Africa's Forgotten Dinosaurs | Nizar Ibrahim | TEDxUofIChicago

Much of what we know about the "Age of Dinosaurs" is based on research efforts, discoveries, and collections located in North America and Europe, with increasing contributions from South America and Asia. However, Africa, the world's second-largest continent, is severely underrepresented. Africa also lags far behind in scientific infrastructure like museums and research collections. Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim is tackling these issues by spearheading collaborative research projects in Africa which have yielded some of the continent's most spectacular finds. Ibrahim's efforts are part of a larger movement: the emergence of a new generation of African scientists and explorers, prepared to rewrite the textbooks of paleontology. Over the last decade, paleobiologist Dr. Nizar Ibrahim, a 2015 TED Fellow, has unearthed a spectacular prehistoric menagerie in Africa's Sahara desert, including a 20-foot wingspan flying reptile and a sail-backed, water-loving, fish-eating dinosaur. Using biology, geology, anatomy, and cutting-edge technology, he tries to reconstruct these "dragons from Deep Time" and the lost worlds they lived in. Africa's "age of dinosaurs" remains highly underrepresented in global evolutionary narratives and the continent lags far behind North America, Europe, and Asia. Ibrahim's research, which includes African scientific collaborators, is shedding much-needed light on the continent's incredible ancient heritage. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx