Fossils Facts

A Stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed "Apex" sold at Sotheby's on July 17, 2024 for $44.6 million - the most ever paid for a fossil at auction. Sotheby's had estimated it at $4 to $6 million; bidding ended in 15 minutes. Of its 319 visible bones, 254 are original fossil. The rest are sculpted.

Lee Berger found 1,550 fossils of an unknown human species in South Africa's Rising Star cave. The only way in was an 18-cm gap. He couldn't fit. He posted on Facebook for scientists slim enough to squeeze through. Six women answered. They crawled in and pulled out Homo naledi - a lost branch of humanity. Eight years later, Berger lost 25 kg and finally made it in himself.