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

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

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

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

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 become a life long passion, if he has a favourite lizard, (he does, and explains why), and the rewards of being a research supervisor.Dr Mark Hutchinson is an Australian herpetologist and palaeontologist,

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 Michael Mills recently travelled to Geraldton in Western Australia for a series of National Science Week events. The events were held at Blue Heelers Square and included a family show by emerging, all female

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 described in an ABC Australia documentary series as the “Lake of the Dead”.In this episode of Palaeo Jam we travel back in time with host Michael Mills, and Dr Aaron Camens and Dr Phoebe McInerney of Flinders

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 fossil emblem, following a public vote.In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with Mike, and Lesley Kool, after whom the first part of Koolasuchus, was named, about this extraordinary,