The Fossil Files
by Robert Sansom and Susannah Maidment
Latest episode
Were Dinosaurs too big to walk? Fake news from Big Palaeo
Were Dinosaurs too big to walk? Fake news from Big Palaeo
About this podcast
In "The Fossil Files", a pair of palaeontologists delve into the latest discoveries from the world of palaeontology and seek to bring fossils to back to life. Each episode, Susie and Rob will discuss an interesting new research paper ranging from topics of what dinosaurs ate, how plesiosaurs swam, where we came from, and the science of de-extinction. Whilst doing so, we peek under the hood of how the science of palaeontology is done and how research gets to see the light of day. It is for anybody interested in palaeontology and past life whether that is students, researchers themselves, or simply the fossil-curious - we laugh as we learn, and hope you will too.
Episode guide at https://fossils.libsyn.com/
Bonus content at Patreon https://patreon.com/FossilFiles
Episodes
The newest 20 of 51 episodes
- Were Dinosaurs too big to walk? Fake news from Big Palaeo · 34 min · Episode 49Were dinosaurs to big to walk? In last episode we looked at some of the science of whether large dinosaurs such as sauropods could cross oceans. This week we look at some of the…
- When Palaeontology Makes the News: How (and how not) to do it [Bonus Preview] · 10 min · Episode 48This is a preview of a bonus episode. Full bonus episodes are available to our Patreon members via https://www.patreon.com/cw/FossilFiles Scientists have a responsibility to get…
- Could dinosaurs swim across oceans? Part 1 · 41 min · Episode 47Dinosaurs were massive. No cap. They spread all over the world, but how did they cross oceans? In this episode we ask the question: how far could a dinosaur swim? This isn't just…
- Cute fossil babies reveal how mammals evolved live birth · 51 min · Episode 46How and when did mammals transition from laying eggs to live birth? The fossil record doesn't typically preserve soft tissues like embryos and placentas making this a tough…
- Are we failing the next generation of palaeontologists? The future of fieldwork [Bonus Preview] · 13 min · Episode 45New finds in palaeontology are dependent on people getting out in the field and digging up fossils, but are the next generation of palaeontologists getting to do that?…
- The sound of a Jurassic forest, recreated using fossils and AI · 37 min · Episode 45Sounds play such an important ecological role, but palaeontologists have always had to use their imagination when reconstructing the sound of extinct landscapes: Until now! For…
- Where did turtles come from? · 48 min · Episode 43The origin of turtles has long been a scientific mystery. Not only do they have super weird things going on with their ribs, head, and teeth, but also its unclear if they were…
- Fake Fossil Fails [Bonus] · 20 min · Episode 42What happens when fossils that have been faked or 'enhanced' end up being used in scientific studies? Why does it happen? How can we spot them? How do researchers, preparators…
- Were dinosaurs eating fruit? Cretaceous Plant Power · 45 min · Episode 41As well as tasting good, fruit play a really important role in ecosystems across the world. But when did they evolve? Were dinosaurs eating them and dispersing them? In a fossil…
- The weird case of a whale necropolis, sat at the bottom of an ocean trench for 5 million years · 44 min · Episode 40The deep sea environment holds many mysteries but yields hardly any fossils. A new mindblowing finding at the bottom of the Indian ocean challenges the way we think about life in…
- How to become a palaeontologist: Finding and applying for PhDs · 22 min · Episode 39Studying for a PhD is in an important step towards becoming a scientist, but the process of finding and applying for a PhD programme is mysterious and inaccessible. In this bonus…
- The hunt for the first-ever animals, with Emily Mitchell · 37 min · Episode 38Where, when, and how did the animals first appear? The fossil record holds some tantalising insights from well-preserved sites in Canada, Australia, Russia (and Leicester). This…
- Did a lack of sex hold back the evolution of the first animals? · 49 min · Episode 37The first animals turned up in the Ediacaran as simple frond-like organisms that didn't do much of anything. Why was this Pre-Cambrian 'Avalonian biota' so static and boring for…
- Why did T. rex have such small arms? Revealed · 48 min · Episode 36Tyrannosaurus rex is perhaps the most famous dinosaur and maybe even the most famous fossil animal. It has long been a source of curiosity as to why is has such small arms…
- Digging for dinosaurs and the battle against poaching: Susie reports from the field [Preview] · 10 min · Episode 35Digging up dinosaur fossils is a complicated and unpredictable business. But how does it feel to be one of the scientists on the ground doing the exploring? What can you do when…
- The Fossil Files is one year old: The best bits so far · 34 min · Episode 34The Fossil Files is one year old! Thank you everbody for your support! To mark the occasion, Susie and Rob take a look back at the last year and put together some of their…
- The Mysterious Devonian Giant that may be an unknown branch of life · 41 min · Episode 33400 million years ago, before the rise of forests, the land was covered in mossy carpets, loomed over by weird 8 meter tall columns called Prototaxites. These weird giants have…
- Were giant super intelligent octopuses the top predators of the Cretaceous? · 45 min · Episode 32Cretaceous oceans have long been accepted as a dangerous place full of massive mosaurs and other predators. Now some new fossils from Japan have upended this with the suggestion…
- Aliens burning coal? [bonus preview] · 9 min · Episode 31Are we alone? For decades a global effort has been made to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), but have we been looking in the wrong place? A new paper suggests that…
- How can we reconstruct the sense of smell of extinct organisms? · 36 min · Episode 30Smell defines so much of animal's life from finding a mate, to tracking down food sources and avoiding predators. Genetics and behaviour can offer us rich insights for modern…
