Fossils and Fiction

• Do direwolves dream of extinct sheep?

  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. ___ Check out: Gray Fossil Site https://gfs.visithandson.org/Dinosauria Season 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRXB67fcXZAPaleo Pines https://paleopines.com/ Pint of Science https://pintofscience.com.au/

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• Don't do palaeo fraud

  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.__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

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• Dinotopia Dreaming

  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.

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• You Are a Horrible Gigagoose

  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

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• Feasts and Beasts

  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.__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

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