How much are we willing to pay for a fossil?

摘要

The outrage expressed by Elwyn Simons and others over the sale of a 47-million-year-old fossil for an enormous sum (Nature 460, 456; 2009) may not be altogether justified.rnA fossil's intrinsic value relates to its preservation, rarity, scientific interest and completeness. Arguably, this may be reflected as a commercial value to museums or private collectors.rnThe price a fossil is likely to fetch is of considerable interest to modern Chinese farmers, for example, as it was to their European predecessors around Bolca in the Italian Alps and Messel in Germany.