Why are Palaeontologists suing Trump? | Elsa Panciroli

Proposed radical cuts to US National Monuments threaten America's unique fossil heritage - but the palaeontologists are fighting back

Research published earlier this year suggested that the only area of science that liberals and conservatives could bond over, was dinosaurs. Everyone loves Brontosaurus, right? Whatever else may be going wrong in the world, surely palaeontology is safe from the ravages of politics?

At the start of December Trump announced plans for the biggest loss of protected public lands in the history of the US. By gutting two of America's National Monuments - named Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Bears Ears - he will eradicate over two million acres of land from government protection. These areas were designated because they contain thousands of archaeological sites, landscapes sacred to Native American tribes, virtually pristine wilderness, and unique geology.