Is it OK to sell fossils for big bucks?

Many fossils are sold to private collectors. Some people say they belong to the public.

Fossils are like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that help scientists understand how life evolved on Earth. But not all fossils are available for experts to study. When a fossil is found on public land, the government makes it accessible to scientists. Fossils found on private land, however, can be sold to the highest bidder—often wealthy collectors who pay millions of dollars for them. Institutions like museums and universities often can’t pay those high prices, so the fossils end up in people’s private collections. Sometimes they’re made available to scientists or the public, and sometimes they’re not. What do you think? Is it OK to sell fossils for big bucks? Yes—more money means more fossils Dinosaur fossils found on private land simply don’t belong to the public, and the…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 148

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