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Halloween costume trends and a new dinosaur at the Natural History…

The BBC lists Freaky Nikki, Dolly Parton and gargoyles among adults' top picks, while a 120-million-year-old skull fragment is Europe's first known megaraptoran; both were easy to overlook.

On air: Chip Darnell and Dale Bearman on BBN Tonight
Published 9:34 PM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: Christine Matthews · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: Natural History Museum, London — Photo: Christine Matthews · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0

At a glance

First reported by Euronews: “Dinosaur fossil hidden in London’s Natural History Museum for 100 years identified as new species”, with reporting from BBC.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 9:34 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Chip Darnell and Dale Bearman.
Topics: Halloween, London.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe BBC says the most popular adult Halloween costumes this year include Freaky Nikki, Dolly Parton and whimsical looks like gargoyles.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorGargoyles. Grown adults paying money to sit on a ledge and be ignored by pigeons.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorMeanwhile, Euronews reports that a skull fragment sitting in London's Natural History Museum for a hundred years is a new species, Europe's first known megaraptoran, with powerful arms and sharp claws.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorA hundred years in a drawer. And now it's famous. That is the best costume strategy in history: be overlooked until everyone is impressed.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorA hundred years?
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSame as the gargoyle, Chip. Sit still, say nothing, and wait for someone to notice your claws.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorI'm going as the skull fragment, and nobody will see me until the next century.