DinoBite: Nathan Ong, Ph.D.
Sunday, January 26, 1:30 - 1:55 p.m.
Making It by the Skin in Your Sheath: How a Turtle’s Soft Shell Helped It Survive an Apocalypse
When disaster struck 66 million years ago, turtles survived while most life, including non-avian dinosaurs, vanished. Why? Their unique shells played a critical role by storing minerals to endure long dives and hibernation during Earth's darkest days. Together, we’ll explore how these adaptations helped ancient turtles endure and what their survival tells us about resilience in times of ecological crisis.
About the Speaker
Nathan Ong, Ph.D., is a vertebrate paleontologist with expertise in turtle shell paleohistology and extinction resilience at the K/Pg boundary. A dedicated educator and Collections Assistant at the Natural History Museum of Utah, he also brings extensive experience in Utah fieldwork, data management, and museum stewardship. Ong is passionate about integrating new technology with paleontological data to uncover the microscopic anatomy and physiology of these ancient creatures.