Westbury, NY, resident Valerie Varnuska appreciates the little things in life, and is often in awe of the natural and technological wonders of our world. Valerie Varnuska holds a special appreciation for paleontology and the study of fossils.

1. MYSTERIOUS FOSSIL IDENTIFIED AS
PRESERVED DINOSAUR BRAIN
Valerie Varnuska

2. INTRODUCTION
 Westbury, NY, resident Valerie Varnuska appreciates the
little things in life, and is often in awe of the natural and
technological wonders of our world. Valerie Varnuska
holds a special appreciation for paleontology and the
study of fossils.
In 2004, a small fossil was uncovered on a beach in
England. Without a matching skeleton or other context
clues, researchers struggled to understand the find for a
full decade, before Dr. David Norman and his team at the
University of Cambridge learned that the mysterious item
is the fossilized brain of a dinosaur. Scientists confirmed
this finding very recently, saying the fossil dates back 133
million years, and likely belonged to a relative of the
Iguanodon.

3. PRESERVED DINOSAUR BRAIN
 The find is unusual because soft tissues do not
usually preserve well. They typically succumb to rot
and decay before they can be preserved. To create
an endocast like the one found, the dinosaur in
question must have died in a place where it would be
preserved.
Scientists are continuing to explore their impressive
find, relying on scanning electron microscopes to find
blood vessels, membranes, and other structures
within the brain. Researchers hope that this
discovery, and others like it, will help them learn more
about the size and complexity of dinosaur brains.