Rocks and minerals are usually associated with stability, permanence, and value. They form the literal foundation of cities, industries, and technology. From smartphones and power grids to medical devices and jewelry, modern life depends heavily on substances pulled directly from the Earth. Because they feel solid and inert, minerals are rarely thought of as dangerous. Yet some of the most lethal substances known to humanity exist not as liquids or gases, but locked inside beautifully formed crystals and metallic ores.

Poison has always occupied a strange place in human history. Unlike weapons that rely on force or visibility, poisons work quietly, often invisibly, and sometimes slowly enough to blur the line between murder and natural death. For centuries, this made poisoning one of the most effective ways to kill without immediate suspicion. Long before modern toxicology existed, victims frequently died with symptoms that resembled common illnesses, leaving little evidence behind.

When most people imagine prehistoric terror, their minds jump immediately to dinosaurs. Towering tyrannosaurs, horned giants, and thunderous herds dominate documentaries, books, and movies. Dinosaurs have become the public face of Earth’s violent past. But that focus hides a much broader and, in many cases, far more disturbing reality. Dinosaurs were only one chapter in a planet that has repeatedly produced creatures built to kill, dominate, and survive in brutally unforgiving worlds.