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JOHN ALEXANDER
Information about Mr Alexander: http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/paleontology/people_alexander.php.
MEETING SUMMARY:
Meeting Date: September 11, 1999.
Meeting Site: Saddle River Valley Cultural Center. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Official Attendance: 39.
Meeting Program: Talk by Paleontologist.
Notes:
Meeting Memories:
Newsletter Account:
The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 1999 Philip J De Parto:
Paleontologist John Alexander was the featured speaker at the September 11, 1999 meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County. Mr Alexander works as the collection Manager of Fossil Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History.
Mr Alexander's presentation was broken into three parts. He first gave a slide show about what it is like to be on an archeological dig. He then showed artwork and talked about the science fiction graphic novel he is developing. Finally, he gave a short slide show detailing alternate directions evolution might have taken.
The first slide show was a mixture of artists' sketches of dinosaurs, prehistoric flora and fauna, and photographs of various digs overseen by Mr Alexander. He talked about seldom discussed aspects of prehistoric evolution. One of these was that mammals actually pre dated dinosaurs, although they did not become dominant until after the last dinosaur extinction. Another was that there have been a number of creatures which have popularly been called ancient mammals or dinosaurs when they should more properly be classified as being mammal-like or dinosaur-like. An example of the dinosaur-like reptile is the ancient quadruped with the back ridges like those of a sailfish.
Mr Alexander gave a number of different perspectives on the nature of an archeological dig. He spoke about the destructive power of off road vehicles at some fossil sites out west. He also revealed that often people who have no interest in fossil preservation become huffy and aggressive when they learn he is taking "their" fossils back east.
A lot of hard work goes into a dig. In order to winnow out the volunteers for the excursion, he has adopted the rule of 100. The successful candidate must be able to carry 100 pounds 100 yards in 100 degree weather. But it has its rewards. There is a marvelous excitement at walking through a stretch of badlands and glimpsing something that you immediately know is the tooth of a rare and long dead creature.
During the break, a number of people examined the storyboard panels of Mr Alexander's graphic novel project. The black and white panels displayed bold inking and black spotting techniques. The story concerned futuristic technology and prehistoric animals. In response to a question from the floor, our guest admitted to a strong influence from Jack Kirby.
The final portion of the program was a slide show about alternative evolution. What new species of dinosaurs, for example, might have evolved if they had not died out? Mr Alexander illustrated a number of different potential evolutionary scenarios. The most striking of these was an evolutionary pathway in which invertebrates never relinquished their dominance and flying worms preyed upon floating jellyfish.
It was a delight to have a guest who was able to relate to the group from so many vantage points, from comic books to science fiction to science. Those present for the event had a very special evening.