A Makeover for an Old Friend
Time and technology revamp a dinosaur classic
By Sid Perkins
Try standing in a corner for nearly a century, being breathed on and gawked at by millions of noisy tourists. You’d likely have tired bones, too.
In 1998, when Smithsonian Institution conservators took a close look at the fossils in Dinosaur Hall, they were astonished by the sad state of the Triceratops. The ancient glue used to harden the bones in the 93-year-old, 8-foot-high display was deteriorating, and the evaluators worried that the ancient relics were on the verge of falling apart.