"This is A&E's first foray into the hard science and technology genre, an undertaking we would only pursue with partners such as Cosmos Studios and MPH," said Allen Sabinson, A&E's Senior VP of Programming. "We are excited to air "The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt" documentary on our Network."
MPH cameras rolled as the Penn expedition succeeded in recovering the lost dinosaur sites of German paleontologist Ernst Stromer, who discovered four new species of dinosaurs in Egypt during expeditions from 1910-1914. Stromer uncovered remnants of a Cretaceous-Period eco-system from 100 million years ago, including three Tyrannosaurus-rex-sized predators, the most famous of which, Spinosaurus, sported a five-foot tall sail down its back.
Stromer's Egyptian discoveries were destroyed in an Allied bombing raid during World War II and no official dinosaur expedition had ever returned to this remote part of Egypt until the Penn team's arrival in January of 2000. During a six-week field season, the group recovered nearly 6,000 pounds of dinosaur bones and other fossils to examine. Their research is ongoing.
The fourteen members of the Penn team were led by 30-year-old Penn graduate student Josh Smith and supervised by world-renowned paleontologist, Dr. Peter Dodson. Other members include Penn professor Dr. Robert Giegengack, geologist Dr. Ken Lacovara of Drexel University, Ph.D. candidate in paleontology Matt Lamanna, Ph.D. candidate in geology Jen Smith and Jason Poole, bone preparator for Philadelphias Academy of Natural Sciences. The team discovered startling new facts about this ancient ecosystem that will also be examined in the documentary.
"As a filmmaker, it's t
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Contact: Steve Syatt
ssyatt@ssapr.com
818-501-0700
Cosmos Studios/MPH Entertainment
31-May-2001