More than 2,000 volunteers are chipping away at rock encasing the bones of a Mastodonsaurus at Warsaw's Copernicus Science Center, transforming a scientific discovery into a public act of collective restoration. The nearly complete skeleton, unearthed in southern Poland three years ago, represents something rare in paleontology: a chance for ordinary citizens to participate directly in uncovering Earth's deep history.
The fossil is the first Mastodonsaurus skeleton to be found in such a well-preserved, nearly complete state. It measures nearly six meters, or 20 feet, in length and weighs 1,300 kilograms, or 2,865 pounds. When restoration is complete, expected in October or November, it will become the largest Mastodonsaurus skeleton exhibited in a museum anywhere in the world.
The volunteers aren't trained paleontologists. They're managers, cleaners, tattoo artists—people from Warsaw's everyday workforce. They receive training and protective gear, then work in two-hour chiseling sessions under supervision. Using pneumatic chisels and brushes, they separate bone from surrounding rock millimeter by millimeter. Ultraviolet light reveals where the bone ends and the surrounding rock begins. Visitors watch through glass walls as the work unfolds, children pointing with excitement while parents observe the meticulous process.
Who Is Behind the Discovery
Tomasz Sulej, a paleontologist and professor at the Institute of Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, and his colleague Wojciech Pawlak from the Faculty of Geology at the Warsaw University discovered the skeleton in southern Poland three years ago. They conceived the idea to invite volunteers to help restore it—a decision that transformed what could have been a laboratory project into a public engagement initiative.
Sulej said there are no other known Mastodonsaurus skeletons this large anywhere else in the world. Other specimens have been found in Germany and Russia, but they measure only 2 to 3 meters, or 6½ to 10 feet, in length. "The structure of the body is different from what we knew so far," Sulej said. "This is information that is completely new to the scientific world."
What We're Learning
The Mastodonsaurus lived about 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic, when the earliest dinosaurs were appearing but before they came to dominate Earth. It was an underwater ambush hunter, preying mainly on fish and smaller amphibians. Scientists believe it could grow to nearly six meters in length and had a broad, flat head, long jaws, and sharp conical teeth, resembling a crocodile though it belonged to a different branch of the vertebrate family tree.
Tatyana Kozyk, the coordinator of the volunteer teams, described the experience with wonder. "I imagine that those bones were lying underground for 240 million years and I am the first human on earth to touch them," she said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this experience."
Dorota Serafin, a 51-year-old manager from Warsaw, called the work "relaxing and philosophical, even mystical." She plans to return for other sessions and eventually bring her family to the Copernicus Science Center when the restored skeleton is exhibited.
The Larger Meaning
The project's participants have reflected on what this ancient creature teaches us about resilience and change. Sulej offered perspective on the creature's place in Earth's history: "The Mastodonsaurus lived after the great extinction, which shows one thing, that nature always manages. It's not true that humans can destroy life on this planet. Nature and life always find ways to survive."
The restoration project demonstrates how public institutions can democratize scientific work. Rather than confining paleontology to laboratories and academic journals, the Copernicus Science Center invited thousands of ordinary people to participate in discovery. Visitors watch the work unfold in real time. Children witness science as a living, ongoing process rather than a finished product in a textbook.
Why This Matters:
This project illustrates how public institutions can make scientific discovery accessible and participatory rather than exclusive. By inviting 2,000 volunteers to help restore the skeleton, the Copernicus Science Center transformed what could have been a specialist's task into a shared civic experience. The volunteers—managers, cleaners, tattoo artists—represent the breadth of society, suggesting that scientific engagement isn't reserved for credentialed experts. The work also demonstrates the value of public investment in science and culture. The restoration will produce new knowledge about a species previously misunderstood, knowledge that belongs to humanity rather than to private interests. Finally, Sulej's reflection on extinction and resilience carries weight as societies grapple with environmental change. The Mastodonsaurus survived catastrophe 240 million years ago; understanding how life persists through upheaval has relevance beyond paleontology.