy it.