Sotheby's big T. rex auction raises concerns hype and wealth are upending science
Sotheby's is auctioning a rare, 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus, which is expected to fetch up to $30 million. Paleontologists are concerned that the trend of private collectors purchasing significant fossils as luxury assets is depriving the scientific community of valuable research specimens.
Why it matters
The privatization of scientifically significant fossils limits public access to natural history and hinders paleontological research.
“a spectacular specimen” Sotheby’s big T. rex auction raises concerns hype and wealth are upending science Private buyers are increasingly outbidding museums for fossils.
The article presents both the auction house's perspective and the concerns of the scientific community without taking a definitive stance.
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