What if we could bring back the Jurassic era? Don’t worry, we’re only talking about the virtual world! The advanced technology of today has given scientists a way to virtually bring back more than a dozen long-extinct prehistoric species like the saber-toothed tiger, mammoth, dire wolf, etc. The metaverse now has extinct animals, which are scientifically accurate too!
The Paleoart
The technology of resurrecting the Jurassic species is known as ‘Paleoart.’ It reimagines or recreates extinct lives from prehistoric times, and the vision can be imbibed in augmented reality. A collaborative project of experts, researchers, and designers from the La Brea Tar Pits, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the University of Southern California have put forward this form of paleoart as the prime tool behind recreating this metaverse mega-fauna. The assistant curator of La Brea Tar Pits, Dr. Emily Lindsey, stated that paleoart can be highly influential in how people, and even scientists and historians, understand fossil life. Being one of the most famous fossil sites in the world, thanks to the incredibly well-preserved remains, the La Brea Tar Pits itself has long been home to paleoart.
The Problem and the Solution
According to Dr. Matt Davis, paleoart is a very crucial part of paleontological research. Before the museum of La Brea Tar Pits, the site housed several sculptures of the American lion, Columbian mammoth, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, short-faced bears, and others, to give the visitors an idea of how the area used to look in the Ice Age. While researching with paleoart, the researchers quickly realized that there are no scientifically accurate Ice Age animals created for the metaverse. Even many of the sculptures and murals were inaccurate and misleading. Then paleoart emerged as the viable solution to the problem, as a combination of a wide range of artistic value and scientific accuracy.