Millions of year old dinosaur fossils found using lichens, drones

Scientists have discovered that specific orange-colored lichens, Rusavskia elegans and Xanthomendoza trachyphylla, can serve as natural indicators for locating exposed dinosaur fossils at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada. These lichens preferentially colonize dinosaur bones—covering up to 50% of their surfaces—due to the bones’ alkaline, calcareous, and porous nature, while largely avoiding surrounding rock. Their unique spectral signatures, characterized by lower blue wavelength reflectance and higher infrared reflectance, enable detection from the air using drones equipped with specialized sensors at high resolution (2.5 cm per pixel). This drone-based method, building on a decades-old hypothesis by paleontologist Darren H. Tanke, offers significant advantages for fossil discovery, especially in remote or difficult terrain where ground surveys are challenging. The approach can accelerate fossil detection, reduce field costs, and minimize environmental impact. While particularly effective in semi-arid environments like the Canadian Badlands—where lich