Modelling the Dead!

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