Gregory Scott Paul (born December 24, 1954) is an American freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in

paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

. He is best known for his work and research on

theropod Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

s and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal. Professionally investigating and restoring dinosaurs for three decades, Paul received an on-screen credit as dinosaur specialist on ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...

'' and Discovery Channel's ''

When Dinosaurs Roamed America ''When Dinosaurs Roamed America'' (sometimes shortened to ''When Dinosaurs Roamed'' outside of the United States) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary) that first aired on the Disco ...

'' and '' Dinosaur Planet''. He is the author and illustrator of ''Predatory Dinosaurs of the World'' (1988), ''The Complete Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Skeletons'' (1996), ''Dinosaurs of the Air'' (2001), three editions of '' The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs'' (2010, 2016 & 2024), ''Gregory S. Paul's Dinosaur Coffee Table Book'' (2010), ''The Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs'' (2022), ''The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles'' (2022) and editor of ''The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs'' (2000). Paul's contributions are also notable in the philosophical realm of the problem of evil.

Paleontology

Illustrations

Paul helped pioneer the "new look" of dinosaurs in the 1970s.Gregory S. Paul: The Full Autobiography Part 3
/ref> Through a series of dynamic ink drawings and oil paintings he was among the first professional artists to depict them as active,

warm-blooded Warm-blooded is a term referring to animal species whose bodies maintain a temperature higher than that of their environment. In particular, homeothermic species (including birds and mammals) maintain a stable body temperature by regulating ...

and – in the case of the small ones – feathered. Many later dinosaur illustrations are a reflection of his anatomical insights or even a direct imitation of his style. The fact that he worked closely with paleontologists, did his own independent paleontological research and created a series of skeletal restorations of all sufficiently known dinosaurs, lead many to regard his images as a sort of scientific standard to be followed. This tendency is stimulated by his habit of constantly redrawing older work to let it reflect the latest finds and theories. Much of it is in black-and-white, in ink or colored pencil. Sculptors have used these anatomical templates as a resource for decades, and still do today many unauthorized and uncredited. Even one of his scientific critics, Storrs L. Olson, described him in a review in the ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'' as "a superior artist". He was inspired by classic paleoartists such as Charles R. Knight, and has a fondness for the dinosaur restorations of the little-known artist Bill Berry. Paul's line art and paintings have been published in over 100 popular books and shown in more documentaries than other modern paleoartists including several television programs such as ''

The Nature of Things ''The Nature of Things'' (formerly, ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'') is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on 6 November 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect th ...

'', ''

NOVA A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

'', ''Horizon'', and ''PaleoWorld''.

Research

From 1977 to 1984, Paul was an informal research associate and illustrator for

Robert Bakker Robert Thomas Bakker (born March 24, 1945) is an American paleontologist who helped reshape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were endothermic (warm-blooded). Along with his mentor ...

in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Paul lacks a formal degree in paleontology, but has participated in numerous field expeditions and has authored or co-authored over 30 scientific papers and over 40 popular science articles. Paul proposed that some of the bird-like feathered theropods were winged fliers, and that others were secondarily flightless, an idea supported by some fossils from China. Paul proposed the controversial

thermoregulatory Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

concept of "terramegathermy", which argues that only animals with high basal metabolic rates can exceed one tonne on land.Paul, G.S., Leahy, G.D. 1994. "Terramegathermy in the Time of the Titans: Restoring the Metabolics of Colossal Dinosaurs." in: Rosenberg, G.D., Wolberg, D.L. (eds). DinoFest. The Paleontological Society Special Publication 7. U. Tenn. Press. Knoxville pp:177–198. Paul has named the following dinosaurs, alone or with co-authors: * ''

Acrocanthosaurus ''Acrocanthosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed in what is now North America during the Aptian and early Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous, from 113 to 110 million years ago. Like most dinosaur genera, ...

altispinax'' (species, later renamed '' Becklespinax altispinax'')G.S. Paul, 1988, ''Predatory Dinosaurs of the World''. Simon & Schuster, New York pp. 1–464 * ''

Albertosaurus ''Albertosaurus'' (; meaning "Alberta lizard") is a genus of large tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in northwestern North America during the early to middle Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period, about 71 million yea ...

megagracilis'' (species, later renamed ''Dinotyrannus megagracilis'', now considered a juvenile ''

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It live ...

'') * ''

Aublysodon ''Aublysodon'' (“backwards-flowing tooth") is a dubious genus of carnivorous dinosaurs known only from the Judith River Formation in Montana, which has been dated to the late Campanian age of the late Cretaceous period (about 75 million years ...

molnari'' (species, later renamed ''Stygivenator molnari'', now considered a juvenile ''Tyrannosaurus rex'') * '' Avisaurus archibaldi'' (genus and species, with Brett-Surman; a bird) * ''

Giraffatitan ''Giraffatitan'' (name meaning "titanic giraffe") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic Period (geology), Period (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian stages) in what is now Lindi Region, Tanzania. Only one species is known, ...

brancai'' (genus) * ''

Mantellisaurus ''Mantellisaurus'' is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur that lived in the Barremian and early Aptian ages of the Early Cretaceous Period of Europe. Its remains are known from Belgium (Bernissart), England, Spain and Germany. The type species, ty ...

atherfieldensis'' (genus) * '' Potamornis skutchi'' (genus and species, with Elzanowski & Stidham; a bird) * '' Dollodon bampingi'' (genus and species) * ''

Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived througho ...

imperator'' (species, criticized by other paleontologists) * ''

regina'' (species, criticized by other paleontologists)

Books

* ''Predatory Dinosaurs of the World'' (1988) * ''The Complete Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Skeletons'' (1996) * ''Dinosaurs of the Air'' (2002) * '' The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs'' (2010) revised 2016, 2024 * ''Gregory S. Paul's Dinosaur Coffee Table Book'' (2010) * ''The Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs'' (2022) * ''The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles'' (2022) * ''The Princeton Field Guide to Predatory Dinosaurs'' (2024) * ''The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs'' (editor, 2000)

Paul's Statistical Problem of Evil

Paul's academic specialisation in paleontology brought him into disagreements over the theory of evolution, Paul asserting his belief in it. His article published in the journal Philosophy and Theology in 2007, entitled '

Theodicy In the philosophy of religion, a theodicy (; meaning 'vindication of God', from Ancient Greek θεός ''theos'', "god" and δίκη ''dikē'', "justice") is an argument that attempts to resolve the problem of evil that arises when all powe ...

's Problem: A Statistical Look at the Holocaust of the Children and the Implications of Natural Evil for the Free Will and Best of All Worlds Hypothesis' publicises Paul's ideas surrounding the natural evil of child death. He says that statistics can be used to assess whether or not God is good based on the numbers of children that die before they can reach an age where they are able to make an informed judgement about religion. Paul rejects the idea that suffering allows us to grow and change, as many children suffer or die before they are able to do these things. Paul concludes that the universe is not actually perfect for human flourishing, but is rather a death trap for children, and that if there is a God who created the universe, they are not worthy of worship.

Footnotes

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Gregory S. American illustrators American paleontologists 1954 births Living people American scientific illustrators Paleoartists American atheists American critics of religions People from Washington, D.C.