Nov 30

Nov 30 296 | Of Fossils and Forest Fires

00:00:00 - For the first half of the show we’re featuring an interview recorded at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual meeting in Albuquerque, NM! The interview features a longtime friend of the show Brandon Bourassa (@CrocGypsy) and is hosted(?!) by former guest Khai Button. It’s a free-wheeling conversation, but archosaurs are the main focus, from actual fossils to the so-called “living fossils” that are modern crocs.

You can check out Khai's recent paper on Therizinosaurs (personal favorite taxa of mine) here: Incremental growth of therizinosaurian dental tissues: implications for dietary transitions in Theropoda

And you can learn more about CrocFest, which helps raise money for crocodylian conservation around the world, here: https://www.crocfest.org/

00:41:30 - New Mexico is pretty dry so fight off being parched with a drink. Both Matt and Ryan are enjoyed whiskey today, Matt’s from the Emerald Isle and Ryan’s in the form of a 5-spice cocktail leftover from Thanksgiving.

00:48:43 - For our second segment, In Defense of Plant's host Matt Candeias (@indfnsofplnts) weighs in on the issue of invasive Eucalyptus trees in northern California. They've basically been there since the gold rush, so we're all used to seeing (and smelling) them, but should we reconsider our acceptance of non-native taxa in these situations? Spoiler: probably yes.

01:04:08 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like California Eucalyptus, working out for some but a real risk for others. First up, Ryan didn’t rig the system but it turns out guest from the first segment Brandon Bourassa is due for a Patron thesis. With Matt’s help they devise: Gastrolith wear and tear in the gizzard based on fragmentary Eucalyptus leaf material of the paleofloras of Isla Nublar: Did these animals all die as recently as 1994? Thanks, Brandon! Matt then reads a flattering message from John B. about fossil hunting, mountain biking, and beer; some of our favorite topics for sure!

Matt also has a book out if you're interested in learning about plants in convenient text form! You can get it here: Flora: Inside the Secret World of Plants

And Ryan will be recording interviews for the show at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in D.C., and hosting a podcasting workshop as well as performing a story at the Story Collider show on December 13th!

More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on our Patreon!

Music:
Albuquerque, Nm - Great American Taxi
Gan Ainm / The Humours Of Whiskey / Leslie's March - Solas
Down Under [New Recording] - Colin Hay

Image: Walter Myers