This is not a post about how to detect fake fossils. It's about an artist, inspired by fossils and dinosaurs, and all (e.g. business) that comes along with it. Yto Barrada is an award winning artist with French and Moroccan nationality, who has been working on several projects related to fossil discovery and trade. For example, the short award winning film, Faux Depart (False start), trailer below, gives an insight in the artisan production of fossils in Morocco. This film is related to her project 'Along Dinosaur Road'. Read more about how she works, and reflects about dinosaurs and fossils in this interview, which also mentions documenting Morocco's unfinished national museums that could protect it's national paleontological treasures in the future. http://aperture.org/blog/along-dinosaur-road-conversation-yto-barrada/

If you are lucky, and if you have a trained eye, you might be able to find it in The Netherlands, while walking on the beach. Not just everywhere of course. But it could be close to the large harbour of Rotterdam. For the development of the new port and industrial area 'Maasvlakte 2', large sand suppletions with sand from the bottom of the North Sea, has taken place. This has resulted in 'unearthing' bones, stones and shells. The Port Authority has created a special website where people can post their findings (categories mammals, sea mammals, human remains and artefacts) which can be determined by others. Just to give you an idea about what's been lying around on the beach, visit the oervondstchecker (pre-historic-findings-definer). In Futureland, the informationcentre about the new industrial area, you can also see some of the findings. One of it's contributors, is fossil hunter Walter Langendoen, specialised in finding Hyena poo. Have a look at the video, named 'The guy that finds fossils every day near the harbour of Rotterdam' in this page: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/04/13/kijken-de-man-die-dagelijks-fossielen-vindt-bij-de-rotterdamse-haven-a1554276 You might not understand dutch, but you can sure enjoy the beautiful view (by drone) of the beach and Walter's findings. In case you are interested in fossil findings from the North Sea, you might also enjoy reading the following article 'Redisovery of the swallowed North Sea land' with google translate: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/04/14/de-herontdekking-van-het-verzwolgen-noordzee-land-8225892-a1554679

Time for some fossil dance experience! Check out the wonderful Fossil Rock Anthem made by 'Science with Tom'. Tom is a science educator, who started out making science music videos when working as a Course Associate in the Human Biology program at Stanford, and from then on developed and used this approach in teaching science in secondary education. Science, art and education make a great mix! Find more music videos related to various scientific topics made by Tom's students and young scientists at Tom's youtube channel.

For the lovers of fossils, science and history a book not to miss is ‘The Invention of Nature. The adventures of Alexander von Humboldt. The Lost Hero of Science’, a biography by Andrea Wulf. An amazing and engaging book that gives you an insight in the adventurous life of the famous scientist who invented how we see nature today. He was also one of the first to note the impact of human activity on the climate, late 18th century, during his expedition across the Americas. While reading you learn about his experiments, his exploration of jungles, mountains and volcanos of South America, the steppes of Russia, and his impact on the intellectual and cultural climate in Europe and beyond. He was a great source of inspiration for Charles Darwin, Goethe and many others. This book received several well-known awards, amongst others the Science Book Prize 2016- Insight Investment of the Royal Society. The Italian translation is available by the end of March 2017, may be a nice read for your Easter holidays. Information in Italian: https://www.luissuniversitypress.it/pubblicazioni/linvenzione-della-natura No time to read? For a quick catch up on Alexander von Humboldt see this TED ed video.