Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Fossils and Fiction

A supermarket tabloid once ran a front page reading "Space Probe Finds Dinosaurs on Mars." That issue ended up pinned to the wall of the Montana dig trailer in Jurassic Park — and it's the starting point for a wander through everything that connects palaeontology and space.

Travis and Alyssa cover the 1992 Weekly World News hoax and how it accidentally recreated the founding error of dinosaur science, the supernovae that may have triggered two mass extinctions, the asteroid ejecta you can touch in the Flinders Ranges, the hypothesis that Earth had rings while trilobites were alive, dinosaurs living on the far side of the galaxy, and NASA's carefully-worded potential biosignature on Mars.

Plus: 65, Strange New Worlds, Love, Death & Robots, and why every screen dinosaur still says 65 million years when the answer changed in 2012.

Recorded on the 60th anniversary of Star Trek.

Papers and sources

Quintana, A.L., Wright, N.J. et al. (2025). "A census of OB stars within 1 kpc and the star formation and core collapse supernova rates of the Milky Way." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Royal Astronomical Society release: https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/violent-supernovae-triggered-least-two-earth-extinctions Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.08286

Tomkins, A.G., Martin, E.L. & Cawood, P.A. (2024). "Evidence suggesting that earth had a ring in the Ordovician." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 646: 118991. (Monash University) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118991

Fischer-Gödde, M. et al. (2024). "Ruthenium isotopes show the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid." Science 385(6710): 752–756. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk4868

Alvarez, L.W., Alvarez, W., Asaro, F. & Michel, H.V. (1980). "Extraterrestrial cause for the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction." Science 208(4448): 1095–1108.

Williams, G.E. & Wallace, M.W. (2003). "The Acraman asteroid impact, South Australia:cmagnitude and implications for the late Vendian environment" Journal of the Geological Society 160: 545–554.

Hurowitz, J.A. et al. (2025). "Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars." Nature, 10 September 2025. NASA release: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/perseverance/

McKay, D.S. et al. (1996). "Search for past life on Mars: possible relic biogenic activity in Martian meteorite ALH84001." Science 273(5277): 924–930.

Schmidt, G.A. & Frank, A. (2019). "The Silurian hypothesis: would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record?" International Journal of Astrobiology 18(2): 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1473550418000095

Russell, D.A. & Séguin, R. (1982). Reconstruction of the small Cretaceous theropod Stenonychosaurus inequalis and a hypothetical dinosauroid. Syllogeus 37.

Weekly World News, 16 June 1992. Cover: "Space Probe Finds Dinosaurs on Mars." Interior, p. 24: "Dinosaurs on Mars!" Digitised in Google Books.

A three-course food web from the Cretaceous seas of Queensland: a Platypterygius australis ichthyosaur that had been snacking on fish, cephalopods and pterosaurs — before it, in turn, got chewed on by a Kronosaurus queenslandicus. Travis and Alyssa dig into what the bite marks and gut contents tell us about who was eating whom in ancient inland Australia.

Then, Travis heads out to Gold Creek to sit down with Shannon Bourke, education and outreach coordinator at the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra, for a tour through animatronic accuracy (and inaccuracy), seasonally repainted triceratops, and how a small private museum can uietly launch palaeontology careers.

To close out: a preview of The End of Oak Street — dinosaurs, suburbia, Ewan McGregor punching things — and the story of the one Chase question Travis really should have known.

Paper discussed: White, M. et al., "Beneath the Waves: Extraordinary Dietary Insights from a Dismembered Ichthyosaur from the Lower Cretaceous," Gondwana Research.

Fossils and Fiction is ad-free and listener-supported. If you'd like to help us keep it that way, jump onto our Fourthwall store — buy some merch or sign up as a member.

Dr Jake Kotevski didn't become a palaeontologist because of a fossil. He became one because of Sam Neill. In this tribute episode, Travis and Alyssa talk with Jake about Alan Grant's quiet, unglamorous masculinity, the "sense of wonder" the movie chose over the book's horror, and why Grant's evolution across three films (and an unfortunate franchise reboot) still resonates thirty years on.

Compsognathus in a handbag. Microraptor as a pet crow. Sauropod methane energy. You're welcome.

We sit down with Professor Amy Brock-Hon from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga — Alyssa's old alma mater — to talk caves, karst, and why a good geology degree might be the most versatile qualification you've never considered. Then we dig into a 2025 paper claiming scientists have found original collagen inside a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus hip bone — and ask what that means for the long-running soft tissue debate. Which leads us, naturally, to de-extinction — what we'd bring back, why, and whether Colossal Biosciences hatching chickens from synthetic eggs means we're closer to an answer than we'd like to admit.

Tuinstra et al. (2025), "Evidence for Endogenous Collagen in Edmontosaurus Fossil Bone," Analytical Chemistry. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03115

Fossils and Fiction is kept ad-free by our members. Join The Fossil Record via our website, or grab some merch from our Fourthwall store. Fossils and Fiction is a production of Extinction Media.

The ocean had apex predators long before sharks — and this week, we're diving into the extraordinary world of ichthyosaurs with one of the world's leading experts on them.

Alyssa sat down with Dr Dean Lomax — palaeontologist, author, broadcaster, and all-round ichthyosaur evangelist — ahead of his first-ever visit to Australia for Queensland Dinosaur Week (4–10 May 2026). It's a conversation about science, storytelling, and what it really takes to build a career in palaeontology when nobody in your family has ever been to university.

Plus: Travis is flying up to Brisbane for Dino Week himself, we make some big announcements about the future of the show, and we reveal what kookaburras have in common with Jurassic Park.

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• Dr Dean Lomax's website: deanrlomax.co.uk
• Locked in Time — Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls
• The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs — Dean Lomax and Bob Nicholls
• Why Dinosaurs documentary — [available free on YouTube]
• Queensland Dinosaur Week
• Fossils and Fiction membership and merch

Fossils and Fiction is kept ad-free by our members. Fossils and Fiction is a production of Extinction Media.

We're road tripping across Queensland for Queensland Dinosaur Week.

Featuring interviews with experts from the Queensland Museum, Eromanga Natural History Museum, Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum (Winton), and Kronosaurus Korner (Richmond), we find out what's happening across the state from May 4-10, 2026.

For more info, check out https://dinosaurexperiences.com/queensland-dinosaur-week-2026/

Travis just spent three weeks galavanting around the museums of Europe, and he's here to tell you all about it. From Naturalis in Leiden, to Oslo, Oxford, London and Lyme Regis, you'll get the low down on the visitor experience at museums across the continent.

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More info:

• Australia Post's 'creatures of the palaeozoic' https://collectables.auspost.com.au/stamp-issues/view-all-stamp-issues/creatures-of-the-palaeozoic
• ABC Coverage of Dinosaur Dreaming https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-11/dinosaur-dig-at-inverloch-finds-bones-and-fossils/105904132

Travis went to Europe and Alyssa went to Chattanooga. All to find out more about your favourite fossils. We bring you some news on extraordinary palaeo discoveries, a fascinating interview with Dr Indrani Mukherjee about the state of geoscience in Australia and her research into Earth's earliest life, and Alyssa ranks 2025's big hits (come at her).

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Tess Gallagher, Dan Folkes, Michael Pittman, Tom G. Kaye, Glenn W. Storrs, Jason Schein; Fossilized melanosomes reveal colour patterning of a sauropod dinosaur. R Soc Open Sci. 1 December 2025; 12 (12): 251232. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251232

Delclòs, X., Peñalver, E., Jaramillo, C. et al. Cretaceous amber of Ecuador unveils new insights into South America’s Gondwanan forests. Commun Earth Environ 6, 745 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02625-2

Dinosaur mating? Two new tyrannosaurs? We discuss a couple of groundbreaking papers followed by a trip to Wellington Caves, the site of some of Australia's earliest and greatest palaeontological discoveries.

More info:

Join us in Adelaide for Fossils and Fiction live on November 29! https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1964100016020?aff=oddtdtcreator

Visit Wellington Caves https://www.wellingtoncaves.com.au/

Bertozzo, F., Tanke, D. H., Conti, S., Manucci, F., Arnott, G., Godefroit, P., Ruffell, A., Fowler, D., Freedman Fowler, E. A., Bolotsky, I. Y., Bolotsky, Y. L., & Murphy, E. (2025). Deciphering causes and behaviors: A recurrent pattern of tail injuries in hadrosaurid dinosaurs. iScience, 113739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113739

Zanno, L. E., & Napoli, J. G. (2025). Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus coexisted at the close of the Cretaceous. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6

Seals. What do they know? Do they know things? Let's find out.

Dr James Rule gives lets us in on the secrets of the seals, covering their evolution, fossil history, and some challenges with modern marine mammal research. James tells us the best and worst seal and lays down the terms to the whales. Also, it's Halloween, so we take a look at some creepy museum exhibitions.

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Flynn, A. G., Brusatte, S. L., Chiarenza, A. A., García, J., Davis, A. J., Secord, R., Shelley, S., Weil, A., Heizler, M. T., Williamson, T. E., & Peppe, D. J. (2025). Late-surviving New Mexican dinosaurs illuminate high end-Cretaceous diversity and provinciality.

Sereno, P. C., Saitta, E. T., Vidal, D., Myhrvold, N., Real, M. C., Baumgart, S. L., Bop, L. L., Keillor, T. M., Eriksen, M., & Derstler, K. (2025). Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template “mummification.” Science, science.adw3536. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw3536

Travis and Alyssa discuss the challenges and implications of open access publishing in science. They explore the paywall paradox, the role of jargon in scientific communication, and the peer review process, particularly in the context of palaeontology. The conversation also touches on global inequities in access to research, innovations in open access publishing, and the importance of data accessibility. The episode concludes with a light-hearted segment on the frustrations of academic publishing and a fun bingo game.

Support the Diplodocoid publishing campaign: https://experiment.com/projects/reassessing-the-evolutionary-family-tree-and-biogeography-of-the-iconic-sauropod-group-diplodocoidea?s=search

Virtual Paleo Art Gallery curator Karim talks the intersection of art, technology, and community building. Meanwhile, Alyssa and Travis discuss some historical paleo and museum heists.

Check out the palaeo art gallery here https://extinctfineart.com/virtual-paleoart-gallery/

Artist, cartoonist, communicator Zev Landes talks through his experiences and process. We get the low-down on how he created the Fossils and Fiction logo featuring Scratch and Skitters, as well as his work with museums, palaeo-tourism initiatives, and much more.

Check out Zev's website https://www.zevlandes.com/ or Instagram @ZevLandes.

Alyssa and Travis delve into a fascinating new paper on dinosaur tracks, dubbed the 'Dinosaur Dance Floor.' They discuss the implications of the findings, including the behavior of ceratopsians and tyrannosaurs. The conversation shifts to exciting announcements in paleontology, including a new season of Prehistoric Planet. They also interview shark palaeontologist Ben Francischelli, exploring the megalodon and other ancient sharks. The episode concludes with a fun 'Would You Rather' segment.

More info:

Bell, P. R., Pickles, B. J., Ashby, S. C., Walker, I. E., Hurst, S., Rampe, M., Durkin, P., & Brown, C. M. (2025). A ceratopsid-dominated tracksite from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. PLOS ONE, 20(7), e0324913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324913

Ben's website: https://www.benfrancischelli.com/

Poo and poetry.

George Frandsen is founder of the Poozeum in Williams, Arizona. He shares the story of the Poozeum and its mission to educate the world about coprolites. George also introduces us to Barnum - the world's biggest T. rex poop. Alyssa and Travis review Walking with Dinosaurs and Jurassic World: Rebirth before Travis unleashes his softer side with a little palaeo poetry ('Species' by Tishani Doshi, from A God at the Door published by Cooper Canyon Press).

From Part 2 of our interview with palaeontologist and palaeoartist Mark Witton featuring chat on AI, to news about the origins of teeth, and a very difficult game of 'guess that fossil', this episode has a little bit of everything.

More info:

• King Tyrant on Amazon
• Haridy, Y., Norris, S.C.P., Fabbri, M. et al. The origin of vertebrate teeth and evolution of sensory exoskeletons. Nature 642, 119–124 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08944-w

Can they spell it? No, they can't!

This episode features renowned palaeoartist Mark Witton talking about his new book King Tyrant and other topics in palaeoart. Plus, news on the world's first sauropod gut contents. Then, Travis and Alyssa challenge each other to a prehistoric spelling bee.

More info:

Mark Witton's website https://www.markwitton.co.uk/

Poropat, S. F., Tosolini, A.-M. P., Beeston, S. L., Enchelmaier, M. J., Pentland, A. H., Mannion, P. D., Upchurch, P., Chin, K., Korasidis, V. A., Bell, P. R., Enriquez, N. J., Holman, A. I., Brosnan, L. M., Elson, A. L., Tripp, M., Scarlett, A. G., Godel, B., Madden, R. H. C., Rickard, W. D. A., … Grice, K. (2025). Fossilized gut contents elucidate the feeding habits of sauropod dinosaurs. Current Biology, 35(11), 2597-2613.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.053

Palaeo artist James Pascoe shares his lifelong fascination with dinosaurs and how it has shaped his journey. He discusses the importance of community in the paleo art world and the role of engagement in science communication.

We discuss new research showing the origin of tyrannosaurs may have been in Asia and also how megaraptors arose and spread throughout Gondwana. And another new paper pushes back the origin of tetrapods and (maybe) places it in the southern continents.

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• Long, J. A., Niedźwiedzki, G., Garvey, J., Clement, A. M., Camens, A. B., Eury, C. A., Eason, J., & Ahlberg, P. E. (2025). Earliest amniote tracks recalibrate the timeline of tetrapod evolution. Nature, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08884-5

• Morrison, C., Scherer, C. R., O’Callaghan, E. V., Layton, C., Boisvert, C., Rolando, M. A., Durrant, L., Salas, P., Allain, S. J. R., & Gascoigne, S. J. L. (2025). Rise of the king: Gondwanan origins and evolution of megaraptoran dinosaurs. Royal Society Open Science, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.242238

Visit the 'La Brea of the East' with us. Shay Maden from Gray Fossil Site and Museum tells us about the history and importance of this amazing Tennessean lagerstatten. And, we can't help but chat about the controversial claims by Colossal Biosciences that they have resurrected the dire wolf.

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Check out:

• Gray Fossil Site https://gfs.visithandson.org/
• Dinosauria Season 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRXB67fcXZA
• Paleo Pines https://paleopines.com/
• Pint of Science https://pintofscience.com.au/

This conversation explores the fascinating and often humorous world of paleontology hoaxes, from the infamous Piltdown Man to the Cardiff Giant. Alyssa and Travis discuss various historical and modern examples of scientific fraud, the implications of these hoaxes on the scientific community, and the lessons learned about integrity in research. They also touch on the cultural significance of these hoaxes and how they reflect societal beliefs and values.

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Palaeo Pulse:

McCurry, M. R., Gill, A. C., Baranov, V., Hart, L. J., Slatyer, C., & Frese, M. (2025). The paleobiology of a new osmeriform fish species from Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2445684

It's time for a nostalgia kick. Travis and Alyssa discuss James Gurney's Dinotopia: an idealised vision of a world where humans and dinosaurs peacefully co-exist and everyone has their place. We explore the storytelling approaches, links to other media and what Dinotopia could look life if it were written today.

Alyssa interviews Dr. Phoebe McInerney about her research on Genyornis, a giant flightless bird from Australia. The conversation explores Phoebe's journey into palaeontology, her research, and the significance of outreach and education in the field. We also touch on the brilliant new research on Australian theropods published by Jake Kotevski and friends and play a little game of 'Who Am I? Extinct Edition'.

More: McInerney, P., Blokland, J., & Worthy, T. (2024, June 3). New fossils show what Australia’s giant prehistoric ‘thunder birds’ looked like – and offer clues about how they died out. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/new-fossils-show-what-australias-giant-prehistoric-thunder-birds-looked-like-and-offer-clues-about-how-they-died-out-221599Kotevski, J., Duncan, R. J., Ziegler, T., Bevitt, J. J., Vickers-Rich, P., Rich, T. H., Evans, A. R., & Poropat, S. F. (n.d.). Evolutionary and paleobiogeographic implications of new carcharodontosaurian, megaraptorid, and unenlagiine theropod remains from the upper Lower Cretaceous of Victoria, southeast Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 0(0), e2441903. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2441903

Geo.Sassie joins Travis to talk about the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, Alyssa designs a prehistoric four course feast, prepares for a dig, and shows off some palaeoart. Also, we finally name our mascots.

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More:

Virtual paleoart exhibitionhttps://extinctfineart.com/virtual-paleoart-gallery/

Ammonite moviehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt7983894/

Lovelace, D. M., Kufner, A. M., Fitch, A. J., Curry Rogers, K., Schmitz, M., Schwartz, D. M., LeClair-Diaz, A., St.Clair, L., Mann, J., & Teran, R. (2025). Rethinking dinosaur origins: Oldest known equatorial dinosaur-bearing assemblage (mid-late Carnian Popo Agie FM, Wyoming, USA).Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,203(1), zlae153.https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae153

Join hosts Alyssa and Travis as they welcome palaeontologist Colin Boisvert for a chat about Allosaur diversity, sauropod niche partitioning and more. Colin offers an insider's look at the challenges and excitement of studying dinosaurs, from complex taxonomies to ecological mysteries. The episode takes a fun turn with a special segment where listeners help name the show's mascots, and the hosts figure out how to (hypothetically) fight prehistoric animals.

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Colin Boisvert X/Twitter: https://x.com/colin_boisvert

Colin Boisvert Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinboisvert1/

Barker, C. T., Handford, L., Naish, D., Wills, S., Hendrickx, C., Hadland, P., Brockhurst, D., & Gostling, N. J. (2024). Theropod dinosaur diversity of the lower English Wealden: Analysis of a tooth-based fauna from the Wadhurst Clay Formation (Lower Cretaceous: Valanginian) via phylogenetic, discriminant and machine learning methods. Papers in Palaeontology, 10(6), e1604. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1604

Zev Landes https://www.zevlandes.com/

Hosts Alyssa and Travis discuss the mummified homotherium, play a game of 'fossil fact or fiction', and learn all about the Emu Bay Shale with special guest Steph Richter-Stretton.

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Follow Steph-Richter-Stretton on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/biostephigraphy/

Lopatin, A. V., Sotnikova, M. V., Klimovsky, A. I., Lavrov, A. V., Protopopov, A. V., Gimranov, D. O., & Parkhomchuk, E. V. (2024). Mummy of a juvenile sabre-toothed cat Homotherium latidens from the Upper Pleistocene of Siberia. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 28016. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79546-1

Some exciting news about the future of Fossils and Fiction followed by an episode of the Common Descent Podcast 'spotlighting' our show.

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Links:

• Holland, T. A. (2024). Palaeo podcasting: A practice-led extended-mixed methods case study. Media International Australia, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X241265824
• Fossils and Fiction Episode 26, Alyssa Fjeld's Ancient Bugs https://www.fossilsfiction.co/2023/12/18/episode-26/
• Common Descent Podcast https://commondescentpodcast.com/

Pterosaur expert and PhD student Adele Pentland discusses the discovery and description of the newest and most complete Australian pterosaur, Haliskia peterseni. The fossil was found in Australia and is 100 million years old. Adele explains the unique features of Haliskia, including its large wingspan, interlocking teeth, and long throat bones.

The conversation places Haliskia in context with other Aussie pterosaurs and pterosaur families from around the world.

She also discusses the importance of museums like Kronosaurus Korner and the Australian Age of Dinosaurs in promoting paleotourism and supporting local communities. Adele shares her optimism for future discoveries of pterosaurs in Australia and highlights the significance of these findings for scientific research and public interest.

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More info:

Adele's podcast Pals in Palaeo https://palsinpalaeo.com/

Kronosaurus Korner https://www.kronosauruskorner.com.au/

The Conversation article on Haliskia https://theconversation.com/100-million-year-old-fossil-find-reveals-huge-flying-reptile-that-patrolled-australias-inland-sea-231393

Scientific Reports paper describing Haliskia https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-60889-8

Scientific Reports paper describing Ferrodraco lentoni https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49789-4

Children's author Sandra Bennett discusses the importance of literacy and her journey as an author, including the Adamson Adventure series, a number of which feature prehistoric animals. Sandra shares how she started writing stories for her students, which sparked their interest in reading. She also talks about her book series, which combines adventure, history, and extinct Australian wildlife. In Fossil Frenzy, the Adamson children discover prehistoric Queensland while Tracks in the Mist, releasing June 2024, features a family trip to Tasmania and the elusive Thylacine. Sandra hopes her books inspire a passion for reading, science, and environmental conservation.

Check out https://sandrabennettauthor.com/

Friend of the podcast Tom Jurassic previews season 2 of his audio fan production 'Tales from a Jurassic World'. Check out the full series on YouTube or via the Jurassic Park Podcast.

Amanda Perry, science communicator and palaeoartist, discusses her love for bugs and extinct animals. Amanda believes it is important to show vibrancy in representing animals, including extinct ones, through her artwork. She shares her journey into becoming a palaeoartist and science communicator, which involved working at science center cafeteria. Amanda's career now involves science communication through social media and creating art commissions. Amanda also expresses her passion for dinosaurs and how her grandfather's encouragement fueled her love for them. She discusses the influence of Jurassic Park and the artwork associated with the film.

Check out Amanda's Instagram @perryology101

Ari Dharminalan Rudenko, the artistic director of Prehistoric Body Theater, discusses his background and how his childhood fascination with dinosaurs led him to combine dance and science communication. He explains the formation of Prehistoric Body Theater in Surakarta, Indonesia, and its focus on accuracy in science communication.

Ari also shares his collaboration with palaeontologists and the challenges of incorporating scientific knowledge into dance performances and the process of choosing specific prehistoric animals as characters in his performances.

Prehistoric Body Theater uses stagecraft and set design to create a portal for the audience's imagination, allowing them to journey into deep time. The performances incorporate prosthetic elements and clay-textured sets to create a sensory experience. The company aims to tour their work globally and continue to bridge the gap between art and science.

Check out more about Prehistoric Body Theater https://www.prehistoricbody.org/

Astrid O’Connor is a PhD researcher in the Evans EvoLab at Monash University. Astrid undertakes a fascinating mix of research and creative work including immensely detailed 3D reconstructions of extinct animals. This conversation charts Astrid's journey into and through palaeo.

Check out @PalaeoAstrid on Instagram for more.

Zach Vanasse, founder and director of Dinosaur Trips, discusses his journey in creating a unique travel company that offers dinosaur-themed trips. He shares his childhood fascination with dinosaurs and how it led him to combine his passion for palaeontology with his experience in the travel industry. Zach explains the offerings of Dinosaur Trips, which include visits to museums, dinosaur digs, and other attractions in various destinations. He emphasises that the trips cater to both dinosaur enthusiasts and curious travellers who want to explore destinations through the lens of palaeontology.

For more info, check out DinosaurTrips.com

In this conversation, Dr. Catherine Pugh and Dr. Ross Garner discuss their chapters in 'The Jurassic Park Book' and provide new perspectives on the classic 1990s blockbuster. Dr. Pugh analyses a play called 'The Jurassic Parks' that riffs on the film and explores themes of family and grief. Dr. Garner focuses on the role of merchandise and franchising in the Jurassic Park franchise and the lack of academic attention towards it.

They also discuss the impact of Jurassic Park on dinosaur fandom and the genre of eco-horror. The conversation explores the themes of environmental impact, the future of the Jurassic Park franchise, the portrayal of dinosaurs as animals or monsters, and the use of dinosaurs as agents of punishment. The discussion also touches on the tension between realism and spectacle in the films, the changing debates and viewpoints within the franchise, and the engagement with cultural and scientific debates. The conversation highlights the unique nature of the Jurassic Park series in actively engaging with these themes on screen.

This is Part 2 of coverage of 'The Jurassic Park Book', edited by Dr Matt Melia and published by Bloomsbury.

More info:

• The Jurassic Park Book https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/jurassic-park-book-9781501384844/
• Cinergie Journal: 'Franchising Jurassic Park' https://cinergie.unibo.it/issue/view/1234

• Dr Catherine Pugh's website https://catherine-pugh.co.uk/
• Dr Ross Garner's university profile https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/garnerrp1

Bronwyn Saunders, a children's author and citizen scientist, discusses her book 'Diprotodon: A Megafauna Journey' and the importance of Australian megafauna. She shares her journey as a writer and the research process she went through to write the book. Bronwyn also mentions her author inspirations and hints at future projects.

More:

• Follow Bronwyn's Facebook page
• Buy Diprotodon: A Megafauna Journey
• We have a copy of Diprotodon to give away - drawn April 10, 2024. See the Fossils and Fiction Instagram for details.

Jake Kotevski is a PhD candidate at Monash University studying Australian theropods, specifically megaraptorids. Are they just big raptors? Find out in our wide-ranging discussion about the known knowns, the known unknowns, and some speculation on the unknown unknowns. Jake also describes his journey into palaeontology and how the pieces fit together between Australia, South America, Antarctica and Asia.

Follow Jake's work on Instagram @theropods_down_under

Alyssa Fjeld discusses her research on early arthropods, especially tomotiids, a group that appeared over 520 million years ago.

Alyssa's research focuses on the growth patterns of early arthropods. She explores the concept of the inhibitory cascade model and its implications for understanding the life cycle and evolution of these animals.

Alyssa also shares her experiences in science education and outreach, emphasising the importance of making science accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.

Do you know what to do if you find a fossil or First Nations artifact? Sally Hurst made it her business to find out as part of her Masters study at Macquarie University. We talk about the Found a Fossil project, Sally's journey to palaeontology, and her outreach work with school children.

More info:

• Found a Fossil website https://www.foundafossil.com/

• Hurst, S. (2023). Found a Fossil: Assessing Australian perceptions of heritage discoveries and conservation [Thesis, Macquarie University]. https://doi.org/10.25949/22662535.v1
• Hurst, S., Kosnik, M., Evans, L., & Brock, G. A. (2023). Found a fossil: Improving awareness, engagement, and communication strategies for heritage discoveries. Journal of Science Communication, 22(5). https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2205_2023_A03/

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Thanks to Charles Sturt Uni student intern Jack Thompson for his assistance with this episode.

Each summer in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, a prehistoric landscape comes alive with the sound and sights of dinosaurs. This is Scenic World's Dinosaur Valley.

For more information on Scenic World and Dinosaur Valley visit https://scenicworld.com.au/

From a dino-themed wedding to running the world’s biggest dinosaur podcast, it’s Garret from I Know Dino! Garret joins Fossils and Fiction to chat about the lessons he and Sabrina have learned while covering new dinosaur discoveries every week for the past decade. 

Check out I Know Dino on their website or your favourite podcasting app: https://iknowdino.com/ 

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Stuff mentioned: 

Clements, T., Atterby, J., Cleary, T., Richard P. Dearden, & Rossi, V. (2022). The perception of palaeontology in commercial off-the-shelf video games and an assessment of their potential as educational tools. Geoscience Communication, 5, 289–306. https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-5-289-2022 

Common Descent Podcast: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

Noble, B. (2016). Articulating Dinosaurs: A Political Anthropology. University of Toronto Press. https://utorontopress.com/9781442621329/articulating-dinosaurs/ 

Plotnick, R. E., Anderson, B. M., Carlson, S. J., Jukar, A. M., Kimming, J., & Petsios, E. (n.d.). Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries. Scientific American. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/paleontology-is-far-more-than-new-fossil-discoveries1/ 

Terrible Lizards Podcast with Dave Hone and Iszi Lawrence https://terriblelizards.libsyn.com/ 

Jimmy Waldron once told Conan O’Brien he looked like a therizinosaurus. He also founded a non-profit called Dinosaurs Will Always Be Awesome that takes dinosaur experiences out to those who might not otherwise access them. After you’ve listened to the episode, check out more info on DWABA: https://dwaba.org/ Check out Jimmy's research on teaching evolution to school students:

Nadelson, L., Culp, R., Bunn, S., Burkhart, R., Shetlar, R., Nixon, K., & Waldron, J. (2009). Teaching Evolution Concepts to Early Elementary School Students. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 2(3), 458–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12052-009-0148-x

Dinotherium, diprotodon, mastodon and more! Dr Chris Manias discusses his book The Age of Mammals: Nature, Development and Paleontology in the Long Nineteenth Century. Chris is Senior Lecturer in the History of Science & Technology at Kings College London.

Books mentioned:

• Manias, C. (2023). The Age of Mammals: Nature, Development and Paleontology in the Long Nineteenth Century. University of Pittsburgh Press. https://upittpress.org/books/9780822947806/
• Ashby, J. (2022). Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Lives of Australian Mammals. HarperCollins. https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008431440/platypus-matters/
• Douglas, K. (2010). Pictures of Time Beneath: Science, Heritage and the Uses of the Deep Past. CSIRO Publishing. https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/6342/
• Panciroli, E. (2021). Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution. Bloomsbury. https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/beasts-before-us-9781472983978/

Palaeontologist Adele Pentland makes her second appearance on Fossils and Fiction to talk about... The Simpsons? Oh, and also her podcast Pals in Palaeo and her tips for science communication. ___ Find out more about Adele's work and Pals and Palaeo here:

• Adele's website https://www.adelepentland.com/
• Pals in Palaeo Instagram https://www.instagram.com/palsinpalaeo/
• Pals in Palaeo links https://linktr.ee/palsinpalaeo

I've been writing, thinking, and talking about Jurassic Park *a lot* lately. It's time to wrap all that work up into something listenable for Fossils and Fiction.

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Articles/interviews mentioned:

• Shaye Ganam, 770 CHQR/630 CHED Edmonton and Toronto, Thirty years after Jurassic Park hit movie screens, its impact on science and culture remains as strong as ever, https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DXM7ooNyFpIQmBAIBktuK?si=v6dMHMZXQquZG7VZrQpTIQ
• Nahal el-Hadi, The Conversation Weekly, Thirty years after Jurassic Park hit movie screens, its impact on science and culture remains as strong as ever — podcast, https://theconversation.com/thirty-years-after-jurassic-park-hit-movie-screens-its-impact-on-science-and-culture-remains-as-strong-as-ever-podcast-210110
• Suzanne Hill, ABC Nightlife, https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/jurassicpark-dinosaurs-movies/102492598

• Travis Holland and Lisa Watt, The Conversation, Toss Aside Those High Heels: How Jurassic World's Claire Dearing lights a path for women in action films, https://theconversation.com/toss-aside-those-high-heels-how-jurassic-worlds-claire-dearing-lights-a-path-for-women-in-action-films-182334

• Travis Holland, The Conversation, How Jurassic Park changed film-making and our view of dinosaurs, https://theconversation.com/how-jurassic-park-changed-film-making-and-our-view-of-dinosaurs-203147
• Travis Holland, Fossils and Fiction, Making Sarah Harding, https://www.fossilsfiction.co/2022/05/02/making-sarah-harding/
• Holland, T., & Watt, L. (2023). Sexism in survival situations: Reconsidering gender in Jurassic Park. In S. Gerrard, & R. Middlemost (Eds.), Gender and action films 1980-2000: Beauty in motion (1st ed., pp. 123-136). (Emerald Studies in Popular Culture and Gender). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-506-720221009

If there's one thing that will spark an interest in palaeontology, it might just be finding 450 million-year-old fossil as a child. That's exactly what happened to Dr Nic Campione. Nic is originally from Canada but is now a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences (Palaeontology) at the University of New England in Australia. Nic tells the story of his childhood fossil find and talks about his approach to teaching troublesome palaeontology students like your host, Dr Travis Holland.

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Dr Nic Campione's UNE profile: https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/dr-nicolas-campione

Dr Nic Campione's research publications https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=DIilDo0AAAAJ&hl=en

UNE's Undergraduate Certificate in Palaeontology https://www.une.edu.au/study/courses/undergraduate-certificate-in-palaeontology

Packed with emotion and pulling the nostalgia heartstrings, how does The Land Before Time (1988) hold up today? Clemson University English Lecturer Peter Cullen Bryan takes us through the links between Don Bluth's classic film and other palaeomedia.

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Follow Dr Peter Cullen Bryan on Twitter @pfxbryan

Don Bluth. Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life.  SmartPop, 2022. 

1988 Pizza Hut puppets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce17QquyL8s 

Forgotten Disney: Essays on the Lesser-Known Productions.   https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/forgotten-disney/

Check out what you'll hear on Fossils and Fiction.