Scientific Resource
Contemporary excavations of the bones started in 1913–1915. In the 1940s and 1950s, public excitement was generated by the preparation of previously recovered dramatic large mammal bones. Subsequent study demonstrated the fossil vertebrate material was well preserved, with little evidence of bacterial degradation of bone protein.
By the 1970s, research attention had shifted to smaller specimens, such as preserved insects and plant parts, including microfossils, such as pollen grains. These remains have contributed to an understanding of the Los Angeles basin during the glacial age, with a cooler and more moist climate.
Read more about this topic: La Brea Tar Pits
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)