Humongous and extinct for aeons, dinosaurs have been the subject of fantasy for generations of children as soon as they are introduced to the time-before-history through documentaries and movies.
Beyond the fun factor, children's zeal for these prehistoric creatures is a precious asset for humanity. Intertwined with entertainment is an education in geology and palaeontology.
These two branches of science help us foresee changes to our planet. In those realms, an ocean turning into a desert is a simple notion.
If your children are die-hard dino fans, most likely you have already taken them _ or have been pestered to take them _ to major attractions such as Kalasin's Sirindhorn Museum and Phu Kum Khao Dinosaur Excavation Site, or Khon Kaen's Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum. Well-established as geological and palaeontological museums and research centres, they promise magnificent exhibitions which include open excavation sites of stunningly complete real dinosaur fossils.
If your family has been to those attractions, your children must have been happily filled with knowledge about dinosaurs by now. Meanwhile, parents may be a bit stressed out, convinced that they are through with the dinosaur game to keep them productively entertained. But that does not have to be the case. In fact, any grown-up might get excited hearing the coming question: Would you care to witness the discovery of the world's newest species? It would help if you recall that in October last year there was big news about the discovery of a new carnivorous fish species in Kalasin _ Isanichthys lertboosi. Its fossils were unearthed on Phu Noi, a sandstone hill located about 80km northeast of downtown Kalasin.
Palaeontologists believe that in the future more new species are going to be discovered in the vicinity of Phu Noi. And they welcome visitors to come and observe them at work.
You can get to watch the palaeontologists up close during every arduous step of the excavation procedure _ from surveying, data logging and fossil extracting to transporting the specimens to the research facility. The palaeontologists also give lectures to keep visitors abreast of their work. They can oversee up to 50 visitors at a time, making the activity an ideal field trip for students.
The excavation season begins in November and ends before the rainy season, in May or June. The observation needs to be coordinated in advance, either with the Department of Mineral Resources' excavation crew or with Mahasarakham University's Palaeontological Research and Education Centre excavation crew.
The two crews jointly excavate Phu Noi under the aegis of the Department of Mineral Resources. Each crew excavates about 10 days a month on different schedules. Visitors are advised to contact both teams to see whose schedule can accommodate them better.
Visits to Phu Noi without appointment are possible but limited to outside the fenced areas. In other words, you can only look through to the fossils on the other side of the fence and read information on boards hung outside.
And just what kinds of fossils can you expect to see at Phu Noi? Since the beginning of excavations in 2008, Phu Noi's sandstone soil has yielded a large number of delightfully complete fossils of dinosaurs and traces of various prehistoric marine life.
Backtrack to what was said about an ocean drying up into a desert. It is incredible that on the top of a sandstone hill, 230m above sea level, palaeontologists have unearthed a considerable amount of fossils belonging to various prehistoric marine life such as crocodile teeth, crocodile scales, tortoise shells and fish scales. Similar fossils have also been found throughout the Northeast, leading palaeontologists to conclude that this dry region used to be undersea.
Research at Phu Noi has been consistently fruitful. Since 2008, more than 900 fossils have been excavated at Phu Noi, some of them dating back 150 million years.
"Every dig is a hit," said Dr Varavudh Suteethorn, director of Mahasarakham University's Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, referring to Phu Noi's formidable potential. Such potential naturally demands urgent protection. Last year Phu Noi was declared a Fossil and Fossil Source Exploration and Research Territory.
Excavations continue apace but there is no telling when the activity will be discontinued. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and your family. Over the next few years, when discoveries of new species are announced, you may recognise from the front page somewhere you have been and the people who made them known to the world.
