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 Flinders University about why understanding fish evolution matters in trying to understand ourselves, some key moments in fish evolution, and the key role that the Australian fossil record tells us about this remarkable story.

You can find Alice’s blog at https://draliceclement.com

And her Research Gate profile… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alice-Clement

Alice posts from time to time on Twitter at… https://x.com/DrAliceClement

Alice has been a guest in several previous Palaeo Jam episodes, including the important “Life as a Palaeo Mum” recorded LIVE at the launch of the Palaeo Jam podcast. You can find it here… https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/s01e03/

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

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, science, and enduring legacy of Mary Anning, one of the most important figures in the history of palaeontology. Drawing on years of meticulous research, Tom paints a vivid picture of Mary Anning as not just a fossil collector, but a formidable scientific mind operating at the birth of palaeontology. We explore her groundbreaking discoveries including the first complete plesiosaur, her close (and often complicated) relationships with leading scientists of the day, and the steep barriers she faced as a working-class woman.

Beyond the science, this episode digs into the human story of Mary, what she might have been like to meet, personal losses, precarious finances, unanswered questions about her private life, and how myth, film, and modern retellings have sometimes distorted her legacy.

The conversation closes by connecting Mary’s enduring legacy to contemporary creative work, including the development “A Curious Thing”, a new musical inspired by her life, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in deep time, women in science, and how we tell history responsibly and creatively.

This is the first ever episode of Palaeo Jam to ever exceed the strict time limit of 30 minutes per episode, because, well… Michael and Tom decided to just keep talking! We can confirm, that once the mics were turned off, the conversation about this remarkable woman continued!

Tom’s book “The Fossil Woman- A Life of Mary Anning” is the most deeply researched book on her life and legacy. It is available through most book stores. Tom regularly shares moments in Mary’s life on BlueSky at https://bsky.app/profile/tomsharperocks.bsky.social @tomsharperocks.bsky.social

You can follow Michael’s telling of Mary’s story through the various links at…

https://linktr.ee/TheseCuriousThings

This link includes a booking link to the 2026 Adelaide Fringe show "A Curious Thing- The Story of Mary Anning."

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

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 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

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 we’re the ones with dinosaurs!

In a wide ranging conversation, host Michael Mills chats with Adele and Sally about why effective communication matters for the public understanding of ancient life Along the way, they discuss several successful outreach strategies, science heroes, and offer practical advice for scientists and educators looking to communicate their research more engagingly.

This is the first in a series of episodes recorded during the 2025 CAVEPS Conference in vertebrate palaeontology at Flinders University in South Australia in November, 2025.

You can find Adele’s podcast, “Pals in Palaeo” through the following link… https://linktr.ee/palsinpalaeo

Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/palsinpalaeo/

You can also head to the Pals in Palaeo website at https://palsinpalaeo.com/

Check out Sally’s website at https://www.sallyhurst.com.au

And her Found a Fossil website at https://www.foundafossil.com/

Found a Fossil also has an Insta account at https://www.instagram.com/foundafossil

And a Tik Tok account at https://www.instagram.com/foundafossil

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

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 gaps in the kangaroo origin fossil record, and how we make sense of what we’ve got. In a wide ranging conversation about kangaroo origins, they also discuss why of all the locomotion strategies that could have been adopted, Australia is the only place where large animals have taken to hopping.

You can follow Isaac on Blue Sky at https://bsky.app/profile/isaacarkerr.bsky.social

Isaac’s latest paper, “Limb osteology and functional morphology of the extinct kangaroo Dorcopsoides fossilis”, can be found at…

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.251591

It was in Episode 1 of Season 3 that Michael and Isaac first chatted about the prehistoric group of kangaroos, Protemnodons. Find the episode here…

https://palaeojam.podbean.com/e/the-tale-of-a-giant-prehistoric-kangaroo-or-three/

You can read the full 250 plus pages of Isaac’s remarkable paper on Protemnodon, here…

https://mapress.com/mt/article/view/megataxa.11.1.1

Here’s a link to the Flinders University palaeo team…

https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/

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

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.

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills is a long time friend of Jim, with Jim having been a central part of the South Australian Museum's work in the early days of the birth of Michael’s alter ego, singing palaeontologist Professor Flint. Michael notes in this podcast that the work he does as The Prof, is only possible because of the work of people like Jim.

After attending the award ceremony, Michael and Jim decided to arrange a time to catch up and chat about Jim’s life and his research. This is just part of what was a delightful day of sharing memories with Michael, Jim, and wife Inara.

Jim has led Ediacaran research in Australia, and the world, for the last 40 years, collaborating with all significant international experts and co-authoring publications on the Ediacara Biota in Australia, Canada, USA, UK, China, Russia, and Namibia. He has also been intimately involved on the excavation and research of the early Cambrian Emu Bay Shale of Kangaroo Island. The Emu Bay Shale is the only Konservat-Lagerstätte in the Southern Hemisphere and is often mentioned side by side with the likes of the Burgess Shale in British Columbia.

Jim’s research record is extensive. You can find links to some of his research on google scholar at https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=kMfMg40AAAAJ&hl=en

Or on Research Gate at… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Gehling

Last year, inspired by Jim’s research on the Ediacarans and early Cambrians, Michael's Professor Flint released an album of songs, for children titled “Creatures of the Slime”. You can find the album on all main platforms via the following link…

https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

You can follow Michael on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/heapsgood.bsky.social

And his HeapsGood Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/HeapsGoodProductions