Key Takeaways
- The "Bone Wars" was a fierce 19th-century paleontological rivalry between Cope and Marsh.
- Their intense competition drove the discovery of 126 new dinosaur species in the American West.
- The rivalry escalated to alleged sabotage, employee poaching, and press manipulation.
- Personal, scientific, and financial conflicts fueled their lifelong, publicly waged conflict.
- The "Bone Wars" significantly shaped American paleontology's early development.
Deep Dive
- America's significant interest in paleontology traces back to a fierce rivalry during the winter of 1877.
- Early paleontological finds in 1822 occurred in France, predating the term itself.
- Lewis and Clark's expedition conducted the first documented North American paleontological expedition.
- Othniel Marsh, born in 1831, had his Yale education funded by his wealthy uncle, George Peabody.
- Edward Cope, born in 1840, came from a prominent, wealthy Philadelphia family, accessing institutions despite dropping out at 16.
- Their initial meeting in Germany in 1863 fostered a strong friendship and shared interest in paleontology.
- Cope, a religious man, attempted to reconcile his scientific theories with his religious beliefs through Neolamarckism.
- Neolamarckism posited that acquired traits are passed to offspring, contrasting with Darwin's theory of random mutation.
- Despite his personal beliefs, Cope's own scientific work inadvertently provided support for Darwin's theories.
- Marsh publicly pointed out Cope's error in incorrectly mounting an Elasmosaurus platerius fossil's head on the wrong end.
- Cope attempted to conceal his mistake by buying back copies of the journal where the fossil was published.
- Marsh exaggerated his role in the correction, humiliating Cope and definitively ending their friendship.
- Cope, independently wealthy, self-financed expeditions and published prolifically, around 1,400 papers, including 25 annually in the 1870s.
- Marsh, supported by Yale University and government funding, benefited from university resources and student labor for his expeditions.
- Cope's purchase of the 'American Naturalist' journal in 1877 proved financially detrimental, contrasting Marsh's steady institutional backing.
- The Transcontinental Railroad opened access to fossil-rich areas in the American West during the 1870s.
- Abundant dinosaur bone discoveries led prospectors to contact paleontologists Cope and Marsh, intensifying their rivalry.
- Reports emerged of sabotage, including dynamiting digs and smashing fossils, to prevent rival acquisition.
- The intense rivalry drove their paleontological work, leading to the discovery of 126 new dinosaur species.
- In the 1880s, Marsh used his influential positions to hinder Cope's funding and access to government resources.
- Cope's exposé to the New York Herald led to a congressional investigation, cutting the USGS budget.
- Marsh lost his position after the investigation, ironically due to his own USGS bylaws being used against him.
- Cope (died 1897 at 56) and Marsh (died 1889 at 68) continued their rivalry posthumously, with Cope challenging Marsh to a brain comparison.