Guest columnist
So paleontologists have now begun to figure out the color of dinosaurs. Research published this winter in both Science and Nature magazines shows dinosaurs not in their usual drab shades, but instead with colored rings on their tails and crowns of reddish brown.
For those of us who grew up with just four plain creatures -- Brontosaurus (as it was called then), Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus -- this is a dream come true. We always knew there had to be color somewhere, even if hidden underneath those scary scales. But now these ancient reptiles have begun to burst out in full color, zebra-like with patterns of black and white, and anything seems possible.
I couldn't help but notice that the scientists working to unlock the color codes come from all over the world. British and Chinese paleontologists examined the tail feathers of Sinosauropteryx and Americans collaborated with researchers in Beijing to color the fabulous Anchiornis huxleyi.
If only the rest of the world worked like this. Boundaries between nations disappear when researchers share knowledge to advance medicine and science.
But even while Chinese and Americans work together in a lab, we can't otherwise. We eye each other with suspicion, as tensions build over monetary policy. We fear that China is overtaking us in green technology, education and transportation, and we wonder if we'll lose out. Will China replace us as the world's leader?
Maybe it depends on how we define world's leader. If we continue the spirit of America that led to space travel, medical breakthroughs, open campuses, public debates, and creative entrepreneurship, we will prevail in all our glorious colors. But if we shut down and prevent a healthy exchange of ideas, we will go the way of the dinosaurs.
The "terrible lizards," as they were initially named, turn out not to be so terrible after all. We've come to know them well after many years of painstaking research and tedious excavation around the world.
The countries and ideas that we fear may not be so terrible either. Perhaps with the same dogged persistence and spirit that keeps uncovering the world of dinosaurs, we can uncover a new place for ourselves in the world -- one that respects our traditional values of determination and hard work and, at the same time, welcomes innovation and fresh ideas from across the globe.
Marjorie George is a writer who lives in Durham.
