Sorry. We seem to be completely agreed that dedicating one's life or assets to science is one of our most noblest endeavors. Not everyone agrees and I get touchy whenever someone edges close to "they oughta make them do it" territory. Sorry.
Did you see the documentary on the T-Rex "Dinosaur 13"? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3090252/ It's free with the IMDB app.
Good movie about people getting screwed over the ownership of, what Indiana Jones would say, "Belongs in a Museum". Which is where it is, but you'll see in the movie why it's controversial.
Nobody should get screwed over by others. Period.
I think private property owners should be left to their own devices on how to deal with situations like this.
I would not want someone coming in with a bulldozer to dig up garden variety remains of trilobites, conodants, arrowheads. That is not much of a contribution to science, it might only merit a master's degree thesis.
On the other hand, if there were evidence of a significant archeological or paleontological site on my property, I would be open to providing access to reputable researchers, if my expenses were covered.
I have not seen that T-Rex movie but it sounds cool!
In my opinion, there is too much of a tendency to put science on a pedestal. I can't really say it is noble to pursue science, anymore than it is to pursue a plethora of other fields. I personally think it's cool to dedicate one's life to pursuing the deepest questions of nature and reality. But the fact is, 90 percent of scientific research is pointless trivia. I was having this debate the other day: I think truly original and important human scientific, philosophical, technological achievement is advanced by a relatively small number of exceptional people driven by creativity, vision, and talent. The rest of us are just making incremental improvements to the widgets.
