I went to a small 'dinosaur museum' last summer in South Bend Indiana. I wasn't expecting much, but found myself disappointed that all the large displays (except one) were 'replicas'. I'm not sure why I felt this way, since all fossils are 'copies'. But 'replica' makes it seem fake.

edit: I think this is being misinterpreted. In my mind, all fossils are 'copies' of the original. The bone is gone, replaced by stone. But for some reason, calling something a replica doesn't carry the same...majesty as the original copy. Maybe it's just the thought that it could have been tampered with when making it out of plastic or fiberglass.

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[–] 5 points 11 months ago

In the sense that the original organic material has been replaced by minerals? I guess that’s a version of the old Ship of Theseus question.

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