Melanie During
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Melanie During (Langedijk,[1] 13 June 1989) is a Dutch paleontologist at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.[1] Her research showed that the meteorite impact responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs occurred during spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.[2][3] As a student, she participated in the excavation of Triceratops fossils in Wyoming, including one specimen, nicknamed "Dirk", which was prepared and put on display at Naturalis Biodiversity Center.[4] Her book De laatste lente van de dinosauriërs (The Last Spring of the Dinosaurs) was published by HarperCollins in 2023.[5]
Work
[edit]During began her education in the Dutch vocational secondary school system (VMBO) before progressing through HAVO and VWO to university.[1] She studied Earth Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. In 2015, while stlil a student, she joined a team excavating a Triceratops bone bed in Wyoming. One of the recovered specimens, nicknamed "Dirk", was later prepared and put on display at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands.[4]
In 2017, as a Master's student, During learned of the Tanis fossil site in North Dakota, where fish had been preserved after dying on the day of the Chickxulub impact. Glass spherules (tektites) lodged in the fish' gills confirmed that they had died during the impact event.[3] During proposed applying isotope analysis to the fossils. She also studied seasonal growth rings in the fossil fish bones.[6] Using synchrotron micro-computed tomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, she examined the fossils non-destructively at microscopic resolution.[7] Her analyses showed that the fish died during their annual growth season, indicating that the Chicxulub impact occurred during spring (in the Northern Hemisphere; autumn in the Southern Hemisphere). The findings helped explain why some species became extinct while others survived the event. She published the results in Nature and received the Escher Prize of the Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (KNGMG) for the best master's thesis in the Earth sciences.[2]
She wrote a popular-scientific book about her findings, called De laatste lente van de dinosauriërs (The Last Spring of the Dinosaurs), which was published by HarperCollins in 2023.[5]
In November 2024, During received her PhD in palaeontology from Uppsala University with her dissertation On the Verge of Extinction: A Multi-Proxy Approach to Understanding Life up to the KPg Extinction in North Dakota.[8] She is currently a lecturer at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Wierda, Sian (2026-02-23). "Melanie During (36) inspireert een nieuwe generatie met een uitgestorven wereld". www.omropfryslan.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- 1 2 During, Melanie A. D.; Smit, Jan; Voeten, Dennis F. A. E.; Berruyer, Camille; Tafforeau, Paul; Sanchez, Sophie; Stein, Koen H. W.; Verdegaal-Warmerdam, Suzan J. A.; van der Lubbe, Jeroen H. J. L. (2022). "The Mesozoic terminated in boreal spring". Nature. 603 (7899): 91–94. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04446-1. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 8891016. PMID 35197634.
- 1 2 Sample, Ian (2022-02-23). "Springtime asteroid hit ramped up extinction rates, say scientists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- 1 2 "Martijn Guliker | Naturalis". www.naturalis.nl. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- 1 2 "De laatste lente van de dinosauriërs". HarperCollins Holland. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ Dunham, Will. "A good day to die: doom for the dinosaurs came in springtime". Euronews. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "'Split open', 'bent around trees'. Brilliantly preserved fish point to springtime apocalypse for dinosaurs". ABC News. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Uppsala University Doctoral Thesis Defence: Unveiling New Insights into Life Before the KPg Extinction – Department of Organismal Biology – Uppsala University". www.uu.se. 2024-10-29. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
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