The Guardian view on studying dinosaurs: ancient creatures, cutting-edge science | Editorial

A discovery in the Isle of Wight should remind us that we are living in a golden age of palaeontology

It could be said that we live in the age of the dinosaurs. It is, of course, 66m years since a great extinction wiped out three-quarters of the animals on Earth, including non-avian dinosaurs. The first fossil was described in scientific literature around two centuries ago, and Richard Owen coined the term dinosaur, or terrible lizard, soon afterwards. The scientific dinosaur renaissance" of the 60s renewed public interest.

But in the last 25 years, the pace of palaeontological discoveries has accelerated to dizzying speed. Over the last five years, a new dinosaur has been identified every week on average - including, this month, a theropod from the Isle of Wight, already nicknamed Dinosaur Island thanks to the haul of treasures from its shores. Though the bulk of the new species come from China, Mongolia, Argentina and the US, the new theropod - Vectaerovenator inopinatus, or unexpected air-filled hunter" - demonstrates that striking finds are being made all over the world. They range from crow-sized creatures to giants more than 30 metres long.