Why is There Fossil Poop in Dr. Tom’s Backpack?

Beijing’s an urban jungle, and in any jungle, we need tools to survive and thrive. As urban jungle dwellers, we’ve managed to blend practicality with style, resulting in the modern bag. Here, form meets function, and what looks stylish and fashionable on the outside contains all our essential survival tools on the inside. Inspired by this, we ask expat parents each week, “What’s in your bag?” and get insights into which essentials they keep on hand when out and about in the capital city.

I’m Dr. Tom Stidham, and I am a research professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After a decade of exploring everything that Beijing, and China, have to offer with my wife Ying, I’m still discovering new hidden gems from the hutongs to the hills.

When I am not spending time researching and writing papers on the fossil record and evolution of birds and dinosaurs, I organize and lead science and nature educational outreach programs and activities at Beijing schools, scientific/nature sites, and museums about birds, insects, dinosaurs, human evolution, and climate change. My “Peking Man and the first Beijingers” activity at the UNESCO Zhoukoudian Site and Museum is quite popular with both kids and adults. I also host guided dinosaur tours of the Paleozoology Museum of China for school groups and students. “Night with the Dinosaurs” is very popular. Be on the lookout this summer for my new program at the Beijing Zoo called “Birds: the flying dinosaurs.”

While my keys and wallet go in my pockets, nearly everything else is in my trusty SWISSWIN backpack. It has been a nearly daily accessory since I arrived in Beijing. From hauling groceries home to carrying “old” treasures found at Panjaiyuan or water bottles to hiking in the Beijing hills, a versatile backpack is essential for Beijing life. My backpack has been everywhere in China, from wandering the seemingly random network of alleys in Lhasa’s Old Town and camping in the middle of nowhere in the sun-baked Gurbantunggut Desert, to searching for rare birds and snow leopards. The backpack has served me well carrying everything I need, and includes a great little internal pocket that perfectly fits my passport.

What’s in my bag nearly every day?

My computer – It is the heavy item for my typical Covid-era weekday walking commute to and from home.

An extra surgical mask or two, or three, in different styles.

A partial roll (or two) of toilet paper – This essential item has many uses beyond the obvious, like wrapping up a delicate find or creating improvised earplugs. All active Beijingers need some.

Various plastic bags – From a used grocery bag to a variety of Ziploc baggies, these can hold an exciting rock found while exploring the hills, or just some leftover food from a meal in a restaurant.

Fossil hyena poop – Anyone on my tours of the Peking Man site and museum at Zhoukoudian or dinosaur programs at the Paleozoology Museum of China learns the word coprolite (the scientific word for fossil poop).

Green Laser Pointer – This once-ubiquitous laser pointer, formerly sold along sidewalks all over Sanlitun and Houhai, is standard equipment for pointing out features of fossils behind glass in museum exhibits and cave formations in the UNESCO Zhoukoudian cave sites.

Activity booklet – I always have extra copies of the activity booklets I wrote for dinosaurs or Peking Man along with the expert sticker prizes for the children.

Feathers – From kids’ activities making “fossil” casts of feathers to talking about how dinosaurs were feathered, everyone needs some pheasant feathers handy.

Small notebook and pens – For making notes during scouting trips to the zoo or museum for new educational program development.