Palaeo Jam (Dinosaur University)

Before there were dinosaurs, Queensland, Australia was home to a fascinating array of reptiles, amphibians, and the ancestors of mammals. And then, 252 million years ago, just about everything on Earth died! So let’s talk who survived, and why!

In an episode supported by National Science Week, host Michael Mills is joined by Dr Espen Knutsen, Senior Curator of Palaeontology at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, and James Cook University, and Ash Turner, PhD Candidate at James Cook University. Along the way, the three talk about some of the many and varied creatures of the Permian and the subsequent Triassic Periods. While Michael discovers an awesome new term for a particular group of animals... the Pigs of the Permian, which he's decided may well be the name of his next album or band!

Dr Espen Knutsen is the Senior Curator of Palaeontology at the Museum of Tropical Queensland and James Cook University. He has a special interest in the diversity, evolution and ecology of Mesozoic reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and dinosaurs.

You can check out his research portfolio at James Cook University at https://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/espen.knutsen/ and can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/e_m_knutsen

Ash Turner is a palaeontologist from Adelaide, looking at vertebrates of Triassic South East Queensland, particularly the temnospondyl amphibians both large and small.

You can find Ash on ResearchGate at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ashten-Turner-2

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

And on Twitter at… https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

When we think of palaeontology, we often think of the giant bones of dinosaurs assembled in museums. And when not thinking of the bones, we’re often enamoured by the size of fossilised teeth such as those of T.rex, Megalodon, Mosasaurs and other leviathans. There are more things than fossilise, though, than the bones and teeth. Trace fossils are the fossils of activity. They are evidence of something an animal did in the past. They include fossilised footprints, teeth marks, burrows, and poop, and they each have a fascinating story to tell.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills is joined by Dr Aaron Camens and Fraser Brown, to discuss several different types of trace fossils, and the stories and moments those fossils are able to reveal.

Dr Aaron Camens is a lecturer in palaeontology at Flinders University. You can follow Aaron on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DiprotoRon, and check out his Flinders University profile at https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/home/people/academics/aaron-camens/

Amongst his extensive research work, Aaron co-authored a paper on fossilised footprints on the volcanic plains in Victoria, Australia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379110004178

He was also co-author of a paper on fossilised bite marks on the volcanic plains in Victoria, Australia: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0052957

Fraser Brown is an Honours student studying palaeontology at Flinders University.

You can follow Fraser on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FgBrown01, and check his Flinders University profile at https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/stem/2021/10/19/student-profile-fraser-brown/

This link from the Paleontological Research Instituion provides a short illustrated summary of the differences between body fossils and trace fossils:  https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/nature-fossil-record/body-fossils-trace-fossils/

In 1990, Mike Cleland was fossicking around a coastal region of the state of Victoria in Australia, when he came across a fossil discovery that was to change his life. The fossil he discovered was to become known as Koolasuchus cleelandi, and in 2022, Koolasuchus to became the state’s official fossil emblem, following a public vote.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Mike, and Lesley Kool, after whom the first part of Koolasuchus, was named, about this extraordinary, prehistoric amphibian. Along the way, we discover Lesley’s role in the discovery and understanding of this remarkable fossil, and what it is about this car sized amphibian that makes it such a worthy fossil emblem.

For more information on the region where Koolasuchus was found, head to…

http://dinosaurdreaming.monash.edu/

You can also check out the Dinosaur Dreaming blog at…

http://dinodreaming.blogspot.com/

And find out more about the Victorian coastal dinosaur trail, here…

https://engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/dino

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, you can also follow our Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

World renowned geologist, Professor Walter Alvarez once noted that…

“Rocks are the key to Earth history, because solids remember but liquids and gases forget.”

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Professor Tom Raimondo about how learning about our local geology can help us better connect to where we live. Of how rocks are places where stories from the past are etched, and that by learning to read the rocks around us, we open ourselves to a whole new world of connection to the past, and understanding.

Tom Raimondo is Professor of Geology and Geochemistry and Professorial Lead for STEM at the University of South Australia. He is a passionate science communicator who has been recognised as the 2019 SA Science Excellence Awards STEM Educator of the Year, and in 2017 was named in the ABC Top 5 Under 40. 

For more info on Tom and his work, head to…

https://people.unisa.edu.au/tom.raimondo

https://twitter.com/ROKmondo

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nlPNwP0bcho0tTVomlwyg

The iconic landscape of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia holds a remarkable history, cultural heritage and scientific value that has been unlocked through the power of the ground breaking 360VR Flinders Ranges experience mentioned in this episode.

You can get free access to this brilliant experience at https://www.projectlive.org.au/

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more info his work as Creative Director, HeapsGood Productions, head to… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

This episode was recorded LIVE during South Australia’s Science Alive event, the STEM Day Out, as part of National Science Week.

A palaeontologist and an archaeologist walk into a bar… The Afterlife Bar, that is, at the Western Australian Museum, Boola Bardip, thanks to National Science Week. So, then what happened? Listen in, to find out!

We’re in Perth, Whadjuk Country, Western Australia, and we’re here to talk about dead things, how we find them, what we do with them when we’ve found them, and what those dead things might tell us about the past! We’re also here to demystify the differences between these two popular sciences, and explore the things the two sciences share.

In this special edition of Palaeo Jam, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills, palaeontologist Professor Kate Trinajstic and archaeologist Dr Sven Ouzman discuss all of these things, and more!

To follow the unfoldingly odd thing that is Twitter in regard to each of this episode’s human panel, head to https://twitter.com/KateTRINAJSTIC, https://twitter.com/crar_m, https://twitter.com/UWAArchaeology, and https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

You can find out more about Dr Sven Ouzman at https://www.uwa.edu.au/Profile/Sven-Ouzman

Kate Trinajstic’s research profile can be found at… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kate-Trinajstic

To learn more about Michael, and all of his incarnations, you can begin by heading to https://www.heapsgood.com.au/', and see what happens frome there!

Late last year, while on a trip to Naracoorte, South Australia, Palaeo Jam podcast host Michael Mills sat down with three students from the University of Adelaide, all at different stages as palaeontology students.

One, Stephanie Massacci, was just at the beginning of Honours, where the focus will be on seeking to clarify the taxonomy of the Pleistocene Tasmanian Devil, compared with the extinct giant Tasmanian Devil. The second, Isabella Donato, was at the end of Honours, in a project that explores the identification of skull bones in monitor lizards so that we know what species have lived here in the past. The third, Caitlin Mudge, was getting ready for PhD submission, through the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA on how species genetics relates to geographic location. The results of this research will help us understand the faunal landscape and historic diversity of several Australian mammal groups during the Holocene.

The wide ranging conversation touches on a number of topics relevant to palaeo students, along with each of their areas of study. They also discuss the idea of whether to reintroduce Tasmanian Devils back into mainland Australia, the merits of trying to bring back Thylacines and other extinct animals, and offer some sound advice to other students at different stages of their student life.

You can follow Caitlin on Twitter at @CaitlinMudge522 https://twitter.com/caitlinmudge522

Isabella on Twitter at @IzTheeScientist https://twitter.com/IzTheeScientist

Michael on Twitter at @HeapsGood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

And Dinosaur University at @DinosaurUni https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

So, you want to become a fossil? Good luck with that! There’s a whole sequence of things that need to take place in order for that to happen, and in this episode of Palaeo Jam, we explore those steps, and how unlikely it is that you will be able to complete all of them.

Recorded underground in Blanch Cave, in the Naracoorte Caves, South Australia, this episode sees host Michael Mills in conversation with PhD candidate Nerita Turner. Nerita’s work focuses on the modes of accumulation of large animal remains in caves, and we explore the unlikelihood becoming a fossil through the lens of her work. In order to become a fossil in a cave, you need to get into a cave in the first place. How does this impact on the size and kinds of animals that might then become fossils within a cave?

During the conversation Nerita describes the fossil record as “Infamously incomplete”. So, how incomplete is it? Consider the following… There are 1400 dinosaur species of dinosaurs that have been discovered and named across the entire Mesozoic, while right now there are around 11 000 species of living dinosaurs, in birds. How many dinosaur species lived across the entire 186 million year period of the Mesozoic? We will never know.

Of course, what we do know, is truly remarkable, and a testament to the work of so many. Palaeontology is able to provide us with some remarkable insights into past lives. to uncover past lives. It is important, however, to understand, that we get to see will only ever be a tiny glimpse of the extraordinary natural history, of this most astonishing planet.

Nerita Turner is a  PhD Candidate at the University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on the modes of accumulation of large animal remains in caves, with a particular focus on fossil sites within the Naracoorte Caves region.

You can find Nerita on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nerita_turner

Check out the following article, by Nerita and Dr Elizabeth Reed…

“Using historical research to constrain the provenance and age of the first recorded collection of extinct Pleistocene large mammal fossils from the Naracoorte Caves, South Australia.”

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/M7JARRBWBXBWDCFDGIIY/full?target=10.1080/03721426.2023.2188442

Michael occasionally pops in to the strange place that is Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we now have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

May 7th has come to be known as Australia’s National Dinosaur Day! A day in which Australians are being asked to celebrate the remarkable dinosaurs that once walked where we now walk. Or as we like to call them, the Dinosaurs Down Under!

What is the significance of May 7th? And how did this date, in particular, become the day now known as Australia’s National Dinosaur Day?

Phil Hore has worked in a lot of cool places, including the Smithsonian, the Field Museum and the Australian Dinosaur Museum! He’s also written lots, including as a regular writer for The Prehistoric Times. In this special edition of Palaeo Jam to celebrate Australia’s National Dinosaur Day, host Michael Mills chats with Phil about where the idea for the day came from, how it has grown in recent years, why Australian dinosaurs matter, and what his key role has been in making this a day to remember!

You can find Australia’s National Dinosaur Day on Facebook at…

https://www.facebook.com/Australiannationaldinosaurday

If you’re ever in Rockhampton, be sure to check out Phil’s Time Safaris Walking Tours…

https://www.timesafaris.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/timesafaris

Phil has been known to Tweet now and again at https://twitter.com/Phil_Hore

Here’s a link to The Prehistoric Times magazine…

https://pocketmags.com/au/prehistoric-times-magazine

Michael Mills’ alter ego, singing palaeontologist Professor Flint, released a brand new version of the “Dinosaurs Down Under” album, earlier this year. You can find it, and other Prof Flint things, here…

https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

12 months ago, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chatted with three students from Flinders University in South Australia who had just completed the first year of a palaeontology degree, about their experiences in first year. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, Michael chats with the same three students… Dylan Slinn, Natalie Jackson and Thomas Khajeh… about their experiences in second year. Having finished for the year, and while waiting for their final results, we explore the challenges and the highlights of what was a very different year to first year. We find out how each of them are getting clarity in where they see themselves heading. We learn about what they have found matters for each of them in this important year in the journey.

And just as we got a commitment from all three at the end of last year to come together 12 months later, no matter what… Dylan, Natalie and Thomas have all made the same commitment to do it all again, same time, same place, in 2024. Bring on third year! And bring on what lies beyond!

You can find last year’s podcast episode, featuring Dylan, Natalie and Thomas on your preferred platform. You can also hear it here…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/the-dinosaur-kids-part-1/

You can find Natalie at:

Tik Tok -  @nataliemaree_art https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=nataliemaree_art

Twitter - @PalaeoNat https://twitter.com/PalaeoNat

Thomas’ sister, who he mentioned in season 1 is on Insta is at @thelostgirldraws https://www.instagram.com/thelostgirldraws/

Her etsy is at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LizzysStickerCo

Dylan Slinn can be found as Dylan Slinn on Facebook

Michael on Twitter at @HeapsGood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

And Dinosaur University on Twitter at @DinosaurUni https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

And Facebook at @DinosaurUniversity https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

Imagine you’re that dinosaur kid! The one who knows all the names of all the things, and dreams of one day going to university to study palaeontology in order to become a palaeontologist. Of course, most dinosaur kids don’t get to do that. But imagine you are one who makes it. You do get accepted into a palaeontology degree, and even better, make it through the first year!

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with three students who’ve just completed their first year of a palaeontology degree at Flinders University. During the episode, we find out from Dylan Slinn, Natalie Jackson and Thomas Khajeh, what brought them to Flinders University, what they were expecting when they got here, and how it turned out across the year, both good and bad.

So, why the title of the episode, “The Dinosaur Kids… Part 1”? At the end of the episode, we get a very definite commitment from all three to get back together at the end of second year, and record a follow-up episode. That’ll be Part 2… and we’re pretty sure we’ll get a Part 3 and beyond as we follow the journey of these three dinosaur kids in pursuit of their dream! We can’t wait to see how the journey for each of them unfolds!

You can find Natalie at:

Tik Tok -  @nataliemaree_art https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=nataliemaree_art

Twitter - @PalaeoNat https://twitter.com/PalaeoNat

Thomas’ sister's Insta is at @thelostgirldraws https://www.instagram.com/thelostgirldraws/

Her etsy is at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LizzysStickerCo

Dylan Slinn can be found as Dylan Slinn on Facebook

Michael on Twitter at @HeapsGood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

And Dinosaur University on Twitter at @DinosaurUni https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

And Facebook at @DinosaurUniversity https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

The dinosaur book Natalie talks about is “The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures” by Dougal Dixon It can be found online at Book Depository, Dymocks and Booktopia.

When we think of Australia and its wildlife, the first thing that comes to mind is the iconic, often-hopping, marsupials! (Ok… and all the things might kill and maim you!) In exploring Australia’s recent prehistoric past, it’s also often the marsupials that we get to hear of. Giant wombats, rather large, short-faced kangaroos, and leopard-sized, scissor-toothed, tree-climbing pouched predators!

What we don’t often think of, is Australia as a land of vultures and flamingoes! And yet, the evidence now tells us that these birds also made Australia home. We’ve known about flamingoes living in the Land Down Under for a while, but its only very recently that fossils have come to light to tell us that vultures in Australia were also a thing.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Ellen Mather, Adjunct Associate lecturer at Flinders University, and Tim Niederer, PhD student, also at Flinders University, about these lesser known Australians, what we know of them, and why they may have gone extinct.

A great article examining Ellen’s recent work on the discovery of vultures in Australia can be found here…

https://theconversation.com/it-was-long-thought-these-fossils-came-from-an-eagle-turns-out-they-belong-to-the-only-known-vulture-species-from-australia-187017

Ellen was also co-author for an article on a prehistoric species of eagle…  https://theconversation.com/meet-the-prehistoric-eagle-that-ruled-australian-forests-25-million-years-ago-168249

You can find Ellen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Ellenaetus

Here’s a link to a 1963 chapter on fossilised flamingo bones from Australia…

https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v065n04/p0289-p0299.pdf

And here’s a short mention in National Geographic… https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/02/australia-was-once-full-of-flamingos/

We all very much look forward to the additional insights that Tim’s research will bring to our understanding of the place of these fascinating birds in Australia.

You can find Tim on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Gaylaeontology

Each episode of Palaeo Jam is recorded with a strict 30 minute time-limit and is unedited. What you hear is how it went! As part of each episode, the host and each guest bring along an object to open the discussion on the day’s theme. Michael’s item was part of a skull of Thylacoleo. Tune in to find out what Ellen and Tim brought along, and what it all means for what prehistoric Australia looked like.

The fossil record of Theropod dinosaurs in Australia is sparse, and our understanding of them is poor. In a recent publication of the first chapter of his PhD, PhD Candidate Jake Kotevski is on his way to changing that.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Jake about the recent identification of the oldest-known Megaraptorid skull fragment, found on an Eastern Victorian beach in Australia, nearly 20 years ago. What does this unique and important fragment tell us about Australian Theropods and their place in the world? In just one of the concepts they discuss, it supports the theory that Megaraptorids originated in Australia. Tune in for more!

To read the paper, “A megaraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) frontal from the upper Strzelecki Group (Lower Cretaceous) of Victoria, Australia”, head to… https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667123002975#sec7

You can find Jake on Twitter at @Dinoman_Jake

https://twitter.com/Dinoman_Jake

And on Instagram at @theropods_down_under

https://www.instagram.com/theropods_down_under/

The Evans EvoMorph Lab where Jake is based for his PhD is on Twitter at @EvansEvoMorph

https://twitter.com/evansevomorph

For information on visiting the Dinosaur Dreaming site mentioned in the podcast, head to…

https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/do-and-see/arts-culture-and-heritage/historical-towns-attractions/dinosaur-dreaming

And also Bunurong Coast Education at http://sgcs.org.au/programs.php

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at

https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

On Instagram at @dinosauruniversity

https://www.instagram.com/dinosauruniversity/

And on Twitter at @DinosaurUni

https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

Palaeo Jam also now has its own Instagram account at @palaeo_jam

https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

What do we know about the boundary between the Ediacarans and the Cambrians, an astonishing predator from the early Cambrian, and one of the things palaeontologists get asked about more than just about anything… How did some dinosaurs get so big?

We’re LIVE for a second time in Armidale for National Science Week at The Welder’s Dog Brewery, on Anaiwan country, also known as high country, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

In this episode, we discuss some of the fascinating paleontological research going on at the University of New England through the Palaeoscience Research Centre. To do this, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is joined by Professor John Paterson, Dr Marissa Betts, and Dr Nic Campione.

You can find our more about John’s research from his University of New England profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/jpater20

Marissa’s UNE profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/marissa-betts

And Nic’s UNE profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/dr-nicolas-campione

For more information on the research being undertaken by the team at University of New England’s Palaeoscience Research Centre, head to 

https://www.une.edu.au/research/research-centres-institutes/palaeoscience-research-centre

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more info on his work as Creative Director, HeapsGood Productions, head to… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

Caves can be the holders of great fossil collections. It’s important to remember, though, that they still exist as living ecosystems, and will continue to do so. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Liz Reed of the University of Adelaide, and South Australian Museum. This episode was recorded inside Blanch Cave, in the World Naracoorte listed Naracoorte Caves, where Liz is one of many to have conducted research into its remarkable trove of fossils.

On the ongoing nature of caves as living ecosystems, Liz notes during the conversation that caves are…

“…some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, and very susceptible to anything coming in to the caves”.

There are important conservation issues that need to be addressed if such caves as the Naracoorte Caves are to continue to be the delightful repositories of life that they are. They are not just places where fossils are to be found.

Along the way, Michael and Liz also talk about the inaugural Australian Mammal of the Year, the Southern BentWing bat, and why Liz thinks bats are awesome.

You can find Dr Liz Reed on Twitter at… @LizReed_palaeo https://twitter.com/LizReed_palaeo

Liz’s extensive profile, with links to research papers and articles can be found at… https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/liz.reed

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For information on visiting the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia, head to… https://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au/

And for more info on the Australian Mammal of the Year, head to… https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/

Matrescence has been defined as “the physical, emotional, hormonal and social transition to becoming a mother.”

In a recent blog titled “Palaeo-matrescence”, Dr Alice Clement noted the following…

“I wanted to seek advice from colleagues who had navigated the same journey as me, but it was difficult to find people in the same boat. I could see plenty of “parents in palaeo”, but looking for mothers (in the traditional, biological sense) was a harder task. Where are they all?”

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills is joined by Alice, and Dr Vera Weisbecker, to discuss the impact and challenges having children has had on the careers of women in palaeontology, and whether or not things have changed over the years. 

To Alice’s full blog, head to… https://draliceclement.com/2022/07/06/palaeo-matrescence/

For more of Alice’s blog posts, check out https://draliceclement.com, and follow Alice on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrAliceClement.

Dr Vera Weisbecker is an evolutionary developmental morphologist, which is a fancy way of saying she likes to study the diversity of Australian land vertebrates in all their glory. You can follow Vera on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WeisbeckerLab

Vera has just finished developing a game to transmit her team’s love for Australian present and past biodiversity and the evolutionary process behind it. It’s called “Go Extinct! Megafauna edition”. It can be downloaded for free through the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage… https://epicaustralia.org.au/resource/goextinctmegafauna/

Naracoorte Caves in South Australia are home to a remarkable fossil heritage of Pleistocene life. The story of Naracoorte, though, is not just the story of it’s fossil heritage. It’s the stories of the community and the connection of lots people to the caves and that heritage. In this first episode for Season 2 of Palaeo Jam, we speak to several community members to hear their stories of the Naracoorte Caves. In so doing, we seek to explore what a site such a site with such a close proximity to a town, might mean to the local community.

Note: Our first attempt at uploading this episode saw only part of it uploaded! This is the full episode.

In this episode, host Michael Mills chats with former Mayor , Erika Vickory, former Caves Manager Steve Bourne, long time Caves site interpreter Barb Lobban, and a member of the audience, Pat Gericke, who was able to bring to our attention an amazing story about one of her ancestors, who was a key staff member of the Naracoorte Caves in its earliest days.

Thanks to National Science Week, Heaps Good Productions, the Naracoorte Caves, the Naracoorte Lucindale Council, and most importantly, the people of Naracoorte, for making this episode possible.

And in case you missed it, during Season 1 of Palaeo Jam, we recorded an episode with Prof Rod Wells while sitting in the very spot in Victoria Cave where he’d sat more than 50 years beforehand in discovering the fossil bed. We also chatted with Dr Liz Reed about her research in the Caves as a local, and in so doing, were reminded that while caves can be wonderful places for discovering fossils, they continue to be living ecosystems.

Check out this and the rest of of the Palaeo Jam episodes through your preferred platform, and subscribe.

Isolated islands can evolve remarkably unique flora and fauna, given enough time. None is more unique than New Zealand, the home of the Kiwi, but also the past home of multiple species of birds and frogs. Indeed, such was the nature of the islands in the not too distant past, that birds and frogs filled many of the ecological niches commonly filled by other forms of critter, including mammals.

Dr Nic Rawlence, Senior Lecturer in Ancient DNA, University of Otago, New Zealand, stopped in to Adelaide on a recent family holiday, which gave Adelaide-based Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills the opportunity for the two to catch up, and chat about what it might have been like to walk amongst the wildlife of New Zealand when it was very much a land of birds and frogs..

Nic has written multiple articles in The Conversation including this one, that argues the people of New Zealand should celebrate its remarkable prehistoric past with national fossil emblems. 

https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-should-celebrate-its-remarkable-prehistoric-past-with-national-fossil-emblems-have-your-say-184942

You can find Nic on Twitter at @nic_rawlence_nz https://twitter.com/nic_rawlence_nz

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University ion Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

In August 2023, Michael Mills travelled to various communities in Australia, to record multiple episodes of the Palaeo Jam podcast for National Science Week. One of the enduring conversations born of the tour was how a community might engage with its local fossil heritage, and 

In this episode, recorded in Naracoorte, South Australia, in front of a live audience, we discuss a range of ideas of what local communities might do to better engage, and what the challenges and opportunities might be.

Do you know the fossil heritage of where you live? Do you have any ideas for better engaging your local community with that heritage? And even if you do, do you know how to go about doing something about it?

In the 15th episode of this season recorded for National Science week, host Michael Mills explores the possibilities with Site Manager, Naracoorte & Tantanoola Caves, Tom Short; University of Adelaide PhD candidate Nerita Turner; Site Interpreter at Naracoorte Caves National Park, Georgia Blows, and with an awesome appearance towards the end from Isla aged 9 and Quinny, aged 7. 

Thanks to the Naracoorte Lucindale Council whose commitment to engaging with their community has helped make this project possible. You can find them on Facebook at… https://www.facebook.com/naracoortelucindalecouncil

And their website at https://www.naracoortelucindale.sa.gov.au/

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

We’ve recorded several episodes in Naracoorte across both seasons of Palaeo Jam. Subscribe now to listen to the rest, in which we chat about the fossils of the Caves while in the Caves. Here are direct links to 3 Naracoorte episodes.

“Professor Wells and the Chamber of Secrets” with Professor Rod Wells…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/professor-wells-and-the-chamber-of-secrets/

“Caves- Ecosystems of the past, the present and the future” with Dr Elizabeth Reed…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/caves-ecosystems-of-the-past-the-present-and-the-future/

“A Career in a Cave”, with Nicola Bail, Nerita Turner and Georgia Blows.

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/a-career-in-a-cave/

There’s something quite delightful about seeing the skeleton of a prehistoric animal move in a way that it might have moved when the bones were covered in flesh, and the animal was alive. Jack O Conner is a PhD candidate at Monash University, and that’s exactly what he's doing at the Evans EvoMorph Lab.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Jack about how he came to be doing what he does, explores the process of creating the models, and what it’s like to see such creatures brought to life in this way. Such work, of course, fits well into the science communication field for which Michael has built a career, and both Michael and Jack discuss some of the important elements of science communication, and why it matters.

You can find Jack’s models of Thylacoleo carnifex, Zygomaturus trilobus, Siderops kehli, and Perucetus colossus on Sketchfab at…

https://skfb.ly/oPsJs

We think it’s well worth checking out the models before you listen to the podcast if you can, or even while you’re listening to it.

Be sure, too, to check out our episode on the Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology (VAMP), at https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/vamp-it-up/ to hear about where some of the source material come from for Jack’s work. It is an absolutely brilliant resource.

You can follow Jack O’Conner on Instagram at @jackodesign

https://www.instagram.com/jackocdesign/

And follow Monash Science at @monash_science

https://www.instagram.com/monash_science/

The Evans EvoMorph Lab is on Twitter at @EvansEvoMorph

https://twitter.com/evansevomorph

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at

https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

On Instagram at @dinosauruniversity

https://www.instagram.com/dinosauruniversity/

And on Twitter at @DinosaurUni

https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

Palaeo Jam also now has its own Instagram account at @palaeo_jam

https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

Following the world premiere of “A Curious Thing- The story of Mary Anning” at the 2023 Adelaide Fringe, Palaeo Jam host, and writer/director of the Mary Anning Fringe show Michael Mills sat down with three brilliant women in science to explore their thoughts on the show, its themes, Mary’s legacy, and their own experiences as women in science.

In a wide ranging discussion, Flinders University space archeologist, Dr Alice Gorman, University of Adelaide Palaeontologist Dr Liz Reed, and University of Adelaide PhD Candidate Tiah Bampton speak about key moments in their lives, role models that have inspired them, and give some important insights into some of the challenges still faced by women in science, 176 years after Mary Anning’s death.

The podcast ends with each guest being asked the one thing they might say to Mary Anning, had they the opportunity to do so.

You can find Dr Alice Gorman on Twitter at @drspacejunk  https://twitter.com/drspacejunk

Amongst many things, Alice has written extensively for The Conversation, including a recent article, “Prejudice, poor pay and the ‘urinary leash’: naming and claiming Australia’s forgotten women scientists”.

Read the article here… https://theconversation.com/prejudice-poor-pay-and-the-urinary-leash-naming-and-claiming-australias-forgotten-women-scientists-198407

And if you don’t already have a copy, find yourself a copy of Alice’s book, “Dr Space Junk vs The Universe: Archaeology and the Future.”

You can find Dr Liz Reed on Twitter at… @LizReed_palaeo https://twitter.com/LizReed_palaeo

Liz’s extensive profile, with links to research papers and articles can be found at… https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/liz.reed

Liz appeared on a previous episode of Palaeo Jam in which she and host Michael Mills chatted about the importance of caves not just as repositories of fossils, but as living ecosystems, while sitting in Blanch Caves in the Naracoorte Caves of South Australia. Check out the episode here… https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-rnthh-1379952

To learn about Tiah Bampton’s journey, and the delightful connection to PhD supervisor Dr Liz Reed, tune in to the podcast! And also check out this story with the ABC… https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-03/tiah-bampton-living-dream-at-naracoorte-caves-palaeontology-dig/12209876

You can check out Tiah’s research profile here… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tiah-Bampton And read the paper referred to in the Research gate link, here… https://helictite.caves.org.au/pdf1/46.Bampton.pdf

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills can be found on Twitter as @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more on the work Michael and HeapsGood Productions have been involved with in exploring the story of Mary Anning, check out the link… https://linktr.ee/TheseCuriousThings

Art and Science are often thought to be polar opposites. The truth, though, as Palaeo Jam podcast host Michael Mills can attest having successfully worked in the Art/Science space for more than 25 years, is that the two can make for a remarkable and inspiring marriage.

Speaking of marriages, Michael’s guests in this episode, are Dr Heather Robinson and Professor John Long. In this episode we explore the importance of their art/science collaborations, and the things they each bring to their working partnership. We also delve into some of the delightful experiences that their working on things together as a married couple has brought them. Along the way, we gain an insight into the fascinating research they have each conducted. For John, fossil fish have been a big part of his research. For Heather, exploring the non-financial value of cultural institutions and their collections was the central focus of her PhD.

John’s paleontological CV is vast! A look through profile on The Conversation at https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-long-98402 will give you a small insight into John’s remarkable body of work.You can find John on Twitter at… https://twitter.com/LongJohnfossil

Heather also has an extensive profile on The Conversation, at https://theconversation.com/profiles/heather-l-robinson-155358

Heather and John have created Lifecyle Productions as an instrument to work on a multitude of projects. Their company website is… https://lifecycleproductions.com.au/, and contains information about what they’re working towards, and about the skills they each bring. The website notes…

“Based in Australia with an international perspective, Lifecycle Productions live for a good story. Our unique combination of creative insight, professional acumen and research expertise produces experiences accessible to broad or specialist audiences.”

Michael and John have collaborated creatively through the creation of the Professor Flint song about the WA fossil emblem, the Gogo Fish. With lyrics by John, and music by Michael, the song features on the Professor Flint album, “Dinosaurs Amongst Us!”… The Gogo Fish song on Spotify

While an unplugged version appears on the Prof Flint album, “Palaeo Jam”, from which this podcast got its name… Palaeo Jam album on Bandcamp

Eight million years ago, in what is now Alcoota, in central Australia, it is thought that a catastrophic event occurred leading to the death of hundreds of individual animals. While devastating for the individuals, it’s also an event that was followed by a process of fossilisation that has ensured we have a remarkable record of who lived in that place at the time, and who died in those moments.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, recorded in the very place of its discovery, in the very week that its discovery was published, aside from getting a sense of what it was like in Alcoota eight million years ago, we get to learn about Baru iylwenpen, the single most complete known mekosuchine crocodile in Australia, if not the world.

The species name was taken from the Anmetyerre language, meaning excellent and skilled hunter. The fossils suggest Baru iylwenpen had the strength to prey on other megafauna such as the giant flightless bird Dromornis stirtini, also known as the Thunder Bird! Indeed, Baru iylwenpen was the largest and most dangerous predator that's found at the Alcoota fossil bed, and would have pretty much munched on whatever it wanted!

Here’s a link to the original paper on Baru iylwenpen…

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/spp2.1523

Dr Adam Yates is the Senior Curator of Earth Sciences at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. He is a palaeontologist with a broad interest in extinct fauna of Australia and South Africa where he spent 8 years prior to joining MAGNT in late 2011.

You can read some of Adam’s research here…

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam-Yates-3

Megafauna Central can be found at… https://www.magnt.net.au/megafauna-central

You can find Adam on Mastodon at https://sauropods.win/@alcootatooter

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

What happens when two people who create palaeontology podcasts get together for a chat? Tune in to find out!

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with vertebrate Palaeontologist and expert in Australian pterosaurs Adele Pentland of the “Pals in Palaeo” podcast about Australian pterosaurs, about each of their podcasts, and about science heroes.

Along the way we get an insight into where Australian pterosaurs fit within the global pterosaur community, come to understand why science communication matters, and how it is that their palaeontology podcasts are a thing!

You can find Adele’s awesome podcast, “Pals in Palaeo” through the following link… https://linktr.ee/palsinpalaeo

Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/palsinpalaeo/

You can also head to the Pals in Palaeo website at https://palsinpalaeo.com/

Here’s a link to an article by Adele about Ferrodraco lentoni… the pterosaur that Adele named, and that we discuss in the podcast…

https://theconversation.com/4-metre-flying-reptile-unearthed-in-queensland-is-our-best-pterosaur-fossil-yet-124581

And here’s a link to another article by Adele of the fascinating pterosaurs that are being discovered in Australia… https://theconversation.com/these-magnificent-107-million-year-old-pterosaur-bones-are-the-oldest-ever-found-in-australia-206501

Speaking of pterosaurs, there’s a song about pterosaurs on the Professor Flint/Gemma Dandie album, “These Curious Things”, and you can watch a video of the song here… https://youtu.be/_ZJzRVO8ZK4?si=w2r39cTFVmiRijTo

You can find links to the album, and more information about Michael’s science hero Mary Anning, here… https://linktr.ee/thesecuriousthings

You can find Michael on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we now have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

Palaeontology is often seen as one of the cool sciences, if not the coolest, because, of course, it’s the one with dinosaurs!

Is there more to it, though?

Don’t get us wrong… dinosaurs are awesome!

Does palaeontology have any practical use to the community? Is there any real value beyond thinking it’s cool, that palaeontology brings to the table?

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills is joined by Dr Aaron Camens, (lecturer in palaeontology at Flinders University), and Pheobe McInerney, (PhD Candidate at Flinders University) to discuss all the things, and what they think makes palaeontology such a valuable science.

In pondering this very issue, Aaron recently said…

“The fossil record records diversity but it is much more than that. It contains abundant data about how past ecosystems have functioned, the kinds of habitats extinct organisms used to live in and their environmental tolerances. Without the fossil record we wouldn’t understand nearly as much as we do about how today’s ecosystems will respond to change going into the future…”

You can follow Aaron on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DiprotoRon, and check out his Flinders University profile at https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/home/people/academics/aaron-camens/

Amongst his extensive research work, Aaron co-authored a paper that gave us a more complete picture of the largest marsupial predator known, Thylacoleo carnifex. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208020

Phoebe is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Phoebyornis Check out her recent article in The Conversation about disease in giant prehistoric birds, and how we know about it.

https://theconversation.com/fossil-find-reveals-giant-prehistoric-thunder-birds-were-riddled-with-bone-disease-173745

We’re LIVE in Armidale for National Science Week at The Welder’s Dog Brewery, and in this episode, recorded on Anaiwan country, we’re talking about the creatures that once dwelt in this place, and nearby.

Of dinosaurs such as “Lightning Claw”, giant marsupials that left teeth marks on the bones of other giant marsupials, and tiny fossils too small for the naked eye to see. Along the way, we talk about the extraordinary changes that have taken place in the geology of the region that at one time during the Permian, was a volcanic wasteland, at an earlier time, was under the sea, and that is now, the highest city in Australia. In this episode we are reminded that wherever you are, there are fascinating prehistoric stories just waiting to be discovered!

To discuss all this and more, host Michael Mills is joined by Professor John Paterson, Dr Marissa Betts, and Dr Nic Campione, all from the University of New England, right here in Armidale.

You can find our more about John’s research from his University of New England profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/jpater20

Marissa’s UNE profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/marissa-betts

And Nic’s UNE profile at https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/dr-nicolas-campione

For more information on the research being undertaken by the team at University of New England’s Palaeoscience Research Centre, head to 

https://www.une.edu.au/research/research-centres-institutes/palaeoscience-research-centre

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more info on his work as Creative Director, HeapsGood Productions, head to… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

We’re back for Season 3, and we begin in the palaeo lab at Flinders University!

We’re delighted that in this first episode of the new season, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Dr Isaac Kerr about a remarkable research paper, just published, that seeks to more clearly define what is and what isn’t a Protemnodon… AKA a giant, prehistoric kangaroo!

During the course of the conversation, we hear from Isaac about the features that define this particular group of giant, prehistoric marsupials, but also, the fascinating differences amongst them. We talk about about who’s in, and who’s out of the genus, and along the way, we hear about the fascinating ways in which these extraordinary kangaroos lived their lives, depending upon where they lived. As a bonus, we also hear about how Isaac and his team were able to ditch a previously described species by none other than Sir Richard Owen!

You can follow Dr Isaac Kerr on Twitter at @isaacarkerr https://twitter.com/IsaacARKerr

You can read the full 250 plus pages of this remarkable paper, here…

https://mapress.com/mt/article/view/megataxa.11.1.1

Check out the following article by Isaac in The Conversation…

https://theconversation.com/we-found-three-new-species-of-extinct-giant-kangaroo-and-we-dont-know-why-they-died-out-when-their-cousins-survived-227857

Here’s a link to the Flinders University palaeo team…

https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/

And here’s an article on the ABC about this amazing paper…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-15/three-unique-extinct-kangaroo-species-discovered-flinders-uni/103699606

You can find Michael Mills at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we now have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

Being able to access field trips to dig up fossils has long been a central feature of studying palaeontology, and being a palaeontologist. But what if you have been born with a rare and severe genetic condition, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 1 like Eleanor Beidatsch? As a nine year old, Eleanor dreamed of being a palaeontologist, but always presumed her advanced physical disability, and use of a wheelchair would make “digging about in the dirt for fossils” impossible.

But Eleanor Beidatsch is many things, and being passionate and determined, is just a part of of it. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, recorded as part of our National Science Week tour, host Michael Mills chats with Eleanor about the challenges faced by students with disabilities in accessing opportunities to study, her own amazing journey to studying palaeontology at the University of New England, about her fascinating research into velvet worms, and about what comes next.

Check out this video from Eleanor’s YouTube channel of her remarkable adventure in 2016, to a paleontological dig in the opal rich desert town of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGxIR_yaNo

Stay up top date with a documentary project involving Eleanor, her family, and colleagues during their time at the 2023 Palaeo Down Under conference and the Kalbarri field-trip…

https://www.australasianpalaeontologists.org/documentary

Here’s a story about Eleanor’s journey on the University of New England’s website…

https://www.une.edu.au/connect/news/2022/09/unearthing-discrimination-in-science

Along with studying palaeontology, Eleanor is a disability rights journalist, and writes for the ABC…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/eleanor-beidatsch/101651018

You can find Eleanor on Instagram at…

https://www.instagram.com/eleanor.beidatsch/

And on Twitter at…

https://twitter.com/EBeidatsch

Here’s a link to Eleanor’s blog Accessible 4 Me…

https://accessible4me.wordpress.com/

For more information on the research being undertaken by the team at University of New England’s Palaeoscience Research Centre, head to 

https://www.une.edu.au/research/research-centres-institutes/palaeoscience-research-centre

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more info on his work as Creative Director, HeapsGood Productions, head to… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

One of the great challenges of palaeontology is to work out what a long dead animal actually looked like, and how it lived, when all you have is a fossilised bone or two. This is where Associate Professor Natalie Warburton, of Murdoch University, and her freezer full of dead things comes in!

In a fascinating episode, we go on a journey to discover what lies beneath an animal’s skin, and how we might come to know that for prehistoric animals… Of how we reconstruct animals from the past. In this episode, host Michael Mills chats with Natalie about how we know what muscles to put on long dead bones, learn about freezers full of dead things, and come to understand what she means when she says…“The best way to learn about how animal bodies are put together, is to take animal bodies apart!”

You can find Natalie on Twitter at @aNATomy_Lab https://twitter.com/aNATomy_Lab

You can also find Natalie’s profile at Murdoch University, including a list of publications at http://profiles.murdoch.edu.au/myprofile/natalie-warburton/

Natalie recently spoke on this subject for the 2022 Annual Wells Lecture, in a talk titled “Prehistoric Puzzles - reconstructing marsupials from the past”.The annual lectures help raise funds for the James Moore Memorial Prize. The Memorial prize supports secondary school students to join Flinders palaeontology field trips and learn from world-leading academics. Here's a link with more info... https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/ways-to-give/pay-tribute/james-moore-memorial-fund

Just over 12 months ago, as part of National Science Week, we spoke with Eleanor Beidatsch, in an episode titled, “A Journey into accessibility: Digging for fossils from a wheelchair.”  Since that episode, Eleanor has graduated from the University of New England with First Class Honours, been awarded the $130,000 #ElevateSTEM scholarship for postgraduate research from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and has started her Masters!

As we noted in the notes to last year’s episode, “as a nine year old, Eleanor dreamed of being a palaeontologist, but always presumed her advanced physical disability, and use of a wheelchair would make “digging about in the dirt for fossils” impossible.”

In this episode of Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Eleanor about another remarkable 12 months, and about what lies ahead as she continues her brilliant journey in the world of palaeontology, and follows her fascination with prehistoric velvet worms!

Check out this story from the ABC about Eleanor’s graduation…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-26/eleanor-beidatsch-graduates-first-class-honours-geoscience/103839886

Here’s a link to last year’s episode with Eleanor…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/a-journey-into-accessibility-digging-for-fossils-from-a-wheelchair/

Check out this video from Eleanor’s YouTube channel of her remarkable adventure in 2016, to a paleontological dig in the opal rich desert town of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGxIR_yaNo

Here’s a story about Eleanor’s journey on the University of New England’s website…

https://www.une.edu.au/connect/news/2022/09/unearthing-discrimination-in-science

Along with studying palaeontology, Eleanor is a disability rights journalist, and writes for the ABC…

https://www.abc.net.au/news/eleanor-beidatsch/101651018

Here’s a link to the Elevate STEM website…

https://www.atse.org.au/what-we-do/pathways-into-through-stem/elevate/

You can find Eleanor on Instagram at…

https://www.instagram.com/eleanor.beidatsch/

And on Twitter at…

https://twitter.com/EBeidatsch

Here’s a link to Eleanor’s blog Accessible 4 Me…

https://accessible4me.wordpress.com/

For more information on the research being undertaken by the team at University of New England’s Palaeoscience Research Centre, head to 

https://www.une.edu.au/research/research-centres-institutes/palaeoscience-research-centre

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we now have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

In a special edition of Palaeo Jam, recorded LIVE at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip, guest host Professor Flint chats with some of his Western Australian palaeo pals, about their favourite fossils, their best moments in the field, and a broad range of other palaeo-themed topics.

In a chat amongst friends, we hear about the group’s favourite fossils that include a giant skink, a tree kangaroo on the Nullarbor Plain, an Aussie sauropod, and a kangaroo with fangs! Favourite moments of discovery include finding an ancient Bilby, the skull and brain case of a sauropod, and a Western Australian plesiosaur. We also learn about stinky days in the lab, and what brought each of the panel to be involved with palaeontology.

This episode was recorded during the Museum’s “Biggest Science Lab Ever” event during National Science Week.

The panelists for this episode are Dr Kenny Travouillon, Mammalogy Curator at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip; Dr Kailah Thorn, Technical Officer for Terrestrial Vertebrates at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip; Associate Professor Natalie Warburton, of Murdoch University; and Dr Stephen F. Poropat, School of Planetary and Earth Sciences, Curtin University.

For more info on Prof Flint, including links to his albums of palaeo songs, head to https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

You can find Kailah on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kailah_thorn

Kailah’s research profile is at…

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kailah-Thorn

Kenny can be found here…

https://twitter.com/TravouillonK

Kenny’s research profile is here…

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenny-Travouillon

You can find Natalie on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aNATomy_Lab

You can also find Natalie’s profile at Murdoch University at http://profiles.murdoch.edu.au/myprofile/natalie-warburton/

Stephen’s research profile can be found here…

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Poropat

Or does it? In the latest episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills talks to Dr Diana Fusco and Nathan Phillips of Flinders University about what it’s actually like to head into the field, and dig up fossils. All three have had multiple opportunities to go out to dig sites and do so, and in this podcast, each of them give some great insights into life in the field, and what it is really like!

In so doing, we delve into some into the challenges of working remotely! What happens, for example, when you leave behind a critical part of the thunderbox on a remote field trip? And what even is the thunderbox? Tune in to find out!

Each episode of Palaeo Jam is recorded with a strict 30 minute timer-limit and is unedited. What you hear is how it went! As part of each episode, the host and each guest bring along an object to open the discussion on the day’s theme. Michael’s item was a half a billion year old Trilobite fossil he dug up in Emu Bay, South Australia. Tune in to find out what Diana and Nathan brought along.

Dr Diana Fusco is a palaeoecologist, who combines palaeontology and ecology, to explore interactions between organisms and their environments across geological timescales. Her PhD at Flinders University focused on how Australia’s fauna countered its changing environment in the past, and how this information can be applied as a tool for current and future conservation. As part of her involvement with the Flinders University Palaeontology Society, Diana has been actively involved on the organisational side of field trips.

You can find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HvyMetalPalaeo

And if you want to see what an actual thunderbox looks like, check out her Twitter post here… https://twitter.com/HvyMetalPalaeo/status/1578242452770631680

Nathan Phillips has been actively involved with the Flinders Uni Palaeo lab since primary school and the Flinders University Palaeontology Society since high school. Along the way he did a bachelor of science with a major in vertebrate palaeontology, has run the moulding and casting for the Flinders palaeo Lab, and was more recently a tour guide for Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton Qld.

In 2022, the first fossil body of an Australian long-necked plesiosaur with the head still attached was discovered in outback Queensland. In this episode, recorded live in Townsville, Wulgurukaba Country, for National Science Week, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills, is joined by palaeontologist Dr Espen Knutsen, and public programmes officer Claire Speedie, in an exploration of the importance of this extraordinary discovery, and why it matters, not just to science, but to the community as well.

Dr Espen Knutsen is the Senior Curator of Palaeontology at the Museum of Tropical Queensland and James Cook University. He has a special interest in the diversity, evolution and ecology of Mesozoic reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and dinosaurs.

You can check out his research portfolio at James Cook University at https://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/espen.knutsen/ and can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/e_m_knutsen

Claire Speedie is Public Programmes Officer at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, and is also currently studying at Deakin University. Claire has worked across many years in the public programmes space, both developing and delivering a range of programmes across multiple different themes.

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

And on Twitter at… https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

The Virtual Museum of Australian Palaeontology, or VAMP, as it is known, was launched several months ago to much acclaim. So, what is it, why does it matter, and how has it been going?

In another episode recorded live during the Palaeo Jam National Science Week tour, we discuss why in an age of of misinformation, it is important that researchers and the public have access to information, and why projects such as VAMP are a great way of doing just that.

In this episode we also talk in a more general sense about access to academic collections and research, touching on a model that sees a great deal of publicly funded research hidden behind paywalls, and not accessible to the public. 

Joining Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills are three of the original VAMPers, all from Flinders University, in Dr Alice Clement, Dr Aaron Camens, and PhD candidate Jacob van Zoelen.

You can check out the VAMP website at… https://sites.flinders.edu.au/vamp/

You can follow Aaron on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DiprotoRon, and check out his Flinders University profile at https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/home/people/academics/aaron-camens/

Check out Alice’s blog posts at https://draliceclement.com, and follow Alice on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrAliceClement

You can follow Jacob at https://twitter.com/Zoelenotherium

Michael is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more info on the project team we are a part of, head to… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

Museums are custodians of story, and the collections that dwell within them belong to the community of which they are a part. In recent years, though, funding cuts have put significant pressure on many aspects of what museums do so well, in research, collection curation, and public programmes. In a wide ranging conversation, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Kailah Thorn, Curator at Edward de Courcy Clarke Earth Science Museum on why museums matter, and why they need to be properly funded.

Both Michael and Kailah have had a great deal of experience in delivering public programmes, and have done so together on several projects at the South Australian Museum, and with Flinders University.

In describing her research interests, Kailah has noted…

My research speciality is in the taxonomy of Australian fossil scincids, primarily the blue-tongued lizards and their nearest kin in the subfamily Egerniinae. I'm working on descriptions of their extinct relatives and deciphering the evolutionary tree of this group in order to answer bigger questions about where they came from, when they got to Australia and how they have changed since they arrived.

Kailah has written a delightful article in The Conversation on how to hunt for fossils responsibly. It is essential reading for amateur and professional fossil collectors, alike… https://theconversation.com/how-to-hunt-fossils-responsibly-5-tips-from-a-professional-palaeontologist-156861

You can find Kailah on Twitter at @kailah_thorn https://twitter.com/kailah_thorn

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University ion Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

Plants matter. Without them, there’d be no us! There’d have been no dinosaurs! There’d have been no animals of any kind. When we go into our gardens, the thing we see most clearly, are the plants. In this episode, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Director of the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, and Lecturer in Plant Systematics, at the University of New England, Dr Andrew Thornhill about the evolution of plants, and why they’re rather important to all of us!

Recorded in the controlled environment that is the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, amongst thousands of plant specimens, Michael and Andrew talk about what a herbarium is and why it matters, and explore key moments in plant evolution.

For more information on Dr Andrew Thornhill check out the following blog from the University of New England…

https://blog.une.edu.au/pulsenews/2023/09/25/meet-andrew-thornhill-director-of-the-n-c-w-beadle-herbarium/

You can find links to Andrew’s research at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8QZdc_0AAAAJ&hl=en

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills can be found on Twitter as @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more on the work Michael and HeapsGood Productions, check out the link… https://linktr.ee/HeapsGoodProductions

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills begins the conversation with Dr Natalia Jagielska, Engagement & Collections Curator at the Lyme Regis Museum by chatting about palaeontology pioneer Mary Anning, and what it means to be working in the very space Mary’s home in Lyme Regis once occupied. As the conversation continues, we learn about the first pterosaur ever found in Scotland, Dearc sgiathanach, and what it tells us about pterosaur evolution. In so doing, we reflect on the unique connection between Natalia and Mary, given Mary’s discovery of the first known pterosaur in England, Dimorphodon macronyx. The two also discuss a subject central to both Natalia and Michael’s professional working life, the connection between art and science.

This is the first episode of Palaeo Jam to feature a guest from beyond the shores of Australia. May there be many more!

Head to Natalia’s website to see links to her research, public outreach, and  awesome palaeo art…

https://natalia-jagielska.weebly.com/

You can find Natalia on Twitter at… @wrycritic

https://x.com/WryCritic

To access the original paper, authored by Natalia et al on the Scottish pterosaur Dearc sgiathanach, head to…

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098222200135X

For links to the Lyme Regis Museum, check out…

https://linktr.ee/lymemuseum

There’s a song about pterosaurs on the Professor Flint/Gemma Dandie album, “These Curious Things”, and you can watch a video of the song here… https://youtu.be/_ZJzRVO8ZK4?si=w2r39cTFVmiRijTo

You can find links to the album, and more information about Mary Anning, here… https://linktr.ee/thesecuriousthings

Michael occasionally pops in to the strange place that is Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we now have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

This is the second episode in Season 3 in which pterosaurs feature. Check out Episode 3 in which Michael chats with vertebrate Palaeontologist and expert in Australian pterosaurs Adele Pentland of the “Pals in Palaeo” podcast about Australian pterosaurs, about each of their podcasts, and about science heroes…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/me-and-my-palaeo-pal/

The Naracoorte Caves in South Australia are a World Heritage fossil site whose stories are many and varied. Part of the story of the Caves is the story of the people who work there, do their research there, or in the case of Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills, occasionally record podcasts and sing songs there. In another fascinating episode, recorded as part of National Science Week, we explore the connection of several different people to the Naracoorte Caves, and how what the Caves has to offer has been central to their developing careers.

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood. You can find his alter ego, Professor Flint, along with songs inspired by the creatures of the Naracoorte Caves at… https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

For information on visiting the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia, head to… https://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au/

Nicola Bail is a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide studying the population dynamics of Southern Bent-wing Bats) in order to understand the subspecies’ decline, population structure and overall state of the South Australian population.

You can find on on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NicolaBail

Follow this link for a Cosmos article about her research

https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/pregnant-pause-researcher-ultrasounds-tiny-bats-in-amazing-breeding-study/

Nerita Turner is also a  PhD Candidate at the University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on the modes of accumulation of large animal remains in caves, with a particular focus on fossil sites within the Naracoorte Caves region.

You can find Nerita on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nerita_turner

Check out the following article, by Nerita and Dr Elizabeth Reed…

“Using historical research to constrain the provenance and age of the first recorded collection of extinct Pleistocene large mammal fossils from the Naracoorte Caves, South Australia.”

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/M7JARRBWBXBWDCFDGIIY/full?target=10.1080/03721426.2023.2188442

Georgia Blows is  Site Interpreter at the Naracoorte Caves, and is passionate about all things wildlife and natural history. Georgia is one of the youngest staff at the Naracoorte Caves, and got the position fresh from Naracoorte High School, after a work a work experience placement convinced both her, and most likely Caves management, that Georgia and the Caves were a perfect fit.

Australia is currently home to 17 species of hawks and eagles. Tens of thousands of years ago, however, there were more. What were they like? What happened to them? And what can we learn about past ecosystems and the extinction that wiped out the Australian mega-fauna, in studying such prehistoric birds?

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Ellen Mather, Adjunct Associate lecturer at Flinders University discuss all of these things and more, as they talk about several extinct species of eagle, including a much somewhat “chunky” eagle that could have plucked koalas from the tree!

You can read more in The Conversation article authored by Ellen, Professor Mike Lee, and Associate Professor Trevor Worthy…

“Giant eagles and scavenging vultures shared the skies of ancient Australia”

https://theconversation.com/giant-eagles-and-scavenging-vultures-shared-the-skies-of-ancient-australia-216358

Here’s a direct link to the research…

“Pleistocene raptors from cave deposits of South Australia, with a description of a new species of Dynatoaetus (Accipitridae: Aves): morphology, systematics and palaeoecological implications”

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2023.2268780

A great article examining Ellen’s recent work on the discovery of vultures in Australia can be found here…

https://theconversation.com/it-was-long-thought-these-fossils-came-from-an-eagle-turns-out-they-belong-to-the-only-known-vulture-species-from-australia-187017

Ellen was also co-author for an article on a prehistoric species of eagle…  https://theconversation.com/meet-the-prehistoric-eagle-that-ruled-australian-forests-25-million-years-ago-168249

You can find Ellen on Twitter at @Ellenaetus

 https://twitter.com/Ellenaetus

Ellen previously spoke to us on Palaeo Jam in the following episode…

Season 1, Episode 5

“Vultures and flamingoes Down Under?

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/vultures-and-flamingoes-down-under/

You can find Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at

https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

On Instagram at @dinosauruniversity

https://www.instagram.com/dinosauruniversity/

And on Twitter at @DinosaurUni

https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

Palaeo Jam also now has its own Instagram account at @palaeo_jam

https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

Tens of thousands of years ago, in and around what is known as Lake Callabonna, in outback South Australia, all manner of now extinct Australian animals dwelt. But whether they walked, or slithered, or crawled, or hopped,  or flew, or swam in that place, it was soon to become what has been described in an ABC Australia documentary series as the “Lake of the Dead”.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam we travel back in time with host Michael Mills, and Dr Aaron Camens and Dr Phoebe McInerney of Flinders University to find who it was that once lived in and around this “Lake of the Dead”, and what it might have been like had we the ability to transport ourselves, and take a stroll along the banks of what was once a heathy, freshwater ecosystem.

You can hear more from both Aaron and Phoebe, and several other past Palaeo Jam guests in the remarkable two-part series, from ABC Australia’s Catalyst, in “Megafauna: What Killed Australia’s Giants?”. Head to the ABC iView site at https://iview.abc.net.au/ and search for the series there.

You can follow Aaron on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DiprotoRon, and check out his Flinders University profile at https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/home/people/academics/aaron-camens/

Amongst his extensive research work, Aaron co-authored a paper that gave us a more complete picture of the largest marsupial predator known, and a former resident of the area, Thylacoleo carnifex…

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208020

Phoebe is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Phoebyornis

Check out her recent article in The Conversation about the skull of Genyornis, discussed in this episode…

https://theconversation.com/new-fossils-show-what-australias-giant-prehistoric-thunder-birds-looked-like-and-offer-clues-about-how-they-died-out-221599

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, you can also follow our Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

In our final episode for Season 1, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Dinosaur University Dean of Science, and singing palaeontologist, Professor Flint. During the conversation, The Prof is asked what came first... His love of dinosaurs, or his love of music? He also gives some insights into why he thinks art and science are two sides of the same thing. And when asked about where he would go back in time to, if he had the chance, The Prof gives a most interesting answer.

To find the Prof's music on Spotify, Bandcamp and all the places, check out the link... https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

You can find The Prof on Twitter at @dinosdownunder https://twitter.com/DinosDownUnder

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills can be found on Twitter as @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mills-86906335/

Join us on a journey to explore the remarkable fossil heritage of South Australia, and why its prehistoric story matters not just to South Australians, but to the the whole world.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, recorded live at Flinders University, on Kaurna Country, host Michael Mills is joined by PhD Candidate Phoebe McInerney of Flinders University, Associate Professor Diego Garcia-Bellido from the University of Adelaide. and PhD Candidate Tory Botha, also of the University of Adelaide. Along the way, the panel discuss a range of discoveries found in South Australia, including the first big life, opalised sea creatures, the story of the first predators, along with some fascinating palaeo pathologies.

Yo can follow Phoebe on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Phoebyornis

Check out Phoebe’s article in The Conversation about disease in giant prehistoric birds, discussed in this episode…

https://theconversation.com/fossil-find-reveals-giant-prehistoric-thunder-birds-were-riddled-with-bone-disease-173745

Diego is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DGarciaBellido

Check out the recent research paper from Diego with a revised understanding of two species of Radiodonta foun d in Emu Bay, South Australia.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14772019.2023.2225066?journalCode=tjsp20

You can find some information about Tory’s research interests here…

http://www.emmasherratt.com/quantitative-morphology-group.html

You can find Michael, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

If you're ever in Adelaide and want to see some of the amazing fossil heritage discussed in this episode, head to the South Australian Museum...   https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/

On the 3rd August, 1969, some 53 years ago, a young biologist, Rod Wells, along with his friend, caver Grant Gartrell crawled through a narrow opening at Naracoorte's Victoria cave, and made a remarkable discovery. It was to be one of the most remarkable finds of megafauna fossils found anywhere in the world, and played a significant part in the Australian megafauna site being elevated to the World Heritage list in 1994

In this special one on one edition of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Prof Rod Wells in an episode recorded with both Rod and Michael sitting in the very spot Rod had sat 53 years ago, on that amazing Spring day.

Rod’s discoveries played a significant role in the development of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Flinders University, and there are a generation of students now following in his footsteps as a result of his passion and his work. His research and insights into Australia's fossil heritage across many years has helped Australians better know the stories of their past, and in so doing, has helped Australians to better know who they are.

And while, of course, this podcast is an audio thing, so you don’t get to see Rod and Michael chatting, the very fact that it was recorded in that place where Rod sat all those years ago, made for a very special conversation.