The legacy of dinosaurs is often colored by their mass extinction, but it’s important to note they populated Earth for 164 million years.

“They're probably one of the most successful organisms ever to live on Earth,” says Celina Suarez, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at the U of A. “Dinosaurs and their avian descendants (birds) have occupied all different eco-spaces, from the air to the land, the sea. They swim, they walk, they run, they fly."

Due to dinosaurs inhabiting our planet for a long period of time, they experienced drastic environmental changes. Studying these changes can provide insight into our current shifting climate. 

Suarez will discuss dinosaur research and its relevance in her public lecture “The Science, Politics and Culture of Dinosaurs” at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Gearhart Hall Auditorium (GEAR 26). All on campus and in the community are invited to the lecture.

The lecture will preview her spring 2024 Honors College Signature Seminar--the Science, Politics and Culture of Dinosaurs. Please fill out this online interest form before attending the public lecture. 

Clues About a Changing Climate

Though they haven’t walked the Earth for millions of years, dinosaurs can still teach us a great deal about our present and future world. Suarez notes that prehistoric shifts in temperature are especially relevant now.

“Throughout most of dinosaur history, the climate was in a greenhouse state,” she explains. “But that time period also saw short-term hyperthermal events where we went into a hothouse state with really, really high global temperatures of around 36 degrees Celsius [96.8 degrees Fahrenheit].”

These temperature variations allow us to study dinosaurs to observe how animals change before, during and after hyperthermal periods. Suarez reports that we might relate some prehistoric climate change to modern climate change today. The effects of that change, she explains, are literally written into stone.

“There's so much information contained within a single specimen or a series of specimens that you see through a rock record, which is basically time,” says Suarez, whose own research analyzes the bone and tooth chemistry of dinosaurs for clues about their climate. “We can use these organisms to tell us about what they ate, what they drank and how that changed over time.”

Deep Time, New Tools

To survey organisms living over such a vast period, Suarez’s lecture will touch on several interdisciplinary topics. She encourages attendees to consider areas related to their fields.

“An engineer can easily start delving into how paleontologists study the biomechanics of dinosaurs,” she explains, noting that modern paleontology incorporates various sciences like chemistry, 3D modeling and artificial intelligence.

These modern techniques may help answer a burning question for dinosaur lovers: what they looked like. Suarez says techniques like synchrotron spectroscopy and geochemical analyses of keratin might help identify the color and iridescence of dinosaur feathers. 

“There's a possibility that we can know what color some dinosaurs were…[but] for some, we have no feathers, skin, nothing.” Still, Suarez embraces the unknown for how it spurs on further inquiry. “The more we don't know, the more stuff that we can research, the more opportunities for students to go into researching.” 

Beyond science, the lecture will also examine key historical perspectives, particularly paleontology’s relationship with Native populations. She will look at how Manifest Destiny impacted specimens on Native lands. “[The U.S. Geological Survey] sent scientists out to find resources, and one of those resources ended up being fossils, with no regard to what was taken,” reports Suarez, who will discuss the topic of repatriating extracted materials.

Suarez hopes the lecture displays different aspects of dinosaur research and excites people’s curiosity. Her own passion remains after years of study. “When you're in the field working with a bunch of paleontologists and seeing really cool fossils, you say to yourself, ‘Ah, yes, this is my job, I like this — this is fun!’”

About Celina Suarez

Suarez is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences in Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on using trace element and stable isotope geochemistry of fossil vertebrates, invertebrates and paleosols to understand fossil preservation, past greenhouse climates, major climate shifts and their effects on continental ecosystems.

Her research has taken her throughout the U.S., China, South Africa and Lesotho. She also has a passion for diversity in the geosciences, accessibility of field research to diverse populations and science outreach. Suarez is the recipient of several National Science Foundation awards and is an active member of the Geological Society of America, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the American Geophysical Union and the Society of the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

She received her B.S. in geosciences from Trinity University, an M.S. in geology from Temple University and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Kansas. She was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Boise State University.

Signature Seminars Explore Diverse Topics

The Science, Politics and Culture of Dinosaurs is one of three Honors College Signature Seminars scheduled for spring 2024. Other topics to be explored include Engineering Antiquity — taught by Kevin Hall, university professor of civil engineering — and Ozarks Culture — taught by Virginia Siegel, professor of practice and state folklorist of Arkansas; Joshua Youngblood, instruction and outreach unit head for the Special Collections Division in the University of Arkansas Libraries; and Jared Phillips, a teaching associate professor in the Department of History.

Deans of each college may nominate professors to participate in this program, and those selected to teach will become Dean’s Fellows in the Honors College.    

Honors students must apply to participate, and those selected will be designated Dean’s Signature Scholars. The course application is posted online on the Signature Seminars web page. The deadline to apply is Sunday, Oct. 29.  

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university’s top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.