Visitors to the Science Center of Iowa today (Saturday) can get their hands on a collection of Iowa plants and animals that are 300-million-years old as part of the Fall Fossil Festival. Center spokeswoman Sally Dix says the event is a way to introduce kids to the exciting world of fossils and their impact on our knowledge about the planet.Dix says participants in today’s event at the Des Moines facility will become modern-day sleuths uncovering mysteries of paleontology and hidden secrets of the past revealed through fossilized remains. She says kids will learn the difference between paleontology, archaeology and geology. Guest presenters from the Central Iowa Mineral Society will be leading activities and programs to help participants discover how detailed remains of plants and animals captured and preserved for centuries become fossils and help scientists better understand the world today. Dix says one hands-on display is called the paleontology puzzle which helps kids learn what paleontologists do. The Fall Fossil Festival is framed by the Science Center’s dinosaur exhibit, “Dino-Might!” For more information, visit “www.sciowa.org” or call 515-274-4138.
