Dana Korneisel: How extinct animals are helping improve tomorrow

The following story was written in April 2019 by Ashley Divine in ENGL 4824: Science Writing as part of a collaboration between the English department and the Center for Communicating Science.

“It’s one of the sciences that gets people into science,” says Dana Korneisel about paleontology. There are many paleontologists who, like Korneisel, “were four years old, saw a picture of a dinosaur, and said ‘that’s what I’m going to do.’” Many other dinosaur-loving children grew up to make huge differences in other areas of science as well.

Paleontology, while focusing on organisms long gone, has the capability to inspire people of all ages today. Dinosaurs and other extinct animals were the real-life versions of the mythical creatures we read about in fantasy novels. Now, paleontologists have the ability to bring these ancient creatures to life through their research in a way that no other science field can.

This photos shows a dark haired young woman leaning over and inspecting a fossil specimen in a flat slab or rock (or plaster?). The fossil seems to be a complete dinosaur, perhaps 3 feet high by 5 feet long (based on the proportion of the slab to the human). — Conducting research in China, Korneisel inspects a fossil. Photo credit: Morrison Nolan

Korneisel tells me she’s not someone who can recite every dinosaur name, but she is extremely knowledgeable in her field. Her research has focused on the Beipiaosaurus inexpectus dinosaur, which roamed Northeast China. Korneisel describes its relatives as “big, lumbering, almost sloth-like.”

Although we often imagine dinosaurs as green, scaled creatures, the diversity of these animals was much more extensive. Beipiaosaurus inexpectus, which was covered in feathers, is no exception.

Korneisel has been using Beipiaosaurus inexpectus to study how the quality of fossils differs based on how well they have been preserved in the ground. In her research, Korneisel wants to know if the state of feather and general fossil preservation reflects the quality of how well things are preserved at the cellular and molecular level. This could mean

This image shows a feathered dinosaur, running on its hind legs with its front legs curled up in front of it and looking back over its shoulder. — An artist's portrayal of the Beipiaosaurus inexpectus. Credit: The Dinosaur Database.

that, based on the state of the fossilized bones, the specimens that better survived the brutality of time are more likely to give viable samples of things like DNA and biomolecules.

A year ago, Korneisel traveled to China during the summer to continue her research with other members from the Paleobiology Lab at Virginia Tech. While there, she was able to study actual fossils from a Beipiaosaurus inexpectus dinosaur. In addition, Korneisel was able to take some bone fragments back to the United States, which was an exciting bonus for her.

Now in the final stretch of her time in the Paleobiology Lab, Korneisel’s research is coming to a close. Her findings suggest that well preserved fossils are not necessarily well preserved at the cellular and molecular level. Best case scenario, she would like to continue this line of research when she begins her Ph.D. research at Carleton University next fall. However, she will primarily be concentrating on the research of Carboniferous vertebrate fossils from Nova Scotia, specifically looking at the evolution of the neck and how land animals developed them.

This photo shows a dark haired woman leaning over a fossil slab on a large black table. To the right in the photo is a black haired young man. The setting is a laboratory. — In China, Dana Korneisel works over the Beipiaosaurus inexpectus with a colleague, Chunchi Liao. Photo credit: Morrison Nolan

In the future, Korneisel plans to delve into academia where she can further pursue her passion. Although paleontology isn’t going to cure cancer, she says, it is vital because it allows us to learn from the past so that we can ultimately improve the future.

Although the Paleobiology Lab stands out as a positive and supportive environment, Korneisel knows that many labs are different. Her dream is to create a lab of her own that combats the high stress and unsupportive environment that is often associated with university labs at the graduate level. In addition, Korneisel wants to create a lab that especially encourages minorities and women to be a part of and make a difference in the paleontology field.