A Short History of Nearly Everything-第15章

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d　beaccounted　for　by　a　single　noachian　deluge；　as　the　biblical　flood　was　known。　cuvier　resolvedthe　matter　to　his　own　satisfaction　by　suggesting　that　genesis　applied　only　to　the　most　recentinundation。　god；　it　appeared；　hadn’t　wished　to　distract　or　alarm　moses　with　news　of　earlier；irrelevant　extinctions。

so　by　the　early　years　of　the　nineteenth　century；　fossils　had　taken　on　a　certain　inescapableimportance；　which　makes　wistar’s　failure　to　see　the　significance　of　his　dinosaur　bone　all　themore　unfortunate。　suddenly；　in　any　case；　bones　were　turning　up　all　over。　several　otheropportunities　arose　for　americans　to　claim　the　discovery　of　dinosaurs　but　all　were　wasted。　in1806　the　lewis　and　clark　expedition　passed　through　the　hell　creek　formation　in　montana；　anarea　where　fossil　hunters　would　later　literally　trip　over　dinosaur　bones；　and　even　examinedwhat　was　clearly　a　dinosaur　bone　embedded　in　rock；　but　failed　to　make　anything　of　it。　otherbones　and　fossilized　footprints　were　found　in　the　connecticut　river　valley　of　new　englandafter　a　farm　boy　named　plinus　moody　spied　ancient　tracks　on　a　rock　ledge　at　south　hadley；massachusetts。　some　of　these　at　least　survive—notably　the　bones　of　an　anchisaurus；　whichare　in　the　collection　of　the　peabody　museum　at　yale。　found　in　1818；　they　were　the　firstdinosaur　bones　to　be　examined　and　saved；　but　unfortunately　weren’t　recognized　for　what　theywere　until　1855。　in　that　same　year；　1818；　caspar　wistar　died；　but　he　did　gain　a　certainunexpected　immortality　when　a　botanist　named　thomas　nuttall　named　a　delightful　climbingshrub　after　him。　some　botanical　purists　still　insist　on　spelling　it　wistaria　。

by　this　time；　however；　paleontological　momentum　had　moved　to　england。　in　1812；　atlyme　regis　on　the　dorset　coast；　an　extraordinary　child　named　mary　anning—aged　eleven；twelve；　or　thirteen；　depending　on　whose　account　you　read—found　a　strange　fossilized　seamonster；　seventeen　feet　long　and　now　known　as　the　ichthyosaurus；　embedded　in　the　steep　anddangerous　cliffs　along　the　english　channel。

it　was　the　start　of　a　remarkable　career。　anning　would　spend　the　next　thirty…five　yearsgathering　fossils；　which　she　sold　to　visitors。　（she　is　monly　held　to　be　the　source　for　thefamous　tongue　twister　“she　sells　seashells　on　the　seashore。”）　she　would　also　find　the　firstplesiosaurus；　another　marine　monster；　and　one　of　the　first　and　best　pterodactyls。　though　noneof　these　was　technically　a　dinosaur；　that　wasn’t　terribly　relevant　at　the　time　since　nobody　thenknew　what　a　dinosaur　was。　it　was　enough　to　realize　that　the　world　had　once　held　creaturesstrikingly　unlike　anything　we　might　now　find。

it　wasn’t　simply　that　anning　was　good　at　spotting　fossils—though　she　was　unrivalled　atthat—but　that　she　could　extract　them　with　the　greatest　delicacy　and　without　damage。　if　youever　have　the　chance　to　visit　the　hall　of　ancient　marine　reptiles　at　the　natural　history　museumin　london；　i　urge　you　to　take　it　for　there　is　no　other　way　to　appreciate　the　scale　and　beauty　ofwhat　this　young　woman　achieved　working　virtually　unaided　with　the　most　basic　tools　innearly　impossible　conditions。　the　plesiosaur　alone　took　her　ten　years　of　patient　excavation。

although　untrained；　anning　was　also　able　to　provide　petent　drawings　and　descriptions　forscholars。　but　even　with　the　advantage　of　her　skills；　significant　finds　were　rare　and　she　passedmost　of　her　life　in　poverty。

it　would　be　hard　to　think　of　a　more　overlooked　person　in　the　history　of　paleontology　thanmary　anning；　but　in　fact　there　was　one　who　came　painfully　close。　his　name　was　gideonalgernon　mantell　and　he　was　a　country　doctor　in　sussex。

mantell　was　a　lanky　assemblage　of　shortings—he　was　vain；　self…absorbed；　priggish；neglectful　of　his　family—but　never　was　there　a　more　devoted　amateur　paleontologist。　he　wasalso　lucky　to　have　a　devoted　and　observant　wife。　in　1822；　while　he　was　making　a　house　callon　a　patient　in　rural　sussex；　mrs。　mantell　went　for　a　stroll　down　a　nearby　lane　and　in　a　pile　ofrubble　that　had　been　left　to　fill　potholes　she　found　a　curious　object—a　curved　brown　stone；about　the　size　of　a　small　walnut。　knowing　her　husband’s　interest　in　fossils；　and　thinking　itmight　be　one；　she　took　it　to　him。　mantell　could　see　at　once　it　was　a　fossilized　tooth；　and　aftera　little　study　became　certain　that　it　was　from　an　animal　that　was　herbivorous；　reptilian；extremely　large—tens　of　feet　long—and　from　the　cretaceous　period。　he　was　right　on　allcounts；　but　these　were　bold　conclusions　since　nothing　like　it　had　been　seen　before　or　evenimagined。

aware　that　his　finding　would　entirely　upend　what　was　understood　about　the　past；　and　urgedby　his　friend　the　reverend　william　buckland—he　of　the　gowns　and　experimental　appetite—to　proceed　with　caution；　mantell　devoted　three　painstaking　years　to　seeking　evidence　tosupport　his　conclusions。　he　sent　the　tooth　to　cuvier　in　paris　for　an　opinion；　but　the　greatfrenchman　dismissed　it　as　being　from　a　hippopotamus。　（cuvier　later　apologized　handsomelyfor　this　uncharacteristic　error。）　one　day　while　doing　research　at　the　hunterian　museum　inlondon；　mantell　fell　into　conversation　with　a　fellow　researcher　who　told　him　the　tooth　lookedvery　like　those　of　animals　he　had　been　studying；　south　american　iguanas。　a　hastyparison　confirmed　the　resemblance。　and　so　mantell’s　creature　became　iguanodon　；　aftera　basking　tropical　lizard　to　which　it　was　not　in　any　manner　related。

mantell　prepared　a　paper　for　delivery　to　the　royal　society。　unfortunately　it　emerged　thatanother　dinosaur　had　been　found　at　a　quarry　in　oxfordshire　and　had　just　been　formallydescribed—by　the　reverend　buckland；　the　very　man　who　had　urged　him　not　to　work　in　haste。

it　was　the　megalosaurus；　and　the　name　was　actually　suggested　to　buckland　by　his　friend　dr。

james　parkinson；　the　would…be　radical　and　eponym　for　parkinson’s　disease。　buckland；　it　maybe　recalled；　was　foremost　a　geologist；　and　he　showed　it　with　his　work　on　megalosaurus。　in　hisreport；　for　the　transactions　of　the　geological　society　of　london　；　he　noted　that　the　creature’steeth　were　not　attached　directly　to　the　jawbone　as　in　lizards　but　placed　in　sockets　in　themanner　of　crocodiles。　but　having　noticed　this　much；　buckland　failed　to　realize　what　it　meant：

megalosaurus　was　an　entirely　new　type　of　creature。　so　although　his　report　demonstrated　littleacuity　or　insight；　it　was　still　the　first　published　description　of　a　dinosaur；　and　so　to　him　ratherthan　the　far　more　deserving　mantell　goes　the　credit　for　the　discovery　of　this　ancient　line　ofbeings。

unaware　that　disappointment　was　going　to　be　a　continuing　feature　of　his　life；　mantellcontinued　hunting　for　fossils—he　found　another　giant；　the　hylaeosaurus；　in　1833—andpurchasing　others　from　quarrymen　and　farmers　until　he　had　probably　the　largest　fossilcollection　in　britain。　mantell　was　an　excellent　doctor　and　equally　gifted　bone　hunter；　but　hewas　unable　to　support　both　his　talents。　as　his　collecting　mania　grew；　he　neglected　his　medicalpractice。　soon　fossils　filled　nearly　the　whole　of　his　house　in　brighton　and　consumed　much　ofhis　ine。　much　of　the　rest　went　to　underwriting　the　publication　of　books　that　few　cared　toown。　illustrations　of　the　geology　of　sussex　；　published　in　1827；　sold　only　fifty　copies　and　lefthim　￡300　out　of　pocket—an　unfortably　substantial　sum　for　the　times。

in　some　desperation　mantell　hit　on　the　idea　of　turning　his　house　into　a　museum　andcharging　admission；　then　belatedly　realized　that　such　a　mercenary　act　would　ruin　his　standingas　a　gentleman；　not　to　mention　as　a　scientist；　and　so　he　allowed　people　to　visit　the　house　forfree。　they　came　in　their　hundreds；　week　after　week；　disrupting　both　his　practice　and　his　homelife。　eventually　he　was　forced　to　sell　most　of　his　collection　to　pay　off　his　debts。　soon　after；　hiswife　left　him；　taking　their　four　children　with　her。

remarkably；　his　troubles　were　only　just　beginning。

in　the　district　of　sydenham　in　south　london；　at　a　place　called　crystal　palace　park；　therestands　a　strange　and　forgotten　sight：　the　world’s　first　life…sized　models　of　dinosaurs。　not　manypeople　travel　there　these　days；　but　once　this　was　one　of　the　most　popular　attractions　inlondon—in　effect；　as　richard　fortey　has　noted；　the　world’s　first　theme　park。　quite　a　lotabout　the　models　is　not　strictly　correct。　the　iguanodon’s　thumb　has　been　placed　on　its　nose；as　a　kind　of　spike；　and　it　stands　on　four　sturdy　legs；　making　it　look　like　a　rather　stout　andawkwardly　overgrown　dog。　（in　life；　the　iguanodon　did　not　crouch　on　all　fours；　but　wasbipedal。）　looking　at　them　now　you　would　scarcely　guess　that　these　odd　and　lumbering　beastscould　cause　great　rancor　and　bitterness；　but　they　did。　perhaps　nothing　in　natural　history　hasbeen　at　the　center　of　fiercer　and　more　enduring　hatreds　than　the　line　of　ancient　beasts　knownas　dinosaurs。

at　the　time　of　the　dinosaurs’　construction；　sydenham　was　on　the　edge　of　london　and　itsspacious　park　was　considered　an　ideal　place　to　re…erect　the　famous　crystal　palace；　the　glassand　cast…iron　structure　that　had　been　the　centerpiece　of　the　great　exhibition　of　1851；　and　fromwhich　the　new　park　naturally　took　its　name。　the　dinosaurs；　built　of　concrete；　were　a　kind　ofbonus　attraction。　on　new　year’s　eve　1853　a　famous　dinner　for　twenty…one　prominentscientists　was　held　inside　the　unfini