THE MEGALONYX PROJECT: BLENDING SCIENCE EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY, DIGITAL ARTS, AND HUMAN AFFAIRS THROUGH RESTUDY OF A LANDMARK SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY

In March 1797, at a meeting of the American Philosophical Society, Thomas Jefferson delivered the first oral paper on paleontology in the United States. Published in 1799, the paper included the first genus of fossil animal, Megalonyx (“Great-Claw”), named from the USA. Together with an accompanying paper by Caspar Wistar, these papers mark the beginning of the science of paleontology in America.

The first substantial remains of the giant Quaternary ground sloth Megalonyx were unearthed on a farm in Holmes County, Ohio, in December 1890, and reported later that month at the second meeting of the Geological Society of America by Edward Orton. The skeletal material was mounted, with reconstructed parts, for the Orton Geological Museum at The Ohio State University, in 1896. Today, it stands as the oldest surviving mount of a prehistoric vertebrate animal in America. This skeleton has appeared in numerous published media and, in addition to being an important scientific specimen, is an impactful teaching and outreach tool, serving to inspire tens of thousands of museum visitors annually. The interesting backstory of this specimen, its connection to the extraordinary personalities who shaped paleontology in its early years, and evidence for human predation on ground sloths, make it a compelling model for instruction and analysis in the context of conservation paleobiological thinking.

The Megalonyx Project explores connections between science, technology, and history. It blends the talents of paleontologists and archaeologists with instructional designers, digital technologists, graphic arts specialists, and classroom instructors. Digital technologies and chemical analyses are being used to extract new information from the Holmes County Megalonyx mount and from the original excavation site, which has been relocated using a combination of contemporary descriptions, maps, satellite imagery, and ground-level reconnaissance. University students are participating in the research, and middle school students are interacting in the process as its components are digitally recorded and rendered. The project is promoting science education, history of science, and an understanding of the role of technology in deciphering the past, to students and future leaders in science, technology, digital arts, and human affairs.