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The Bone Wars: Part 1

2012-12-31 | 🔗

In this two-part podcast, we explore the rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. Marsh was a farmer's son and Cope grew up in a wealthy household. The two started out as friends, but their friendship soon soured.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Frequent as I explore the coming technological revolution would be restless business leaders who stand right on the cutting edge. They know there is a better way to get things done and they are ready. Curious excited for the next technological innovation to unlock their vision of the future in each other will learn more from the restless ones themselves and dive deep into how the five g revolution could enable their teams to thrive the restless ones is now available on I, radio up or wherever you listen to pod casts welcome to stuff, you missed in history, class from Housetop works, dot, com, welcome to the public, have family, Billina, Chuck reporting and I'm scared, and we had a lot of fun here. I've had a lot of fun, at least covering scientific rivalries. We talked
worse wealth and the gas war and, of course, Tesla Edison in the war of the currents. What was one that was really popular because it was much anticipated and requested beforehand stirred up a little rivalry and our facebook page it then it I've got a lot of strong support. Yeah. I was about to say that the rivalries out there, but yeah teslas, definitely kind of a favorite. These days, I would say so. Those are the thoughts and the Merry Annie Princess, appealing intelligence, the so that we did. Our later this year got listeners clamouring for a pie cast on another scientific war, one about to nineteenth century paleontologists, Edward Drinker cope and often you, Charles Marsh, Open Marsh, duped it out over America's fossil deposits. During a time when the field told was still pretty new, there are fossils name the species that they belong to and published. Findings about. All of this came to be known by many names, including the great dinosaur feud. The diner
rush and the bone wars are title today, and they really made an impact to prior to their work. There were only nine noon. Species of north american dinosaurs these demands. Efforts led to the classification of a hundred and thirty six new species, but cope in March. Viewed also resulted in a lot more than just the advancement of their field. What kind of an embarrassment to was a pretty dark time in a lot of ways that ended up damaging both of their reputations and maybe even hindered scientific progress in summer? yes, so much so that's interesting. Their feud has been regarded quote as a kind of scientific indiscretion says James Panic in an article in the american heritage that we're gonna kind of explore that a little bit by two. Yes, we aren't. You
words, but to understand why these guys came to be at such odds. We first need to discuss a little bit about their backgrounds and how they came to be in their field in the first place, because they both took a very different paths to end Basically, in the same competition, there will start with me she's. The elder of the two off Neil Charles Marsh was born October, twenty nine eighteen, thirty one and walk port New York his father is very poor. He was a farmer and, even though Marsh showed a lot of interest in science, from a young age, his father only intended him to take over the family farm some day, but for Only four mar she had a very influential uncle his his mother who had died when he was only three years old was these
stir of the banker philanthropists George Peabody Much beloved sister yeah. Luckily, black lay so, of course, Peabody had one of the largest personal fortunes in the world, according to panics article and with a good person to to have, especially if, if marshes father was kind of struggling with his with work so round aged twenty one March inherited some money from his uncle that had been meant for his mother's dowry and he used money to attend Prep School Philips Academy and of course at twenty one. He was much older than the other kids there. I think that everybody could have advanced and the money for the education of earlier further out a familiar. We would hope so, but that it that way, case that didn't happen. So, according to an article by Tom Huntington in american history, his years at prep, school gave him nicknames like daddy and captain, which you would think with The mortifying defying he didn't you
care or if he did, he didn't let it start them. He graduated as now the Torreon and then convinced his uncle to pay to send him to yell college where he earned an undergraduate your green eighteen sixty. He then went on to earn a masters degree from Yale Sheffield School of Science a couple years later and after that he spent a little bit of time studying in Europe an convinced P body to donate the more money this time to Yale for a museum of Natural sciences than it was before Sal, because Peabody preferred Harvard he would have preferred to have given his money to Harvard. But my did get his way in the end and he was appointed to run. The museum is curator and became a professor paleontology at Yale. Save your uncle pony, if the money is a fierce shields way together, are ultimately, though he was the first professor of paleontology in North America, according to Huntington's article, so big big step in his career
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Global now for my heart, a new series presented by T Mobile for business, the restless ones join me than Strickland as I explored the coming technological revolution and the business leaders who stand right on the cutting edge. There are certain decision makers that are restless. They know there is a better way to get things done, and they are ready, curious excited for the next technological innovation to unlock their vision of the future. These rights which ones are in pursuit of bigger. Better stronger they seek new partners, new strategies, new processes. They pursue innovative platforms and solutions to propel their teams, businesses and industries forward, in each episode, will learn more from the restless ones themselves and dived deep into how the five g revolution could enable their teams to thrive. There ones is now available on. I heard you or wherever you listen to pod guests, so living on
hope. Unlike Marsh Edward Drinker, COPE came from a wealthy Quaker family, so definitely a bit of a brighter start in life. He was born in July, twenty eighth, eighteen, forty in Philadelphia, so nine years after Marsh, and he also showed a really early interest in science. He actually recorded his impressions of the fossils of annex marine Reptile called if the Azores, which I think we talked about a little bit in Amerika Alien Episode, he records, is impressed the first it when he was only six years. All tell you I, like you too, Billina playing fossil hunter. I argue is probably a little more on top of that, then has about when he was eighteen. He also published a scientific paper on salamanders and another thing that set cope apart from Harsh, though, is that he didn't get a lot in the way of a formula patient which has caused surprising, considering he was so into science at an early age. He studied
that a year at the University of Pennsylvania spent some time studying the her collections of the Smithsonian, and he worked as a searcher at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, but definitely didn't take that sort. Additional academic path, the marsh too. He did take a little tour through Europe, eventually, though, to further his education to to keep cope from becoming involved. The civil war his father, sent him abroad you, study natural history in eighteen, sixty three and he ended up a time at Berlin University in Germany and coincidentally marsh. Was there at the same time and the two guys did become acquainted and even though it seems really unbelievable later they were actually friendly with each other and they continued their fur, ships date VI in after they return home, even though their lives did take somewhat different path, yeah Marsh, of course, came back and he had this. Nice hush position at Yale to come into and cope came by.
To marry his cousin any person, and he became serve zoology and botany at have for college and Pennsylvania. Therapist however, was pretty short lived, copyleft it in eighteen sixty seven to go study. A big deposit of dinosaur fossils found New Jersey, so just a little background on the study of dinosaurs up to this point, according to intense article british scientists name Richard, oh and had coined the term dinosaur in eighteen, forty one that he had described as these quote low lying lizard. Like creatures Joseph lie study of the first Eu S, dinosaur, find and Haddonfield New Jersey and eighteen. Fifty eight totally changed. This perception, lady, worked with the bones had resourced and show that it would have walked, erect on two legs instead of on all fours like a wizard like most people thought and that for had resource which lady help to reconstruct became the first complete
skeleton to be displayed for the public according to PBS Dot. Org lady had a connection to one of these guys do to me. He do he had been copes anatomy, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and was also his mentor Cadmium, natural sciences, though probably someone that cope looked up to and learn from the Arab, if you're willing to do one year at pen, gave met this guy that ultimately cope go to New Jersey where this fossil quarry was, and he participated in several excavations. There. So at this point, as we mentioned, cope in March were still friendly with each other enough, though, that in eighteen, sixty seven even named in amphibian fossil plutonium Marcia after Martian. That's a pretty nice thing to do. Fear your fellow scientists, I'd say. Yes, I spent a week, or so in eighteen, sixty eight showing marsh around the fossil quarry in New Jersey, where he was working, pointing out,
various collection sites really open about his work with Marsh something important to do remember later on that year, two marsh wasn't just gonna, take this gift of a dinosaur name in and let it go. He returned the name in compliment and, according to PBS Dot, Org gave a quote new, and gigantic serpent from the tertiary of New Jersey, the name most authoress copy on earth, just didn't count for a whole lot in the long run, but still it's a gesture just to give you a little background of why it might not have been a sweeter gesture, as it seemed cope later, found out that Marsh had gone behind his back and made a deal with New Jersey quarry honour that ensure that all of the fossils that were found
I would go directly to March first, so, basically, cutting cope out of the loop cut him out of the prophet help is taking around the place showing off please working, I'm giving them the tour yellowish, supposedly against been totally open about it, not assuming that marshes goin back Sab him that that's exactly what happens so cope was kind of her. Linked by those in the same year. In eighteen, sixty eight something else happened in their relationship and coping marshes, relationship, cope, in a big hurry to publish its findings on a new species of please use or the fossil, his bones of which had been shipped him by an army surgeon from Kansas, and this is how they received there fossils time. This reminded me a little bit of the merry ending at the third, where of course, though,
earlier situation. We are describing of cop going to the dignified and and looking himself sounds more like what you expect then just having bone ship to you from somebody else. Here we talk about will talk about the bone, collect and so forth a little more in part, two of this that the sort of introduces an idea for anyway cope. He got these aren t. You call this previously unknown. Please you sore, alas, Soares and fortune though, when COPE was reconstructing the Alas source skeleton he made a pretty major error. He reversed all of the vertebrae and put its head on his tail. Instead of on the end of its neck, bad and guess who noticed Marsh paid a visit to the Academy of Natural Sciences to check out coped work and, of course he did not hesitate. To point out this error and is even said to have been the first person to point it out to cope
COPE called end of lady to take another look and offer a second opinion. He confirm the mistake and actually upon looking at the skeleton lady remove the head and based on reverse debt, with what cope had originally thought was the tale so pretty pretty bad young lady also discuss this air at the next meeting of the Academy of Natural science. Do so You can imagine in Sicily, embarrassment on top of embarrassment, first he's in there and yes he's a nurse in front of his colleague Benes embarrassed in front of his men. Tour and at the Academy of Natural Science in front of this entire meeting of scientists and, of course, also its publication, as we mention for its already out there in the Journal of the american philosophical society. They had already published its findings, including a drawing of this incorrect restoration. So cope frantically,
to try to buy back every copy of the publication it. He could find that this incident lined with marshes shady dealings regarding the New Jersey. Quarry really seem to have kicked off the feud between the two or at least started the rift in bad feelings between them. But if you really look at which of these incidents had more to do with the bad feelings between them. It really on which one of them that you asked I mean cope with, probably say it had more to do with what and in New Jersey will issue yes and March would say that he was just embarrassed and mad that he had pointed out his mistake now, a marsh even later road of the incident and said that it was copes, quote, wounded vanity, additional copies, which he did hang onto as if he wanted to have them as some kind of Oh yeah, that's marsh, saying oh coped. His can handle wrong, essentially
Yes, a later admitted that, while he initially did return his copy, the publication to cope as cope had requested train a horrid Hobbes incorrect copies. Here Marge later thought out in thought to additional copies, which he did hang onto as if he wanted to have them, as some kind of ammunition seem flake. Something that your buddy wouldn't do only your most bitter enemy would do that, or at least you would hope, but this is an example of how copes big rush to get things publish sometimes resulted in him making errors, but, of course marsh, although he was said to be very meticulous, wasn't immune to this either he he did make his share of mistakes just one example: he once put a camera source skull on the skeleton of powder source which, according to an article by Renee Clary James, wanders, Tee and Amy Carpet Nellie in science, scope was quote
the longest lasting mistakes of paleontology and we're gonna do at least one of his other major areas later on to you, but that's just to give you one example: when you have a passion for sports. You cried at a precision game. I was just about to say, and the love of your life does to avoid a passion is now turning on me when you haven't insanity for sports and your husband as to you find yourselves constantly debating the goats, so we decided to start of podcast all about this topic is called the greatest.
Combat greatest man even greatest tailgate food, the hollow wing Nachos Buffalo Chicken nachos. Now this is the type of marital compromise you'll also here, on a par cast. My husband comedian see day till it on out in my wife comedian, making gaily, and I will invite some of our favorite comedians insularity, friends, to help us discuss the greatest of all time across all the best parts of sports, listen and followed. The greatest on. I heart radio asked Apple pie, gas or wherever you listen, apply tasks. When your car breaks down dude
to a train mechanic with years of experience or do take it to a celebrity. Then why are you doing the same thing with your house? I'm Tom HOLLAND and I have a brand new podcast called thickness. Disruptive a groundbreaking showed a deep on the most common exercising nutrition myths once and for all with science, I'm an exercise physiologist with a masters degree and exercise science and sports psychology, and I have over thirty years experience in the fitness industry. I mentally hinderance athlete having completed twenty six, I may attract the lawns and over seventy marathons and ultra funds around the earlier interviews with the best in the business the talk doctors, nutrition is professional athletes and in each episode of fitness disrupted, I will give you actionable advice. They can begin to use right away, no more wasted time and money following bad advice was in a fitness disrupted at apple, podcast, Iheart, radio, app or wherever you wasn't podcast, and so, of course, in some ways you know if we ve been talking about this rash, that both of the men were required.
Only under these errors were a direct result of competition between them back. Not only were they try and get their discoveries out their quickly because the naming rights were were given due ever published a fine first, they were trying specifically to be each other. To the page I mean that's, not gonna make great meticulous work in the end with likely right at the feud between them. In March, really began in earnest in eighteen. Seventy is when they both headed west, to hunt for fossils, This first expedition was in eighteen, seventy and it was falling, I Yale and he had this whole entourage with them, including about a dozen yell students and even army escort that they acquired ones fade made. It tell what now the MID West lay explored. This is why only in Utah according to hunting, article at one point, the even had Buffalo Bill Cody as their guide, but by the time they got back to Yale. After that first trip they had thirty,
ex boxes of specimens, including bone fragments from paradoxical wing when no pterodactyl had been discovered, or an marsh estimated, that this giant flying reptile would have had a wingspan of twenty feet so cold. March when they really started about heads was around eighteen. Seventy two when cope started, exploring Wyoming territory looking for Fossil Fair Huntington, that Marsh was really angry about this, because he considered the area his turf. I guess what It already hunted for fossils around the taste of his own modest there. I have to say that this ultimately kicked off a really nasty sort of law. Writing campaign between the two reminds me of the pamphlet wisely. Sometimes yeah I'd cast, but there were tactics were not just limited to words: either they employed everything from espionage to theft in their battle to be known as the best in the field, and I think the third to make sure the other guy was number two
You were even lower, so we're gonna be discussing examples of some of these tactics, and the next step is as love. What happens when cope in March finally took their fight to what turned out to be the ultimate battleground for them, and it was not from fossil ground Washington DC gas. So a lot of interesting things to cover in part to including, I think, we'll talk a little bit more just their personalities too, in their personal lives, because gives an interesting inside be some more of the route of animosity, wasn't necessarily all about dinosaur, though not all about, and no but alive a lot. He assets her parents will be sign offer today, we do have a couple of pieces of lesser mail. Is an email from listener bill, and I just to read those. That's just a couple sentences, but I want to read it because he brings out
the territory your favorite play my favorite place. He said an old friend used to talk about his dad's virtue certificate stating Oklahoma indian territory as his birth? is born in a small town, just north of the Red River on April, first, nineteen o six and in front of us. If you put no kidding pretty clever Europe that you wish you were born here, but you'd have to be a lot older ones. Yeah. I don't think I wouldn't work. I was hoping am cope in March, led head out territory way to do some fossil finding that get some quiet there in the range they are there in the area. But I have another message from a lesser this time: a facebook message that talks about a place where a coachman marsh, definitely not do any exploring at least Then I know of any way coal if there is to on Facebook and wanted to talk about the Gertrude Bell episode and he had
an interesting point to make that I thought was worth sharing critique of the podcast action He said I love your pipe cast as a huge history. Geek, I think I wasn't almost everyone. I know you're Pike S aren't meant to be the super, definitive statements on subjects, but the Gertrude Bell. One bothered me a bit the end it really rosy picture on the formation of Iraq to be. We pc. It was really a western and paternalistic view. On the whole thing, I can't believe I said something like that, as well as what you heard this is the British killed thousands cutting down regional, ethnic and tribal rebellions at this time in Mesopotamia. They straight villages and farms from the air and use poison gas. I believe the only western power to do so after World war, one so an interesting, To make me, I thought that we did sort of talk about
how a t Wilson tried to squash down the arab rebellions in part, two of that Pied cast, but definitely wasn't a big mention, and so it's worth bringing up again and it's a good reminder. I guess that this was an all just happy happy. The Arabs were glad to go along with the british rule them her this time, and so thank you. Will be for writing in, and we definitely Cover every aspect of every at the third as much in depth as we would like to use or other or the implications of. Why always happens later in this century and that is a clear example of you. Could you can keep going up until the modern day Also true italian, besides again reminder to hear what you Wish we talk about next time yet, and we appreciate that when people write in with protects and point out things, and especially when they do so in such a nice way, Herman and allow yeah,
thanks again Kobe thanks to everyone who writes into us. If you'd like to send us a comment on applied, castor, maybe even just an idea suggestion for a future pied cast, you can find us history, Pied cast a discovery. Dot com were also on face and we're on Twitter. It must in history and as you by your time until this part to occur in words, comes out. Will you help? lot of paleontology articles, doing
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Are you ve been following bad advice? Well enough is enough it's time for you to listen to the experts and get real results. I'm Tom HOLLAND exercise, physiologist and host of fitness disrupted a groundbreaking podcasting debunks, the top exercising nutrition myths once and for all, with science, listen to fitness disrupted at apple pie, cast on the Iheart Radio, F or wherever he was into podcast. This is Danny Shapiro of the hidden cast family secrets, I'm here to tell you that the new season of my show starts February Sex Hope you'll join us for some incredible conversations about family identity. And to both when the secrets that have been kept from us and the secret, we keep finally come to light, listen and subscribe. Annie. I aren't radio out Apple pie cast. Wherever you listen to your favorite broadcasts,.
Transcript generated on 2020-02-04.