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Mark Norell
View on WikipediaMark Allen Norell (July 26, 1957 – September 9, 2025) was an American vertebrate paleontologist.[1] He was the chairman of paleontology and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History up until his death in 2025. He is best known as the discoverer of the first theropod embryo and for the description of feathered dinosaurs. Norell is credited with the naming of the genera Apsaravis, Byronosaurus, Citipati, Tsaagan, and Achillobator. His work regularly appeared in major scientific journals (including cover stories in Science and Nature) and was listed by Time magazine as one of the ten most significant science stories of 1993, 1994 and 1996. Norell was both a fellow of the Explorer's Club and the Willi Hennig Society. He has appeared in several science documentaries, including The Dinosaurs (PBS, 1992), "Dinosaurs of the Gobi" on the PBS series Nova (PBS, 1994), and Miracle Planet (NHK / NFB Canada, 2005).
Key Information
Career
[edit]Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1957,[2][3] Norell's research has encompassed a number of different areas, from the theoretical study of diversity through time, his doctoral dissertation on alligator phylogeny, and his postdoctoral work on evolutionary variations in maize.[4] Following his M.S. at San Diego, Norell published papers on the efficacy of the fossil record in capturing phylogenetic history, and how missing data can influence the estimation of phylogeny.
Norell became a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in 1990 and helped oversee the renovation of the Halls of Vertebrate Evolution. The organization, where visitors progress in a circular motion around the floor, mirrors the evolutionary patterns of a phylogenetic tree. Thus, guests begin their exploration with the simplest vertebrates, placoderms and bony fishes, and conclude their visit with advanced mammals, such as mammoths and artiodactyls.
Norell's studies largely centered on the evolution of birds and developing new ways of observing fossils through CT scans and imaging computers.[5] He led over twenty international paleontological expeditions, in locales such as Patagonia, Cuba, the Chilean Andes, the Sahara and West Africa. The famous Mongolia project, which has delivered numerous discoveries in vertebrate evolution, has received world-wide attention.
Norell died on September 8, 2025, at a hospital in Manhattan, New York City, from heart failure, at the age of 68.[2]
Mentorship
[edit]Norell mentored many students and postdocs. Among the latter were Luis Chiappe, Gao Keqin, Xu Xing, Julia Clarke, Gabe Bever, Albert Prieto-Marquez, Jonah Choiniere, Emanuel Tschopp, Jack Conrad, Ashley Heers and Kimi Chapelle.[6]
Notable discoveries
[edit]Mark Norell was the direct discoverer of the enigmatic theropod Shuvuuia, co-led the group that discovered Ukhaa Tolgod, the richest Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrate fossil locality in the world, discovered the first embryo of a theropod dinosaur, described a series of dinosaurs with feathers, and discovered the first direct evidence of dinosaur brooding.[7] Norell's theoretical work has a focus of data evaluation in large cladistic sets, as well as fossil pattern estimation through phylogeny, in order to see trends in diversity and extinction. He has authored several papers that discuss the relationship between stratigraphic position and phylogenetic topology.
Honors and distinctions
[edit]In 1998, Norell was named a New York City Leader of the Year by the New York Times. In 2000, he was honored as a distinguished Alumnus of California State University Long Beach. His popular science book, Discovering Dinosaurs, won Scientific American's Young Readers Book of the Year Award. Another of his books for the general public, entitled A Nest of Dinosaurs, was given an Orbis Pictus Award by the National Council of Teachers.
Dinosaur Hunters
[edit]Dinosaur Hunters (1996, written and directed by Kage Glantz credited as Kage Kleiner, narrated by Michael Carroll) is a National Geographic documentary about the 1990s AMNH expeditions led in Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert, by paleontologists Mike Novacek and Mark Norell.
Publications
[edit]- Norell, M. A., J. M. Clark, and P. J. Makovicky, 2001. "Relationships Among Maniraptora: Problems and Prospects." pp. 49–67. In: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of Birds: Proceedings of the International Symposium in Honor of John H. Ostrom, Gauthier JA, Gall LF (eds). New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Norell, M. A., P. J. Makovicky, and P. J. Currie, 2001. "The Beaks of Ostrich Dinosaurs." Nature 412: 873–874.
- Ji, Q., M. A. Norell, K.-Q. Gao, S.-A. Ji, and D. Ren. "The Distribution of Integumentary Structures in a Feathered Dinosaur." Nature 410 (2001): 1084–1088.
- Norell, M. A., and J. Clarke. "A New Fossil Near the Base of Aves." Nature 409 (2001): 181–184.
- Norell, M. A., J. M. Clark, and L. M. Chiappe. "An Embryo of an Oviraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia." American Museum Novitates 3315 (2001): pp. 17
- Norell, M. A., P. Makovicky, and J. M. Clark. "A New Troodontid from Ukhaa Tolgod, Late Cretaceous, Mongolia." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Rapid Communication 20, no. 1 (2000): 7–11.
- Norell, M. A., L. Dingus, and E. S. Gaffney. Discovering Dinosaurs (2nd edition with 9 new sections). Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
- Norell, M. A., and P. Makovicky. "Important Features of the Dromaeosaur Skeleton II: Information From Newly Collected Specimens of Velociraptor mongoliensis." American Museum Novitates 3282 (1999): pp. 45
References
[edit]- ^ Gardener, Ralph (June 28, 2011). "Mark Norell: The Coolest Dude Alive". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (September 13, 2025). "Mark Norell, Who Studied Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ Mark Norell, Paleontologist Archived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
- ^ Mason, Betsy. "Not for Public Display". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ "Mark Norell- Biography". American Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ Makovicky, Peter J.; Clark, James M.; Brusatte, Stephen L. (2025-11-03). "Mark Norell (1957–2025)". Current Biology. 35 (21): R1033 – R1034. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.09.056. ISSN 0960-9822.
- ^ "Mark Norell, Biography". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
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Mark Norell
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Birth and family background
Mark Norell was born on July 26, 1957, in St. Paul, Minnesota.[5][6] His family relocated to southern California when he was in second grade, and he spent most of his formative years there.[7] His father worked as an architect and engineer with a strong personal interest in science.[8] Norell grew up with his parents and had a brother, Todd Norell.[2] As a child in California, Norell pursued early interests in the natural world by collecting bugs, rocks, and fossils, often creating museum-style displays in his room.[7] These pursuits reflected the supportive family environment that encouraged his curiosity about science from an early age.[7]Education
Mark Norell earned his Bachelor of Science degree from California State University in 1980. [1] He continued his studies at San Diego State University, receiving a Master of Science degree in 1983. [1] Norell then pursued graduate work at Yale University, where he obtained a Master of Philosophy degree in 1986 followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in biology in 1988. [1] [7] Upon completing his doctorate, Norell joined the American Museum of Natural History in 1989. [7]Paleontological career
Positions and roles at AMNH
Mark Norell joined the American Museum of Natural History in 1990 in the Division of Paleontology, where he focused on fossil amphibians, reptiles, and birds. [9] He subsequently served as Chairman of the Division of Paleontology for many years and also held the title of Macaulay Curator. [2] [9] In these leadership roles, he oversaw the renovation of the Halls of Vertebrate Evolution, implementing a phylogenetic approach to the exhibit layout that emphasized evolutionary relationships among specimens. [1] Norell retired from active service in 2021 after over 30 years at the museum and was appointed Curator Emeritus in the Division of Paleontology, specifically for Fossil Amphibians, Reptiles, and Birds. [7] He remained affiliated with the institution as a curator emeritus and research associate until his death in 2025. [1] Many of his fieldwork expeditions and research initiatives were conducted under the auspices of the AMNH. [1]Fieldwork and expeditions
Norell conducted extensive fieldwork through numerous paleontological expeditions across several continents, often in collaboration with international partners. He co-led long-term joint expeditions with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, beginning with the landmark 1990 expedition alongside Michael Novacek and Malcolm McKenna from the American Museum of Natural History, which marked the first American scientific return to the region in over 60 years following the lifting of previous restrictions. [10] These Mongolia expeditions continued annually for more than 30 years, with Norell serving as one of the primary team leaders. [7] [11] In 1993, Norell was part of the expedition team that discovered Ukhaa Tolgod, a site in the Gobi Desert that proved exceptionally fertile for Late Cretaceous vertebrate fossils, with skeletons exposed across the surface and many specimens preserved in remarkable detail due to rapid burial events such as sand dune collapses. [7] The site has been recognized for its extraordinary abundance and quality of fossils, yielding a wealth of dinosaur, mammal, lizard, and bird remains over repeated visits. [11] Beyond Mongolia, Norell organized and participated in expeditions to other regions, including Patagonia, the Chilean Andes, Cuba, the Sahara, West Africa, and the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. [7] [11] He led or co-led over 20 international expeditions in total, contributing to the development of several key fossil localities through sustained fieldwork efforts. [12] Many of these expeditions produced specimens that supported subsequent research on vertebrate evolution. [7]Major discoveries and scientific contributions
Mark Norell's research significantly advanced understanding of theropod dinosaur evolution and the dinosaurian origins of birds. [2] His fieldwork in the Gobi Desert, particularly the discovery of the Ukhaa Tolgod locality in 1993, yielded exceptionally preserved fossils that provided key evidence for birdlike features in non-avian dinosaurs. [3] Among these finds was a nearly intact embryo inside a non-avian dinosaur egg, one of the most complete dinosaur embryos discovered. [2] Norell contributed to documenting brooding behavior in oviraptorid dinosaurs, with specimens preserved in bird-like postures over nests, overturning earlier interpretations of oviraptorids as egg thieves and providing direct evidence of parental care in non-avian dinosaurs. [3] [2] His work also revealed that dinosaurs ancestrally laid soft-shelled eggs, with later theropods evolving colored eggs laid in open nests and brooded by parents. [3] He played a key role in describing some of the earliest known feathered non-avian dinosaurs from China and Mongolia, including Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx, which demonstrated that feathers and other avian traits evolved deep within theropod history and provided strong support for the dinosaur-bird evolutionary link. [3] Norell described or co-described numerous theropod taxa, such as Sinovenator, Byronosaurus, Guanlong, and Apsaravis, contributing to knowledge of theropod diversity and phylogeny. [3] In systematics, Norell introduced and popularized the concept of "ghost lineages," referring to inferred but unsampled sister lineages implied by fossil ages, a framework now widely used in phylogenetics to address missing data and temporal gaps. [3] His methodological innovations helped evaluate phylogenetic relationships amid incomplete fossil records, influencing studies of dinosaur evolution and missing data effects. [3] These discoveries and theoretical contributions were featured in major exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History, including Dinosaurs Among Us, which highlighted birds as surviving dinosaurs. [2]Media and public engagement
Television and documentary appearances
Mark Norell has frequently appeared as an expert commentator in television documentaries and science series, providing insights drawn from his paleontological research at the American Museum of Natural History.[13] His on-screen contributions consist exclusively of appearances as himself, with 18 credits listed as "Self" on IMDb and no roles in fictional acting, producing, or directing.[13] He has been featured multiple times on the PBS series Nova, including in the episodes "The Four-Winged Dinosaur" (2008) and "Day the Dinosaurs Died" (2017).[14][15] Norell also appeared in two episodes of the BBC series Horizon, "Dinosaurs in Your Garden" (1998) and "Extreme Dinosaurs" (2000).[16][17] Additional notable appearances include the National Geographic documentary Bizarre Dinosaurs (2009), the series Miracle Planet (2005), and Jurassic Fight Club (2008), where he served as an interviewee.[13] In Jurassic Fight Club, he also received a crew credit.[18] His filmography includes one thanks credit.[13]Books, exhibitions, and outreach
Norell extended the reach of his paleontological research to general audiences through popular books and major museum exhibitions designed to communicate complex scientific concepts accessibly. His co-authored book Discovering Dinosaurs: Evolution, Extinction, and the Lessons of Prehistory, Expanded and Updated (2000), written with Lowell Dingus and Eugene Gaffney, presented contemporary understanding of dinosaur evolution, extinction patterns, and their broader implications for Earth's history. [19] [20] Another collaboration with Dingus, A Nest of Dinosaurs: The Story of Oviraptor (illustrated by Mick Ellison), was named a Recommended Book by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2000 for outstanding nonfiction for children, focusing on the groundbreaking discoveries surrounding Oviraptor nesting behavior and parental care in dinosaurs. [21] [22] In 2016, Norell curated the American Museum of Natural History exhibition Dinosaurs Among Us, which highlighted the evolutionary transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds and emphasized that birds represent a living lineage of dinosaurs. [23] [24] The exhibition opened in March 2016 and drew on recent fossil evidence to illustrate shared anatomical features between extinct dinosaurs and modern birds. [25] These public-facing projects reflected Norell's commitment to outreach, building directly on his fieldwork and research discoveries to engage broad audiences with the latest advances in dinosaur science. [4]Awards and honors
Mark Norell received several notable awards and honors for his contributions to paleontology, research, and science communication.- In 2023, he was awarded the Romer–Simpson Medal by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the society's highest honor for sustained and outstanding contributions to the field. [26]
- In 2013, he received the Polar Star Medal from the Mongolian government for his assistance in the repatriation of smuggled fossils to Mongolia. [27]
- In 2000, he received the Orbis Pictus Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for the book A Nest of Dinosaurs: The Story of Oviraptor. [5]
- His book Discovering Dinosaurs in the American Museum of Natural History received Scientific American's Young Readers Book of the Year Award. [5]
- In 1998, he was named New York City Leader of the Year by the New York Times. [5]
- In 2000, he was named Distinguished Alumnus by California State University, Long Beach. [5]