The Bone Wars
Summary
Reporter Gillian Jacobs explores the "Bone Wars," a fierce late-19th-century rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. Their feud involved sabotage, bribery, and rapid-fire publications, leading to the discovery of many famous dinosaurs but also significant scientific errors. Despite their personal and professional ruin, their competition established major natural history museums and captivated the public imagination.
Topics discussed
Intro: National Geographic's Lion documentary
Gillian Jacobs and the T-Rex cast
The Bone Wars and Mary Anning
Edward Drinker Cope: The dreamer
Othniel Charles Marsh: The empiricist
Museums, capitalism, and early rivalry
The Elasmosaurus blunder and naming rights
The race to the American West
The Morrison Formation and sabotage
Academic warfare and Cope's financial ruin
Congressional hearings and the end of funding
Legacy, mistakes, and dinosaur kids
Sponsors: PNC Bank and Quince
Bonus: The Brontosaurus naming error
Bonus: Stegosaurus brain and sail myths
Outro and credits
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