Mammoth belongs to science, we don't own the bones
Kelly Sheeran
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinion
The "finders-keepers" rule is very simple: Find it and it's yours. There are a few discoveries, however, that may be far better off in the hands of somebody that may be able to find a good use for it.
With the discovery of the partial mammoth skeleton over two months ago, many may begin to wonder where the bones will end up. But there is a fine line between the law and simply claiming resources of scientific value.
If we were indeed complying with the "finders-keepers" clause without the government peering through a two-way mirror, then the bones would be on display in the homes of the construction workers who found them.
Finding human remains would create a far different scenario and surely nobody would seek to display those on their mantle, unless, of course, they were notorious cannibals such as Ed Gein or Jeffrey Dahmer. Those particular bones are forensic evidence and would be highly useful in linking clues to an unsolved murder.
Finding fossils are highly useful in linking scientific clues, so researchers may better be able to retrace geologic history.
That is why you would see fossils, especially entire skeletons, in museums and not hanging from somebody's ceiling.
You wouldn't want to spill coffee on your fossilized T-Rex vertebrate because you were using it as a coaster.
Fossils belong in museums and on display for all to enjoy. Nothing is more educational than observing evidence from geologic time periods hundreds of millions of years before Homo-Sapiens walked the Earth.
The California Environmental Quality Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and even the Antiquities Act of 1906 recognize the scientific value of such resources and set laws and regulations to seek protection for and in regards to their potentially substantial contributions to scientific research.
So, if you did happen to come across the skeleton of a mammoth or even a dinosaur, trying to sell it could indeed pay off a mortgage or pay for college but the chances of getting away with it are slim.
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama enacted the Paleontological Resources Protection Act.
This simply builds on previous legislation and provides stricter penalties for all the thieves that think they can get away with robbing science.
Non-permitted fossil collection can be a serious crime, besides, wouldn't you rather contribute to the education and knowledge of children for future generations to come?
Withholding a valuable specimen could threaten the geologic connections that paleontologists have been making for centuries.
With the discovery of the partial mammoth skeleton over two months ago, many may begin to wonder where the bones will end up. But there is a fine line between the law and simply claiming resources of scientific value.
If we were indeed complying with the "finders-keepers" clause without the government peering through a two-way mirror, then the bones would be on display in the homes of the construction workers who found them.
Finding human remains would create a far different scenario and surely nobody would seek to display those on their mantle, unless, of course, they were notorious cannibals such as Ed Gein or Jeffrey Dahmer. Those particular bones are forensic evidence and would be highly useful in linking clues to an unsolved murder.
Finding fossils are highly useful in linking scientific clues, so researchers may better be able to retrace geologic history.
That is why you would see fossils, especially entire skeletons, in museums and not hanging from somebody's ceiling.
You wouldn't want to spill coffee on your fossilized T-Rex vertebrate because you were using it as a coaster.
Fossils belong in museums and on display for all to enjoy. Nothing is more educational than observing evidence from geologic time periods hundreds of millions of years before Homo-Sapiens walked the Earth.
The California Environmental Quality Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and even the Antiquities Act of 1906 recognize the scientific value of such resources and set laws and regulations to seek protection for and in regards to their potentially substantial contributions to scientific research.
So, if you did happen to come across the skeleton of a mammoth or even a dinosaur, trying to sell it could indeed pay off a mortgage or pay for college but the chances of getting away with it are slim.
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama enacted the Paleontological Resources Protection Act.
This simply builds on previous legislation and provides stricter penalties for all the thieves that think they can get away with robbing science.
Non-permitted fossil collection can be a serious crime, besides, wouldn't you rather contribute to the education and knowledge of children for future generations to come?
Withholding a valuable specimen could threaten the geologic connections that paleontologists have been making for centuries.
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