Fossils and Fiction
🎙️The culture and science of palaeontology.
Episodes
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...
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...
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,...
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 (ma...
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 ht...
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 societa...
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....
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., Schmit...
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) f...
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-tooth...
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/...
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 ...
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 childre...
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...
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 scientifi...
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 desti...
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.
Th...
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