The Ocucaje Desert in Peru has turned into an unlikely battleground over a plethora of marine fossils exposed by harsh winds. Once part of the ocean floor, today the desert is one of the world's most abundant locations for rare prehistoric sea creature fossils. However, with scant law enforcement to protect these national treasures, paleontologists are being forced to compete with fossil smugglers to procure the precious finds. More on the story at the New York Times.