How do you go from 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 help shape the delightful career that Nellie Pease is now creating to much acclaim?

In the latest episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with palaeo-artist Nellie Pease about her palaeo-artist origin story, while discussing the origin of her fabulous website name, Gondwanarama, a website that describes her as a big fan of marsupials, bugs, & ancient supercontinents. Why those three?

Along the way, they also discuss Nellie’s unique creative process, providing insights for anyone interested in how the creative process works in conjunction with the scientific process. They also chat about a transformational conversation Nellie once had with one of Australia’s most palaeo-artists Dr Peter Trusler, and how it has helped shape where she’s at today.

You can find Nellie on Instagram at @Gondwanarama

https://www.instagram.com/gondwanarama

And definitely check out her Etsy shop at…

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Gondwanarama

Her website is at…

https://gondwanarama.com/

You can find Michael on Blue Sky at https://bsky.app/profile/heapsgood.bsky.social

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

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 Jake to find out if any more fossils have been discovered, and if we’ve learnt anything new since then.

Spoiler alert- A big YES! They chat about some fascinating new discoveries and with that, what those discoveries might tell us abut the story of Australian Theropods. At least, what we know of that story, so far!

Along the way, they also chat about Nanotyranous/T.rex, with Jake giving his view on where things now sit.

This is our 50th episode and we could not think of a better topic to celebrate that milestone than theropods from the Land Down Under!

This is Jake’s second appearance on Palaeo Jam. His first was in Season 2, “Theropods Down Under”…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/theropods-down-under/

Be sure to check out the following paper that gives a new sense of theropod diversity from Early Cretaceous Australia thata now includes: megaraptorids, an unenlagiine, and for the first time, carcharodontosaurians…

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2441903

To read the paper, “A megaraptorid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) frontal from the upper Strzelecki Group (Lower Cretaceous) of Victoria, Australia”, head to… https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667123002975#sec7

You can find Jake on Twitter at @Dinoman_Jake

https://twitter.com/Dinoman_Jake

And on Instagram at @theropods_down_under

https://www.instagram.com/theropods_down_under/

The Evans EvoMorph Lab where Jake is based for his PhD is on Twitter at @EvansEvoMorph

https://twitter.com/evansevomorph

For information on visiting the Dinosaur Dreaming site mentioned in the podcast, head to…

https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/do-and-see/arts-culture-and-heritage/historical-towns-attractions/dinosaur-dreaming

And also Bunurong Coast Education at http://sgcs.org.au/programs.php

You can find Michael on Blue Sky at https://bsky.app/profile/heapsgood.bsky.social

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we have an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam

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 Wolf, and has plans to bring back other species, such as the Woolly Mammoth.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Nic Rawlence, Associate Professor of Ancient DNA at the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka about the issue of de-extinction, and how what is claimed to have happened, whatever it is, is definitely not that!

Nic is a palaeontologist and ancient DNA specialist working at the sharp end of what genetic science can genuinely tell us about the past. He is a prominent voice pushing back against the hype surrounding so-called “de-extinction,” arguing that what we are seeing is not the recreation of lost species. Such sensational claims can also distract from the more urgent work of conserving species that still exist, and give a false sense that extinction doesn't matter so much anymore, when it does.

You can check out Nic’s extensive research profile at… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicolas-Rawlence

Nic was recently awarded the prestigious New Zealand Association of Scientists’ Cranwell Medal for excellence in communicating science to the general public in any area of science or technology… https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/prestigious-medal-for-science-communicator

You can follow Nic on Twitter at… https://x.com/nic_rawlence_nz

You can find Michael on Blue Sky at… https://bsky.app/profile/heapsgood.bsky.social

To connect with Dinosaur University on Facebook, follow us at… https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

At Palaeo Jam, we have an Instagram account at… https://www.instagram.com/palaeo_jam