U.S. restorationist solves 60-million-year-old dinosaur fossil 'puzzles'

Dinosaur restorationist Lauren McClain reconstructs ancient fossils with precision and care, turning them into life-like replicas

Before a T. rex can tower over museum visitors or a Triceratops can show off its huge horns, dinosaur fossils must first be painstakingly reconstructed — cleaned, fit together and even painted.

For U.S. restorationist Lauren McClain, the process is like putting together a giant 3D puzzle.

Ms. McClain's job begins at her home workshop near Houston, Texas, where she carefully clears away dirt stuck to the more than 60-million-year-old remains using a tiny drill with an air compressor, similar to a dentist's tool.

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Then, she must assemble this ancient puzzle — even though pieces are almost always missing.

She moulds fillings for the lost parts, plugging the holes and repairing the nicks that have appeared in Edmontosaurus femurs or Megalodon teeth over millions of years. She has even worked on a fossil from a 200-million-year-old Eurypterida, or sea scorpion.

Ms. McClain doesn't actually like puzzles very much, she says.