PODCAST · science
Palaeo Jam
by Dinosaur University
Palaeo Jam is a podcast exploring a range of issues in science and the community, using the multidisciplinary aspects of, and public fascination with, palaeontology. This Australian-produced palaeo podcast was launched at a publicly accessible live event at Flinders University, where the first two episodes were recorded in front of a live audience. Palaeo Jam uses fossils and other objects from palaeontology to explore a range of scientific and social issues, and incorporate key research and discoveries into its content. Each episode has a theme and it’s covered within a strict, 30-minute timeframe. Adding to the theatre of the recording, a timer is visible to the audience in live records. Each episode has a panel of up to three guests, and is hosted by Michael Mills, award-winning science communicator.
Episodes
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A story from the teeth
What can a tiny fossil tooth tell us about a world that disappeared thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago? Quite a lot, as it turns out! In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills is joined by Dr Tiah Bampton of Adelaide University to explore the fascinating world of stable...
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When a palaeo-artist and a palaeontologist are the same person!
Dr Brian Choo is both a palaeontologist and a palaeo-artist. In this fascinating episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Brian about the path to becoming both, and how his understanding in each area, informs the other. Along the way, the two explore Brian’s passion for natural…
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Making a mammal
Carl Sagan once said "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe". As it happens, that very same universe is the one that made possible the making of mammals. So, what are some of the essential ingredients and conditions that made the making of a mammal...
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Let's talk about fish!
Let’s talk about fish… Those creatures of the rivers and oceans that we often think of as somehow distant from us, but that from an evolutionary perspective, are central to the story of who we are. In a wide ranging conversation, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Dr Alice Clement of…
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The Curious Life of Mary Anning
What happens when you hurl the definitive biographer of palaeontology pioneer Mary Anning, and the writer of a musical about Mary Anning together? In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host and writer of musicals, Michael Mills, is joined by Mary Anning biographer Tom Sharpe to explore the life…
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The Art and Science of Gondwanarama!
How do you go from being a young kid growing up around Riversleigh terrified of a reconstructed Thylacoleo, and a Diprotodon exhibit at the Queensland Museum, to be one of Australia’s most talented, interesting, emerging palaeo-artists? And how did her emotional responses to these exhibitions…
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The story of Australian Theropods... So far!
In season 2 of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chatted with Jake Kotevski about the identification of the oldest-known Megaraptorid skull fragment, found on an Eastern Victorian beach in Australia, and what that unique and important fragment might tell us. In this episode, Michael again chats with...
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The Lie of De-extinction
When is a Dire Wolf not a Dire Wolf? When it’s a Grey Wolf made white and fluffy with a few tiny changes. When is a Woolly Mammoth not a Woolly Mammoth? When it's an elephant made hairy by a few tiny changes. And yet one organisation has claimed, with much fanfare, to have brought back the Dire...
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On the public understanding of science
Adele Pentland (Curtin University) and Sally Hurst (Macquarie University), are both Superstars of STEM with extensive experience in public engagement and media communication. They are both palaeontologists, which we think gives them a bit of an advantage over some of the other sciences, since…
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Kanga who?
What actually is a kangaroo? And how long have they been the giant red or grey hopping things so synonymous with Australia? In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Isaac Kerr about the origin of kangaroos as “weird possums that lived in the trees a bit”, the significant…
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Creatures of the Slime
On Thursday October 9th, Dr Jim Gehling OA (Order of Australia) was awarded the Joseph Verco Medal by the Royal Society of South Australia for a remarkable life of research and public engagement in the field of palaeontology. Previous recipients have included Sir Douglas Mawson and Reg Sprigg....
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The Lizards of Oz!
Australia is land of reptiles, and in particular, a land of lizards. How and when did it become this? And why are there so many venomous snakes? In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Mark Hutchinson about the evolutionary history of the lizards of Australia, why they...
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A shark walks into a library...
And then what? It tuned in to this very episode of Palaeo Jam! Dr Heather Robinson and Professor John Long are the authors of two important books, “Beyond the Books: Culture, value and why libraries matter.” and “The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators”,...
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What goes on in the regions?
Regional museums in Australia and elsewhere are the custodians of a remarkable collection of stories. What are some of those stories, and why do they matter? Why, indeed, do regional museums matter? And what kinds of science, including palaeontology, takes place in the regions? Palaeo Jam host...
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A remarkable journey continues
Just over 12 months ago, as part of National Science Week, we spoke with Eleanor Beidatsch, in an episode titled, “A Journey into accessibility: Digging for fossils from a wheelchair.” Since that episode, Eleanor has graduated from the University of New England with First Class Honours, been...
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So, you want to become a fossil?
So, you want to become a fossil? Good luck with that! There’s a whole sequence of things that need to take place in order for that to happen, and in this episode of Palaeo Jam, we explore those steps, and how unlikely it is that you will be able to complete all of them. Recorded underground in...
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From where pterosaurs dwell
In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills begins the conversation with Dr Natalia Jagielska, Engagement & Collections Curator at the Lyme Regis Museum by chatting about palaeontology pioneer Mary Anning, and what it means to be working in the very space Mary’s home in Lyme Regis once...
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Lake of the Dead
Tens of thousands of years ago, in and around what is known as Lake Callabonna, in outback South Australia, all manner of now extinct Australian animals dwelt. But whether they walked, or slithered, or crawled, or hopped, or flew, or swam in that place, it was soon to become what has been…
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Putting the Cool into Koolasuchus
In 1990, Mike Cleland was fossicking around a coastal region of the state of Victoria in Australia, when he came across a fossil discovery that was to change his life. The fossil he discovered was to become known as Koolasuchus cleelandi, and in 2022, Koolasuchus to became the state’s official...
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Me and my Palaeo Pal!
What happens when two people who create palaeontology podcasts get together for a chat? Tune in to find out! In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with vertebrate Palaeontologist and expert in Australian pterosaurs Adele Pentland of the “Pals in Palaeo” podcast about Australian...
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A Day for the Dinosaurs Down Under!
May 7th has come to be known as Australia’s National Dinosaur Day! A day in which Australians are being asked to celebrate the remarkable dinosaurs that once walked where we now walk. Or as we like to call them, the Dinosaurs Down Under! What is the significance of May 7th? And how did this date,...
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The tale of a giant, prehistoric kangaroo... Or three!
We’re back for Season 3, and we begin in the palaeo lab at Flinders University! We’re delighted that in this first episode of the new season, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Dr Isaac Kerr about a remarkable research paper, just published, that seeks to more clearly define what is and…
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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…
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Soar like a prehistoric eagle!
Australia is currently home to 17 species of hawks and eagles. Tens of thousands of years ago, however, there were more. What were they like? What happened to them? And what can we learn about past ecosystems and the extinction that wiped out the Australian mega-fauna, in studying such…
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Theropods Down Under
The fossil record of Theropod dinosaurs in Australia is sparse, and our understanding of them is poor. In a recent publication of the first chapter of his PhD, PhD Candidate Jake Kotevski is on his way to changing that. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Jake about the...
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Connecting with the community
In August 2023, Michael Mills travelled to various communities in Australia, to record multiple episodes of the Palaeo Jam podcast for National Science Week. One of the enduring conversations born of the tour was how a community might engage with its local fossil heritage, and In this episode,...
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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…...
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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…
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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…
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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,...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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…
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Vamp it up!
The Virtual Museum of Australian Palaeontology, or VAMP, as it is known, was launched several months ago to much acclaim. So, what is it, why does it matter, and how has it been going? In another episode recorded live during the Palaeo Jam National Science Week tour, we discuss why in an age of…
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The Great Dying
Before there were dinosaurs, Queensland, Australia was home to a fascinating array of reptiles, amphibians, and the ancestors of mammals. And then, 252 million years ago, just about everything on Earth died! So let’s talk who survived, and why! In an episode supported by National Science Week…
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Raising the Dead
A palaeontologist and an archaeologist walk into a bar… The Afterlife Bar, that is, at the Western Australian Museum, Boola Bardip, thanks to National Science Week. So, then what happened? Listen in, to find out! We’re in Perth, Whadjuk Country, Western Australia, and we’re here to talk about…
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South Australia- A Palaeontological Wonderland
Join us on a journey to explore the remarkable fossil heritage of South Australia, and why its prehistoric story matters not just to South Australians, but to the the whole world. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, recorded live at Flinders University, on Kaurna Country, host Michael Mills is joined…
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A Career in a Cave
The Naracoorte Caves in South Australia are a World Heritage fossil site whose stories are many and varied. Part of the story of the Caves is the story of the people who work there, do their research there, or in the case of Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills, occasionally record podcasts and sing…
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A most remarkable discovery!
In 2022, the first fossil body of an Australian long-necked plesiosaur with the head still attached was discovered in outback Queensland. In this episode, recorded live in Townsville, Wulgurukaba Country, for National Science Week, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills, is joined by palaeontologist Dr...
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Tales from the Naracoorte Caves
Naracoorte Caves in South Australia are home to a remarkable fossil heritage of Pleistocene life. The story of Naracoorte, though, is not just the story of it’s fossil heritage. It’s the stories of the community and the connection of lots people to the caves and that heritage. In this first…
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The life of a singing palaeontologist
In our final episode for Season 1, Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills chats with Dinosaur University Dean of Science, and singing palaeontologist, Professor Flint. During the conversation, The Prof is asked what came first... His love of dinosaurs, or his love of music? He also gives some insights…
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The challenge to be curious!
Following the world premiere of “A Curious Thing- The story of Mary Anning” at the 2023 Adelaide Fringe, Palaeo Jam host, and writer/director of the Mary Anning Fringe show Michael Mills sat down with three brilliant women in science to explore their thoughts on the show, its themes, Mary’s…
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The Dinosaur Kids... Part 1
Imagine you’re that dinosaur kid! The one who knows all the names of all the things, and dreams of one day going to university to study palaeontology in order to become a palaeontologist. Of course, most dinosaur kids don’t get to do that. But imagine you are one who makes it. You do get accepted...
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How it started... How it’s going!
Late last year, while on a trip to Naracoorte, South Australia, Palaeo Jam podcast host Michael Mills sat down with three students from the University of Adelaide, all at different stages as palaeontology students. One, Stephanie Massacci, was just at the beginning of Honours, where the focus…
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Caves- Ecosystems of the past, the present, and the future
Caves can be the holders of great fossil collections. It’s important to remember, though, that they still exist as living ecosystems, and will continue to do so. In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Liz Reed of the University of Adelaide, and South Australian Museum.…
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A prehistoric land of birds and frogs
Isolated islands can evolve remarkably unique flora and fauna, given enough time. None is more unique than New Zealand, the home of the Kiwi, but also the past home of multiple species of birds and frogs. Indeed, such was the nature of the islands in the not too distant past, that birds and frogs...
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Why Museums Matter!
Museums are custodians of story, and the collections that dwell within them belong to the community of which they are a part. In recent years, though, funding cuts have put significant pressure on many aspects of what museums do so well, in research, collection curation, and public programmes. In…
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Moments in time
When we think of palaeontology, we often think of the giant bones of dinosaurs assembled in museums. And when not thinking of the bones, we’re often enamoured by the size of fossilised teeth such as those of T.rex, Megalodon, Mosasaurs and other leviathans. There are more things than fossilise,...
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What dwells beneath... Beyond the rocks and bones!
One of the great challenges of palaeontology is to work out what a long dead animal actually looked like, and how it lived, when all you have is a fossilised bone or two. This is where Associate Professor Natalie Warburton, of Murdoch University, and her freezer full of dead things comes in! In a...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Palaeo Jam is a podcast exploring a range of issues in science and the community, using the multidisciplinary aspects of, and public fascination with, palaeontology. This Australian-produced palaeo podcast was launched at a publicly accessible live event at Flinders University, where the first two episodes were recorded in front of a live audience. Palaeo Jam uses fossils and other objects from palaeontology to explore a range of scientific and social issues, and incorporate key research and discoveries into its content. Each episode has a theme and it’s covered within a strict, 30-minute timeframe. Adding to the theatre of the recording, a timer is visible to the audience in live records. Each episode has a panel of up to three guests, and is hosted by Michael Mills, award-winning science communicator.
HOSTED BY
Dinosaur University
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Palaeo Jam have?
Palaeo Jam currently has 56 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Palaeo Jam about?
Palaeo Jam is a podcast exploring a range of issues in science and the community, using the multidisciplinary aspects of, and public fascination with, palaeontology. This Australian-produced palaeo podcast was launched at a publicly accessible live event at Flinders University, where the first two...
How often does Palaeo Jam release new episodes?
Palaeo Jam has 56 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Palaeo Jam?
You can listen to Palaeo Jam on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Palaeo Jam?
Palaeo Jam is created and hosted by Dinosaur University.
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