3 October 1947 - 13 August 2021
Palaeontologist who co-discovered the dinosaur Baryonyx walkeri
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Angela Milner
Eras:
Location:
Gosforth Newcastle Upon Tyne
Dr. Angela Milner, born in Gosforth in Newcastle, was one of the most influential figures in the field of vertebrate palaeontology, with interests spanning 350 million years of Earth history. After studying at Newcastle University, she spent most of her career at the Natural History Museum, London, joining as a curator in 1976 and rising through the organisation to become Assistant Keeper of Palaeontology, a position that she held until retirement in 2009.
Milner’s specialism was tetrapods, or four-legged vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles and mammals, on which she worked for over forty years. Fossils of these were found in abundance in the North East coal fields. She was a pioneer in using CT-scanning, usually used in human medicine, to investigate fossils, such as her work in 2004 to analyse the brain of the earliest bird, Archaeopteryx.
In 1983, she was involved in discovering a new British species of dinosaur, Baryonyx walkeri, or “Walker’s Heavy Claw,” in Surrey. The team she co-led discovered that this enormous animal was a fish-eater, finding fish scales in its stomach: this was the first dinosaur recorded to be pescatarian.
She was the scientific lead behind the creation of the Dinosaur Gallery, the Natural History Museum's most popular exhibition, attracting more than 3 million visitors a year.
Images reproduced by permission of the Trustees of The Natural History Museum
Images reproduced by permission of the Trustees of The Natural History Museum
Children from Farne Primary School in Newcastle used the Our Past Your Future map to learn about influential scientists from the North East and the region’s innovative science and engineering heritage for British Science Week. They investigated the important part the region played in the development of science and engineering through its coal mining and ship building industries and through its pioneering railways. Children further investigated some of the trailblazing scientists from the North East, including John Snow (a doctor to Queen Victoria who carried out work to discover the importance of hygiene), Marie Lebour (a marine biologist), Ethel Williams (the first female doctor from Newcastle), Angela Milner (a palaeontologist who found the fossil of a previously undiscovered dinosaur), Rachel Parsons (an engineer), George Airy (an astronomer who worked on establishing the Greenwich Meridian) and Charles Merz (a scientist who helped set up the national electricity grid). Children had a better understanding of the region's industrial and scientific heritage as a result. Finding out about local scientists and engineers whose innovations had an influence on our lives today, helped inspire and engage the children as it gave the work a local context and made it more relevant to them. Susan Bennison - Teacher, Science Subject lead, Farne Primary School.
External Online Resources
Angela Milner: a life in science - Natural History Blog
Baryonyx: the discovery of an amazing fish-eating dinosaur | Natural History Museum - explained by Angela Milner
