There are many ways to travel, perhaps to another city or state (and probably out of the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport, if you’re doing it the easy way).
If you’re headed to Denver, an afternoon at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is truly a trip back in time.
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I love to learn, so a visit to the Denver Museum of Science & History was a no-brainer for my Denver escape. The exhibits are so neat that you won’t even look at your watch.
From walking corridors among the bones of ancient, terrifying creatures to peeking into caves where colorful minerals are formed deep in the earth. I learned about high-altitude physiology, Egyptian mummies, and space travel.
Here are six mind-blowing facts that I learned, but you’re bound to learn at least six more.
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1 – There were crocodiles in Wyoming
Around 45 to 50 million-year-old crocodile skeletons and turtle graveyards are common in western North America. Wyoming used to look like some places in South American and Florida today, with thriving populations of crocodiles and turtles.
The crocodile skull shown above is from the Bridger Formation in Sweetwater County and is 49 million years old.
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2 – Your teeth evolved from fish scales
The hardest bit of your body is the enamel coating your teeth.
But new analyses of fish fossils, as well as genetic analyses of a living fish species, suggest that this specialized material once served a very different function: to toughen some bones and scales of ancient fish.
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3 — How crystals like these are formed
The Denver Museum has a vast array of rocks, minerals, and crystals of all shapes and colors. This one is Rhodochrosite.
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4 — What this mummy looked like in real life
Egyptians believed that through mummification, they could join the god Osiris in the afterlife.
Modern edical imaging has made it possible to explore the anatomy of mummies, which researchers can use to hypothesize what he looked like.
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5 — How big is Colorado’s largest known gold nugget
It was found in 1937. It’s hard to tell when there is no perspective. You’ll have to go in and see for yourself.
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6 — NASA plans to launch a mission to an asteroid
Psyche, NASA’s mission to a unique metal asteroid, is planned to launch in summer of 2022. It will arrive at the main asteroid belt in 2026.
This giant replica of the earth puts the scale of the universe into perspective, along with the interactive exhibits about space exploration and the history of the cosmos.
About the Traveler
Katie Glennemeier is the Community News Director for SweetwaterNOW. Photography and storytelling are two of her greatest passions in life. Travel is a close second. As the great storyteller J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.”
Share Your Travel Story
Submit your travelogue when you fly out of the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and you could win two FREE airline tickets to Denver!
Travel is so enlightening! Your travelogue might be about adventuring to the big city–the incredible food and culture. You could escape to a wild, natural place like the ocean or a national park. Perhaps you have an out-of-the-way spot or a little known travel destination you must share.
Not only could your incredible story and photos be posted on SweetwaterNOW, you’ll be entered to win tickets to Denver.
The first set of tickets will be given away in October and the winner will be chosen by a panel of SweetwaterNOW and Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport staff.
Read the rules here.
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