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How I solved a Scottish dinosaur mystery

In 1973 some bones were found in a Scottish rock. 45 years later palaeontologist Elsa Panciroli extracted the fossil and revealed one of the oldest dinosaurs of its kind.

In 1973, a bone was spotted in a rock on a beach in north-west Scotland. A palaeontologist drew a quick sketch in his notebook and did nothing more about it - thinking it was too difficult to remove. Fast-forward 45 years and that same bone was rediscovered. But this time, Scottish PhD student Elsa Panciroli couldn't get the possibility of what this bone might be out of her mind. She overcame the scepticism of her colleagues and seemingly impossible logistics to extract it from a treacherous shoreline, and discovered one of the oldest dinosaur fossils of its kind.

Gaia Caramazza reports from a New York restaurant, Enoteca Maria, where the kitchen is run by a rotating schedule of grandmothers - or nonnas - from all over the world.

Presenter: Asya Fouks

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Dr Elsa Panciroli by a loch on the Isle of Skye. Credit: Anna Lacey)

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41 minutes

Last on

Fri 7 Mar 2025 03:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 6 Mar 2025 12:06GMT
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  • Fri 7 Mar 2025 03:06GMT

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