Inside the Dinosaur Lab of a Real-Life Indiana Jones | Paul Sereno

Dr. Paul Sereno is a paleontologist, explorer, and professor at the University of Chicago whose expeditions have uncovered extraordinary dinosaurs and ancient human history. We join Paul inside his fossil lab for a close look at Spinosaurus, the giant crocodile known as SuperCroc, dinosaur mummies, and discoveries still being studied. He shares the stories behind his expeditions into the Sahara, the clues that led him to ancient human burials, and why he wants his discoveries to make a difference far beyond the lab (and much more). PAUL’S LINKS: Instagram: @paulserenoofficial Website: https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/ Fossil Lab: https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/fossi... NigerHeritage: https://www.nigerheritage.org/ MAIN CHARACTERS LINKS: YouTube:    / @maincharacters   Website: https://maincharacters.io Instagram: @maincharacters.io TikTok: @maincharacters.io OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction: Paul Sereno 0:49 - A new Spinosaurus and the animal behind the skull 6:44 - The evolution of Spinosaurus and its prehistoric world 10:49 - What Spinosaurus teeth reveal about how it hunted 16:26 - Jurassic Park and the debate over swimming Spinosaurus 24:08 - Following an old clue into the Sahara 28:38 - A local guide, black bones, and an unexpected discovery 34:39 - Returning with $400,000 in cash and an armed escort 39:56 - The Sahara, local relationships, and building museums 49:12 - Why discoveries need to matter beyond science 56:33 - Suchomimus: The crocodile-mimic dinosaur 1:04:02 - Inside Paul’s Fossil Lab 1:04:50 - The bone gallery: Learning anatomy through making 1:10:25 - Dinosaur teeth, beaks, and reconstructing lost animals 1:24:39 - Carcharodontosaurus: A giant African predator 1:36:19 - Dinosaur mummies and the preservation of skin 1:47:24 - What dinosaur skin can tell us 1:51:54 - Art, adventure, and finding a purpose in paleontology 1:54:22 - Bringing young people into science 2:00:27 - Museums and the future of Niger’s heritage 2:02:36 - Searching for Spinosaurus relatives in Brazil 2:11:12 - SuperCroc: Hunting dinosaurs at the water’s edge 2:16:28 - Africa’s giant predators and their shared ecosystem 2:25:00 - BoarCroc and the diversity of ancient crocodiles 2:30:19 - How dinosaurs breathed, and Paul’s first dinosaur skull 2:34:32 - Persistence, instinct, and making discoveries 2:39:15 - Rugops and Africa’s smaller predators 2:42:04 - Discovering Afrovenator in the Sahara 2:49:11 - Inside a dinosaur’s brain 2:51:32 - A remarkable “digging raptor” 2:54:11 - Following the clues to Rajasaurus in India 2:57:10 - Nigersaurus: The dinosaur with 500 teeth 3:13:03 - Failure, confidence, and the legacy Paul hopes to leave 3:16:18 - Discovering Gobero: Ancient people of the Green Sahara 3:24:25 - Preserving human remains and dating ancient harpoons 3:27:58 - The Stone Age Embrace: A remarkable triple burial 3:34:21 - What the burials reveal—and what remains a mystery 3:41:47 - Reconstructing a 6,000-year-old human skull 3:48:03 - A tiny dinosaur and the puzzles of evolution 3:50:01 - The expeditions and projects Paul wants to pursue next 3:58:32 - Birds, humans, and our shared evolutionary story 4:01:08 - Why we’re still in an age of discovery 4:03:35 - A dinosaur mummy at the bottom of the Atlantic #PaulSereno #Dinosaurs #Paleontology