Dinosaurs at Auction: Wealth, hype, and the science at stake

Sotheby’s is auctioning a nearly complete 67-million-year-old T. rex named Gus for up to $30 million, highlighting a trend where private collectors outbid museums and potentially lock fossils away from research, prompting scientists to argue that public, citable access and permanent museum custody are essential for reproducibility and future discoveries. The article notes concerns about misrepresentation in marketing and outlines efforts by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology to mediate by encouraging donors to place acquisitions in public trust.