Palaeo Jam

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 episode for Season 2 of Palaeo Jam, we speak to several community members to hear their stories of the Naracoorte Caves. In so doing, we seek to explore what a site such a site with such a close proximity to a town, might mean to the local community.

Note: Our first attempt at uploading this episode saw only part of it uploaded! This is the full episode.

In this episode, host Michael Mills chats with former Mayor , Erika Vickory, former Caves Manager Steve Bourne, long time Caves site interpreter Barb Lobban, and a member of the audience, Pat Gericke, who was able to bring to our attention an amazing story about one of her ancestors, who was a key staff member of the Naracoorte Caves in its earliest days.

Thanks to National Science Week, Heaps Good Productions, the Naracoorte Caves, the Naracoorte Lucindale Council, and most importantly, the people of Naracoorte, for making this episode possible.

And in case you missed it, during Season 1 of Palaeo Jam, we recorded an episode with Prof Rod Wells while sitting in the very spot in Victoria Cave where he’d sat more than 50 years beforehand in discovering the fossil bed. We also chatted with Dr Liz Reed about her research in the Caves as a local, and in so doing, were reminded that while caves can be wonderful places for discovering fossils, they continue to be living ecosystems.

Check out this and the rest of of the Palaeo Jam episodes through your preferred platform, and subscribe.

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 into why he thinks art and science are two sides of the same thing. And when asked about where he would go back in time to, if he had the chance, The Prof gives a most interesting answer.

To find the Prof's music on Spotify, Bandcamp and all the places, check out the link... https://linktr.ee/ProfessorFlint

You can find The Prof on Twitter at @dinosdownunder https://twitter.com/DinosDownUnder

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills can be found on Twitter as @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mills-86906335/

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 legacy, and their own experiences as women in science.

In a wide ranging discussion, Flinders University space archeologist, Dr Alice Gorman, University of Adelaide Palaeontologist Dr Liz Reed, and University of Adelaide PhD Candidate Tiah Bampton speak about key moments in their lives, role models that have inspired them, and give some important insights into some of the challenges still faced by women in science, 176 years after Mary Anning’s death.

The podcast ends with each guest being asked the one thing they might say to Mary Anning, had they the opportunity to do so.

You can find Dr Alice Gorman on Twitter at @drspacejunk  https://twitter.com/drspacejunk

Amongst many things, Alice has written extensively for The Conversation, including a recent article, “Prejudice, poor pay and the ‘urinary leash’: naming and claiming Australia’s forgotten women scientists”.

Read the article here… https://theconversation.com/prejudice-poor-pay-and-the-urinary-leash-naming-and-claiming-australias-forgotten-women-scientists-198407

And if you don’t already have a copy, find yourself a copy of Alice’s book, “Dr Space Junk vs The Universe: Archaeology and the Future.”

You can find Dr Liz Reed on Twitter at… @LizReed_palaeo https://twitter.com/LizReed_palaeo

Liz’s extensive profile, with links to research papers and articles can be found at… https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/liz.reed

Liz appeared on a previous episode of Palaeo Jam in which she and host Michael Mills chatted about the importance of caves not just as repositories of fossils, but as living ecosystems, while sitting in Blanch Caves in the Naracoorte Caves of South Australia. Check out the episode here… https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-rnthh-1379952

To learn about Tiah Bampton’s journey, and the delightful connection to PhD supervisor Dr Liz Reed, tune in to the podcast! And also check out this story with the ABC… https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-03/tiah-bampton-living-dream-at-naracoorte-caves-palaeontology-dig/12209876

You can check out Tiah’s research profile here… https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tiah-Bampton And read the paper referred to in the Research gate link, here… https://helictite.caves.org.au/pdf1/46.Bampton.pdf

Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills can be found on Twitter as @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For more on the work Michael and HeapsGood Productions have been involved with in exploring the story of Mary Anning, check out the link… https://linktr.ee/TheseCuriousThings

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 into a palaeontology degree, and even better, make it through the first year!

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills chats with three students who’ve just completed their first year of a palaeontology degree at Flinders University. During the episode, we find out from Dylan Slinn, Natalie Jackson and Thomas Khajeh, what brought them to Flinders University, what they were expecting when they got here, and how it turned out across the year, both good and bad.

So, why the title of the episode, “The Dinosaur Kids… Part 1”? At the end of the episode, we get a very definite commitment from all three to get back together at the end of second year, and record a follow-up episode. That’ll be Part 2… and we’re pretty sure we’ll get a Part 3 and beyond as we follow the journey of these three dinosaur kids in pursuit of their dream! We can’t wait to see how the journey for each of them unfolds!

You can find Natalie at:

Tik Tok -  @nataliemaree_art https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=nataliemaree_art

Twitter - @PalaeoNat https://twitter.com/PalaeoNat

Thomas’ sister's Insta is at @thelostgirldraws https://www.instagram.com/thelostgirldraws/

Her etsy is at https://www.etsy.com/shop/LizzysStickerCo

Dylan Slinn can be found as Dylan Slinn on Facebook

Michael on Twitter at @HeapsGood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

And Dinosaur University on Twitter at @DinosaurUni https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

And Facebook at @DinosaurUniversity https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurUniversity

The dinosaur book Natalie talks about is “The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures” by Dougal Dixon It can be found online at Book Depository, Dymocks and Booktopia.

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 will be on seeking to clarify the taxonomy of the Pleistocene Tasmanian Devil, compared with the extinct giant Tasmanian Devil. The second, Isabella Donato, was at the end of Honours, in a project that explores the identification of skull bones in monitor lizards so that we know what species have lived here in the past. The third, Caitlin Mudge, was getting ready for PhD submission, through the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA on how species genetics relates to geographic location. The results of this research will help us understand the faunal landscape and historic diversity of several Australian mammal groups during the Holocene.

The wide ranging conversation touches on a number of topics relevant to palaeo students, along with each of their areas of study. They also discuss the idea of whether to reintroduce Tasmanian Devils back into mainland Australia, the merits of trying to bring back Thylacines and other extinct animals, and offer some sound advice to other students at different stages of their student life.

You can follow Caitlin on Twitter at @CaitlinMudge522 https://twitter.com/caitlinmudge522

Isabella on Twitter at @IzTheeScientist https://twitter.com/IzTheeScientist

Michael on Twitter at @HeapsGood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

And Dinosaur University at @DinosaurUni https://twitter.com/DinosaurUni

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. This episode was recorded inside Blanch Cave, in the World Naracoorte listed Naracoorte Caves, where Liz is one of many to have conducted research into its remarkable trove of fossils.

On the ongoing nature of caves as living ecosystems, Liz notes during the conversation that caves are…

“…some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, and very susceptible to anything coming in to the caves”.

There are important conservation issues that need to be addressed if such caves as the Naracoorte Caves are to continue to be the delightful repositories of life that they are. They are not just places where fossils are to be found.

Along the way, Michael and Liz also talk about the inaugural Australian Mammal of the Year, the Southern BentWing bat, and why Liz thinks bats are awesome.

You can find Dr Liz Reed on Twitter at… @LizReed_palaeo https://twitter.com/LizReed_palaeo

Liz’s extensive profile, with links to research papers and articles can be found at… https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/liz.reed

You can find host Michael Mills on Twitter at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

For information on visiting the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia, head to… https://www.naracoortecaves.sa.gov.au/

And for more info on the Australian Mammal of the Year, head to… https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/amoty/

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 filled many of the ecological niches commonly filled by other forms of critter, including mammals.

Dr Nic Rawlence, Senior Lecturer in Ancient DNA, University of Otago, New Zealand, stopped in to Adelaide on a recent family holiday, which gave Adelaide-based Palaeo Jam host Michael Mills the opportunity for the two to catch up, and chat about what it might have been like to walk amongst the wildlife of New Zealand when it was very much a land of birds and frogs..

Nic has written multiple articles in The Conversation including this one, that argues the people of New Zealand should celebrate its remarkable prehistoric past with national fossil emblems. 

https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-should-celebrate-its-remarkable-prehistoric-past-with-national-fossil-emblems-have-your-say-184942

You can find Nic on Twitter at @nic_rawlence_nz https://twitter.com/nic_rawlence_nz

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

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

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 a wide ranging conversation, host Michael Mills chats with Dr Kailah Thorn, Curator at Edward de Courcy Clarke Earth Science Museum on why museums matter, and why they need to be properly funded.

Both Michael and Kailah have had a great deal of experience in delivering public programmes, and have done so together on several projects at the South Australian Museum, and with Flinders University.

In describing her research interests, Kailah has noted…

My research speciality is in the taxonomy of Australian fossil scincids, primarily the blue-tongued lizards and their nearest kin in the subfamily Egerniinae. I'm working on descriptions of their extinct relatives and deciphering the evolutionary tree of this group in order to answer bigger questions about where they came from, when they got to Australia and how they have changed since they arrived.

Kailah has written a delightful article in The Conversation on how to hunt for fossils responsibly. It is essential reading for amateur and professional fossil collectors, alike… https://theconversation.com/how-to-hunt-fossils-responsibly-5-tips-from-a-professional-palaeontologist-156861

You can find Kailah on Twitter at @kailah_thorn https://twitter.com/kailah_thorn

You can find Michael at @heapsgood https://twitter.com/Heapsgood

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

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, though, than the bones and teeth. Trace fossils are the fossils of activity. They are evidence of something an animal did in the past. They include fossilised footprints, teeth marks, burrows, and poop, and they each have a fascinating story to tell.

In this episode of Palaeo Jam, host Michael Mills is joined by Dr Aaron Camens and Fraser Brown, to discuss several different types of trace fossils, and the stories and moments those fossils are able to reveal.

Dr Aaron Camens is a lecturer in palaeontology at Flinders University. You can follow Aaron on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DiprotoRon, and check out his Flinders University profile at https://sites.flinders.edu.au/palaeontology/home/people/academics/aaron-camens/

Amongst his extensive research work, Aaron co-authored a paper on fossilised footprints on the volcanic plains in Victoria, Australia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379110004178

He was also co-author of a paper on fossilised bite marks on the volcanic plains in Victoria, Australia: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0052957

Fraser Brown is an Honours student studying palaeontology at Flinders University.

You can follow Fraser on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FgBrown01, and check his Flinders University profile at https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/stem/2021/10/19/student-profile-fraser-brown/

This link from the Paleontological Research Instituion provides a short illustrated summary of the differences between body fossils and trace fossils:  https://www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/nature-fossil-record/body-fossils-trace-fossils/

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 fascinating episode, we go on a journey to discover what lies beneath an animal’s skin, and how we might come to know that for prehistoric animals… Of how we reconstruct animals from the past. In this episode, host Michael Mills chats with Natalie about how we know what muscles to put on long dead bones, learn about freezers full of dead things, and come to understand what she means when she says…“The best way to learn about how animal bodies are put together, is to take animal bodies apart!”

You can find Natalie on Twitter at @aNATomy_Lab https://twitter.com/aNATomy_Lab

You can also find Natalie’s profile at Murdoch University, including a list of publications at http://profiles.murdoch.edu.au/myprofile/natalie-warburton/

Natalie recently spoke on this subject for the 2022 Annual Wells Lecture, in a talk titled “Prehistoric Puzzles - reconstructing marsupials from the past”.The annual lectures help raise funds for the James Moore Memorial Prize. The Memorial prize supports secondary school students to join Flinders palaeontology field trips and learn from world-leading academics. Here's a link with more info... https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/ways-to-give/pay-tribute/james-moore-memorial-fund