DENVER (AP) — A Denver museum known for its dinosaur displays has made a fossil bone discovery closer to home than anyone ever expected, under its own parking lot.
It came from a hole drilled more than 750 feet (230 meters) deep to study geothermal heating potential for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
The museum is popular with dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages. Full-size dinosaur skeletons amaze kiddos barely knee-high to a parent, much less to a Tyrannosaurus.
This latest find is not so visually impressive. Even so, the odds of finding the hockey-puck-shaped fossil sample were impressively small.
With a bore only a couple of inches (5 centimeters) wide, museum officials struggled to describe just how unlikely it was to hit a dinosaur, even in a region with a fair number of such fossils.
“Finding a dinosaur bone in a core is like hitting a hole in one from the moon. It’s like winning the Willy Wonka factory. It’s incredible, it’s super rare,” said James Hagadorn, the museum’s curator of geology.
Only two similar finds have been noted in bore hole samples anywhere in the world, not to mention on the grounds of a dinosaur museum, according to museum officials.
A vertebra of a smallish, plant-eating dinosaur is believed to be the source. It lived in the late Cretaceous period around 67.5 million years ago. An asteroid impact brought the long era of dinosaurs to an end around 66 million years ago, according to scientists.
Fossilized vegetation also was found in the bore hole near the bone.
“This animal was living in what was probably a swampy environment that would have been heavily vegetated at the time,” said Patrick O'Connor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Dinosaur discoveries in the area over the years include portions of Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops-type fossils. This one is Denver's deepest and oldest yet, O'Connor said.
Other experts in the field vouched for the find's legitimacy but with mixed reactions.
“It’s a surprise, I guess. Scientifically it’s not that exciting,” said Thomas Williamson, curator of paleontology at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in Albuquerque.
There was no way to tell exactly what species of dinosaur it was, Williamson noted.
The find is "absolutely legit and VERY COOL!” Erin LaCount, director of education programs at the Dinosaur Ridge track site just west of Denver, said by email.
The fossil's shape suggests it was a duck-billed dinosaur or thescelosaurus, a smaller but somewhat similar species, LaCount noted.
The bore-hole fossil is now on display in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, of course, but there are no plans to look for more under the parking lot.
“I would love to dig a 763-foot (233-meter) hole in the parking lot to excavate that dinosaur, the rest of it. But I don't think that's going to fly because we really need parking,” Hagadorn said.
Part of a fossilized vertebrae from a herbivorous dinosaur found deep under the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is displayed at the museum on July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Geologist James Hagadorn closes boxes of core rock samples at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence spun and rolled left to avoid pressure, squared his shoulders as much as possible with a defender in his face and heaved the ball 50 yards toward the sideline.
It looked like a potential throwaway.
It was actually a perfectly placed pass to Parker Washington, who was sprinting across the field.
Lawrence smiled and shrugged his shoulders toward Jacksonville’s bench — an acknowledgement that it was the second time in as many weeks he turned a busted play into a big gain — and moved on. There really wasn’t much else to say as the best performance of Lawrence’s five-year NFL career unfolded against the New York Jets.
Lawrence finished with 330 yards passing, five touchdowns and a career-high 136.7 passer rating. He also ran for 51 yards and a score. Three days later, Lawrence was named AFC offensive player of the week.
He has a shot at being the league's conference player of the month for December, especially if he continues to ascend when the surprising Jaguars (10-4) play at stingy Denver (12-2) on Sunday.
“I feel like I’m seeing it really well,” Lawrence said. “I think I’m throwing it well. Offensively, in general, it’s never about one guy. As an offense, we’re really synced up right now, especially in the passing game and protecting up front.
“We all have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing. It seems like we’ve got the ball rolling the last few weeks, so it feels good.”
Lawrence has thrown for at least 225 yards and two TDs in four consecutive weeks. He also has no turnovers in his last three games — Lawrence’s longest, mistake-free stretch since the Jaguars drafted him as the top pick in 2021.
There are reasons for his recent surge.
Coach Liam Coen tops the list. The play-caller and Lawrence have figured each other out, building a level of consistency and cohesion Lawrence rarely found as a rookie under coach Urban Meyer or in three years under Doug Pederson, who changed passing game coordinators and gave up play-calling duties after his first season in Jacksonville.
Coen has drawn rave reviews inside the team facility for his communication skills and his willingness to adjust — no moves bigger than trading for sure-handed receivers Jakobi Meyers and Tim Patrick, inserting backup left tackle Cole Van Lanen into the starting lineup and remaining committed to a ground game that helps keep Lawrence upright and healthy.
“As you’re building, you just have to make sure you’re doing right by the whole place and putting the best 11 out there,” Coen said. “Individual success is extremely important to us. You want every player to get what they truly deserve and earn. … But it has to come back to the team first.
“Ultimately, everything we’re trying to do is to do that. Put the team first, protect the team and give ourselves the best chance to go win on Sunday.”
The Jaguars have won five in a row and six of seven since their bye, the only loss being the biggest collapse in franchise history. They are averaging 34.2 points a game during the winning streak, with Lawrence getting — and deserving — much of the credit.
He finally looks like the generational quarterback the Jaguars thought they were getting nearly five years ago when the previously winless Jets beat the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland in consecutive weeks late in the 2020 season to essentially hand the top draft pick to Jacksonville.
His mistakes are down, and he’s using his legs like never before. He ranks fifth in franchise history with 20 rushing scores, including a career-high six this season, and sits third in franchise history with 92 TD passes in 74 starts.
He passed David Garrard (89) last week and has Blake Bortles (103) and Mark Brunell (144) within reach considering Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract with the Jaguars before the 2024 season.
He is currently tied for sixth in the NFL with 23 TD passes, two shy of his career best set in 2023. More importantly, the Jaguars have double-digit wins for the second time in 18 seasons and are on the verge of making the playoffs for just the fifth time this century.
“It all starts with him, and he’s doing a great job,” Meyers said. “Up or down, we’re going to rock with him regardless. So, wherever he goes, we’re going.”
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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs with ball against New York Jets cornerback Qwan'Tez Stiggers (37) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a pass against the New York Jets during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the second half against the New York Jets an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
