Palaeo Jam

The Dinosaur Kids-Part 2

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

Planet of the Plants!

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

The Mega-fauna muncher from Down Under!

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

A journey into accessibility- Digging for fossils from a wheelchair

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

Palaeo research from the high country

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

Stories of the high country

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

A Prof and his pals

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

The Rocks Remember...

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.