--- title: "Scientists Intrigued by Dinosaur With Green Bones" description: "The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has a fascinating new exhibit in the form of a mysteriously green dinosaur." date: "2024-07-18" modified: "2024-07-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/dinosaur-green-bones" categories: - "Energy" - "Fossil Fuels" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "dinosaurs" - "fossils" - "los angeles" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Intrigued by Dinosaur With Green Bones ![The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has a fascinating new exhibit in the form of a mysteriously green dinosaur.]() *\Image: NHMLAC\* ## Green Horn The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has a fascinating new exhibit in the form of a dinosaur that was unearthed in the Badlands of Utah back in 2007 — with, strikingly, green bones. It's the only green-boned dinosaur to have ever been found, [according to museum officials](). It dates back to a time in the late Jurassic Era, around 150 million years ago, making it well over twice as old as the Tyrannosaurus rex. The green color is the result of a mineral called celadonite, which seeped into the bones during volcanic activity around 50 to 80 million years ago. Celadonite usually only forms under these conditions, which are technically extreme enough to destroy bones. Fortunately for us, the dinosaur — dubbed "Gnatalie" because of all of the gnats that swarmed the paleontologists' heads as they unearthed its bones — survived the ordeal and is making its debut at the LA Natural History Museum later this year. "Dinosaurs are a great vehicle for teaching our visitors about the nature of science, and what better than a green, almost 80-foot-long dinosaur to engage them in the process of scientific discovery and make them reflect on the wonders of the world we live in!" said Dinosaur Institute team member Luis Chiappe in a [told the *Associated Press*](). https://twitter.com/LA36TV/status/1811810440495923278 ## Pod Squad Gnatalie isn't just highly unusual because of her uniquely green hue — she's also a member of a new species of dinosaurs that's similar to sauropods, enormous herbivores that include the brontosaurus and brachiosaurus. Details about the discovery are set to be published in a scientific paper sometime next year. "It's tremendously huge, it really adds to our ability to understand both taxonomic diversity," Mount Aloysius College teacher and sauropod researcher John Whitlock told the *AP*, "but also anatomical diversity." Other possible names for the unusual find included Olive, Verdi, Esme, and Sage — but in a public vote, "Gnatalie" took the crown. **More on dinosaurs:** *[Researcher Buys Dinosaur Fossil Online, Discovers Terrifying Monster]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()