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Since there are no time machines, the closest we can get to traveling back in time is to reconstruct past landscapes based on evidence from fossils and rock layers. Such evidence provides information on the plants, animals, environmental factors, and topography that were present at a particular location during a specific period of time. Reconstructing past landscapes requires the creativity, skills, and expertise of both scientists and artists. The process starts by identifying a time and a place, for example Denver, Colorado, 65 million years ago. A paleontologist locates and excavates 65 million-year-old fossils from sites in the Denver area, gathering the raw material for the painting. A geologist studies the rock layers and interprets the topography of the ancient land. Using modern plants and animals as reference points, the paleontologist, often with the help of a scientific illustrator, makes sketches of individual fossils and what the organisms may have looked like when alive. These elements are added to the artists menu of landscape elements, and soon the components of an ancient ecosystem are gathered. Then the artist makes an initial sketch to develop the composition of the painting and the look of the plants and animals. The scientist gives critical feedback, and the artist begins to paint. In a back-and-forth manner, a painting emerges that is as scientifically accurate as possible.
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