News Paleontology

Crystallized dino eggs provide a peek into the tumultuous Late Cretaceous

Hidden crystals allow scientists to date fossils from a famous site in China for the first time

A photograph of a scientist examining a fossilized dinosaur egg filled with crystals of calcite.

Crystals of carbonate found inside fossil dinosaur eggs offer a rare chance to determine the eggs' absolute age.

Dr. Bi Zhao

By Carolyn Gramling

Crystals hidden inside dinosaur eggs at a famous fossil site are giving scientists a chance to do something that’s long proven elusive: figure out how old the ancient nests really are.