Fossils and Fiction

<p>Dinosaur mating? Two new tyrannosaurs? We discuss a couple of groundbreaking papers followed by a trip to Wellington Caves, the site of some of Australia's earliest and greatest palaeontological discoveries. </p><p>More info:</p><p>Join us in Adelaide for Fossils and Fiction live on November 29! <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1964100016020?aff=oddtdtcreator">https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1964100016020?aff=oddtdtcreator</a></p><p>Visit Wellington Caves <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.wellingtoncaves.com.au/">https://www.wellingtoncaves.com.au/</a> </p><p>Bertozzo, F., Tanke, D. H., Conti, S., Manucci, F., Arnott, G., Godefroit, P., Ruffell, A., Fowler, D., Freedman Fowler, E. A., Bolotsky, I. Y., Bolotsky, Y. L., &amp; Murphy, E. (2025). Deciphering causes and behaviors: A recurrent pattern of tail injuries in hadrosaurid dinosaurs. <em>iScience</em>, 113739. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113739">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113739</a></p><p>Zanno, L. E., &amp; Napoli, J. G. (2025). Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus coexisted at the close of the Cretaceous. <em>Nature</em>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6</a></p><p></p>

<p>Seals. What do they know? Do they know things? Let's find out. </p><p>Dr James Rule gives lets us in on the secrets of the seals, covering their evolution, fossil history, and some challenges with modern marine mammal research. James tells us the best and worst seal and lays down the terms to the whales. Also, it's Halloween, so we take a look at some creepy museum exhibitions. </p><p>__</p><p>Flynn, A. G., Brusatte, S. L., Chiarenza, A. A., García, J., Davis, A. J., Secord, R., Shelley, S., Weil, A., Heizler, M. T., Williamson, T. E., &amp; Peppe, D. J. (2025). <em>Late-surviving New Mexican dinosaurs illuminate high end-Cretaceous diversity and provinciality</em>.</p><p>Sereno, P. C., Saitta, E. T., Vidal, D., Myhrvold, N., Real, M. C., Baumgart, S. L., Bop, L. L., Keillor, T. M., Eriksen, M., &amp; Derstler, K. (2025). Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template “mummification.” <em>Science</em>, science.adw3536. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw3536">https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw3536</a></p>

<p>Travis and Alyssa discuss the challenges and implications of open access publishing in science. They explore the paywall paradox, the role of jargon in scientific communication, and the peer review process, particularly in the context of palaeontology. The conversation also touches on global inequities in access to research, innovations in open access publishing, and the importance of data accessibility. The episode concludes with a light-hearted segment on the frustrations of academic publishing and a fun bingo game.</p><p>Support the Diplodocoid publishing campaign: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://experiment.com/projects/reassessing-the-evolutionary-family-tree-and-biogeography-of-the-iconic-sauropod-group-diplodocoidea?s=search">https://experiment.com/projects/reassessing-the-evolutionary-family-tree-and-biogeography-of-the-iconic-sauropod-group-diplodocoidea?s=search</a></p>

<p>Virtual Paleo Art Gallery curator Karim talks the intersection of art, technology, and community building. Meanwhile, Alyssa and Travis discuss some historical paleo and museum heists. </p><p>Check out the palaeo art gallery here <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://extinctfineart.com/virtual-paleoart-gallery/">https://extinctfineart.com/virtual-paleoart-gallery/</a></p>

<p>Artist, cartoonist, communicator Zev Landes talks through his experiences and process. We get the low-down on how he created the Fossils and Fiction logo featuring Scratch and Skitters, as well as his work with museums, palaeo-tourism initiatives, and much more. </p><p>Check out Zev's website <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.zevlandes.com/">https://www.zevlandes.com/</a> or Instagram <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/zevlandes">@ZevLandes</a>.</p>