Paleo Nerds

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Alaskan artist, Ray Troll, and his friend, ventriloquist David Strassman, host exciting interviews with paleontologists, scientists and fellow paleo nerds from around the world.

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    • May 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 10m AVG DURATION
    • 89 EPISODES

    4.8 from 131 ratings Listeners of Paleo Nerds that love the show mention: fossils, dinosaurs, johnson, science, david, art, experts, learn something, humor, cool, nothing, past, knowledge, listener, thanks, share, questions, guests, fun, guys.


    Ivy Insights

    The Paleo Nerds podcast is an incredibly enjoyable and informative show for anyone with a love for paleontology and the natural world. Hosted by Ray Troll, an artist known for his work in paleo-themed art, and Dave Strassman, a ventriloquist and science enthusiast, this podcast brings together their passion for the subject matter in a fun and accessible way.

    One of the best aspects of The Paleo Nerds podcast is its diverse range of guests and topics. While there is a strong focus on paleontology, the hosts also delve into other areas of biology and the natural world. This makes each episode exciting and varied, ensuring that there is something interesting for everyone. The guest experts are always knowledgeable and passionate about their fields, adding depth and credibility to the discussions.

    The chemistry between Ray Troll and Dave Strassman is another highlight of this podcast. Their banter is entertaining and their enthusiasm for the subject matter is infectious. They have a great dynamic that keeps the conversations flowing smoothly. Additionally, they strike a balance between providing scientific information in an engaging manner without overwhelming listeners with technical jargon.

    However, one potential downside of The Paleo Nerds podcast is that it may not be suitable for those looking for in-depth scientific analysis or technical discussions. While the hosts are knowledgeable, they cater to a general audience rather than diving into complex scientific concepts. Some listeners may find themselves wanting more detailed explanations or deeper discussions on certain topics.

    In conclusion, The Paleo Nerds podcast is an absolute delight for any paleo nerd or lover of the natural world. Ray Troll and Dave Strassman bring their expertise, humor, and curiosity to every episode, creating an entertaining listening experience that will both educate and entertain you. It's a must-listen for anyone interested in learning more about paleontology while having a great time doing so.



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    Latest episodes from Paleo Nerds

    Ep #86 Painting Prehistoric Worlds and Dinosaur Dreams with Mark Hallett

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 64:29


    Ray and Dave talk Sauropods, Smilodons, and Spielberg with artist and paleo visionary Mark Hallett, whose decades of work bring ancient worlds to life.

    Ep #85 Mammoth Tusks, Gomphothere Shovels and Elephant Trunks with Advait Jukar

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 69:31


    Ray and Dave explore the history of all things Elephantidae, including Mammoths, Mastodons, and Gomphotheres, with Advait Jukar, delving into their shovels, tusks, and trunks.

    Ep #84 Turning to Stone: Earthlings on a Dynamic Granite Planet with Marcia Bjornerud

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025 77:46


    Ray and Dave go rock hunting through billions of years of Earth's history with Marcia Bjornerud, a structural geologist, inspirational author, and Professor of Geosciences at Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

    Ep #83 Diggin' the Beasts of the Badlands

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 63:07


    Ray and Dave talk about the amazing fossils and strata found in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, where park ranger Mattison Shreero explains how it all got there and why she absolutely loves her job.  

    Ep #82 The Ultimate Paleo Vlogger, That We Know Of

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2025 66:09


    Ray and Dave discuss the wide-reaching influence of one of YouTube's paleo stars, Lindsay Nikole, who has millions of followers and incredible outreach with her remarkable video series, The History of Life on Earth, as we know it.

    Ep #81 Paleo Nerds at Nebraska's Prairie Pompeii

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 75:15


    Ray takes a road trip with fellow Paleo Nerds to visit the great death assemblage, the "Rhino Pompeii", at the Nebraska Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park

    Ep #80 Walking Egyptian Whales from the Sahara with Dr. Hesham Sallam

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 60:01


    Dave travels to Cairo, Egypt, for a fascinating interview with Dr. Hesham Sallam, Egypt's leading paleontologist and founder of the country's first Vertebrate Paleontology Center. As a fellow Paleo Nerd, Dr. Sallam shares insights into his groundbreaking work, his efforts to bring more women into the field, and the thrilling discoveries shaping Egypt's prehistoric story.

    Ep #79 Teen Rex and the Triumph of Turtles with Tyler Lyson

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2024 67:07


    Ray and Dave come out of there shells to talk Turtles and the latest T-Rex discovery with Vertebrate Paleontologist Tyler Lyson.

    Ep #78 The Business End of T-Rex with Pete Larson

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2024 77:53


    Ray and Dave unearth the past with paleontologist Pete Larson, discussing Pete's paleo-nerd journey, his early discoveries, his commercial fossil enterprise, and his insights into controversial dinosaur debates.

    Ep #77 A Deep Dive Into the Paleostream with Artist Joschua Knüppe

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2024 67:26


    Ray interviews the amazingly prolific German artist Joschua Knüppe who can quick draw an accurate dinosaur while the whole world watches online!

    Ep 76 The Perfect Piscatorial Fossils of Paris with Dr. Alan Pradel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 62:49


    Dave flies across the pond and visits Dr. Alan Pradel, curator of fossil fishes at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France. Dr Pradel is an expert on early fishes and sharks. Très bon!

    Ep #75 The Permian Red Beds of Texas with Chriss Fliss

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 67:14


    Ray travels to the Permian and trolls the halls of the Texas Whiteside Museum of Natural History with museum director Chris Flis.

    Ep #74 Resurrecting Dinosaurs One Chip at Time with MOR's Cassi Knight

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024 63:35


    Dave expands his paleo knowledge with a visit to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, during their exciting Dino's and MOR conference, however, Dave finds a professional Paleo Nerd, Cassi Knight, who's gem of a job is rarely publicized in the museum world.

    Ep #73 Talking Headgear and Spike Tooths with Ed "Dr. Pronghorn" Davis

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 75:27


    Ray and Dave learn about the amazing antlers and strange headgear of early hoofed mammals including today's Pronghorn Antelope along with more about the giant Spike Toothed Salmon.

    Ep #72 The Incredible Cretaceous Ceratopsians of Laramidia with Scott Sampson

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2024 64:50


    Ray and Dave double down with celebrated paleontologist, science communicator, and author, Scott Sampson. He's the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California and is widely known as "Dr. Scott the paleontologist" on the PBS television series, Dinosaur Train

    Ep #71 From Fins to Fingers and the Triumph of Our Fishapod Ancestors with Ted Daeschler

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 70:26


    Ray and Dave discuss the evolution of tetrapods and finding their 'fishapod' ancestor's fossils in the high Arctic and Antarctica with paleontologist Ted Daeschler.

    Episode #70 45 Million Years of Camel-Sheep-Pigs with Meaghan Wetherell

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2024 65:20


    Ray and Dave have a fun and very lively interview with Paleontologist and Science Writer, Meaghan Wetherell, an expert on the camel/sheep/pig like Oreodonts and more recently new discoveries from the Holocene/Pleistocene Epochs.

    Episode #69 Murderous Monster Mosasaurs 'n More with Mike Everhart

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2023 70:14


    Ray and Dave talk to Mosasaur expert and "Oceans of Kansas" author Mike Everhart about the marine reptiles that once swam in the ancient ocean where Kansas is today.

    Episode #68 Are we not fish?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2023 48:25


    The Paleo Nerd podcasts hosts, Ray Troll and Dave Strassman, have an engaging and fun conversation about life, paleontology, and the argument that we are truly fishes, physically and metaphorically.

    Episode #67 Dinosaurs Outnumber Us with Steve Brusatte

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 56:29


    Ray and Dave have the most exciting discussion and eye-opening interview with the New York Times bestselling author and prolific paleontologist, Steve Brusatte.

    Episode #66 The 32 Mysterious Symbols of Ice Age Art with Genevieve von Petzinger

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 74:50


    Ray and Dave interview Genevieve von Petzinger, a paleo-anthropologist, speaker, author, and explorer who's been striving to unlock the mysteries of the world's oldest symbols.

    Episode #65 Shaping Humanity and the Paleo Art of John Gurche

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 64:45


    Ray and Dave talk to John Gurche, one of the world's leading paleoartists, especially of early hominins. John is a world-class sculptor, painter, draughtsman extraordinairre, and author. He's an artist/scientist who doesn't blur the line between science and art.

    Episode #64 Australian Megafauna Fossils and Outback Geology Down Under with Dr. Adam Yates

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 69:52


    Dave is Down Under in Alice Springs, the red centre of Australia where he interviews Dr. Adam Yates to discuss the Geology of the Outback and the amazing Australian Megafauna! Dr. Yates is the senior curator of Earth Sciences at the Museum of Central Australia in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

    Episode #63 Cool Crap that Died with JP Cavigelli & Russell Hawley

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 64:35


    Ray and Dave have a fun foursome conversation with the Casper Wyoming's Tate Geological Museum's master paleontologists, JP Cavigelli and Illustrator Russell J. Hawley

    Episode #62 The T-Rexpert Expert of the Tyrant King Dinosaur with Tom Holtz

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 70:22


    Ray and Dave chomp down on all things T-Rex, the King of dinosaurs with the king of paleontologists who studies them, the prolific and extremely interesting Thomas R. Holtz Jr.!

    Ep # 61 Bringing The Prehistoric Back to Life with Master Muralist Jay Matternes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 65:05


    Dave and Ray talk to one of Ray's art heroes, the master muralist and anatomist Jay Matternes, the artist responsible for many of the iconic artworks seen in the Time-Life Books and National Geographic Magazine. He painted six HUGE murals over the course of 15 years that adorned the walls of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

    Episode #60 Sonic Signals Bouncing Off the Biggest Migration on Earth with Kelly Benoit-Bird

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2022 76:53


    Dave and Ray dive deep with Kelly Benoit-Bird to discuss the denizens of the not so deep, the Mesopelagics; the largest migration of vertebrates on planet Earth.

    Episode #59 Jasmina Wiemann: Better Paleo Through Modern Chemistry

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 75:14


    Dave and Ray's minds are blown by talking to molecular Paleobiologist, Jasmina Wiemann, who can now "see" into fossils more organic detail then ever before imagined.

    paleo modern chemistry
    Episode #58 Hell Creek, Hell Yeah! Dave Digs Dinosaurs in Montana

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2022 74:12


    Dave interviews field and lab manager from the Museum of the Rockies, paleontologist, Lee Hall. Dave and his son, Carson, spent an amazing 6 days in the Hell Creek formation digging up tons of dirt with a cadre of the most hard working volunteers and students of all things paleo.

    Episode #57 Two Paleo Podcasters walk into a den of Eurypterids

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2022 75:54


    Dave and Ray interview Dave Marshall, the host and founder of the first Paleontological Podcast, "Palaeocast Podcast", now in it's 10th successful year.

    Episode #56 Saving Ourselves From Ourselves with Kirk Johnson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 79:04


    Dave and Ray talk again with their very first Paleo Nerds guest, Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, about the state of our planet today. Not to be missed!

    Episode #55 Dave and Ray didn't go away

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2022 20:17


    Ray and Dave talk about their latest adventures, Paleo News, and upcoming ideas for future guests.

    Episode #54 A Dinosaur's Leg and a Pterosaur Egg! Now it can be told. Robert DePalma Part Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 55:55


    The Nerds coerce Robert DePalma to reveal the Tanis site discoveries he couldn't talk about in Part One.  DePalma's Tanis site documents the actual day the Asteroid hit and ended the reign of the Dinosaurs.

    Episode #53 The Very Day the Comet (almost) Killed Our Planet with Robert DePalma Part One

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 85:15


    The nerds travel to the final day of the dinosaurs reign with paleontologist Robert DePalma and the legendary Tanis Site.

    Episode #52: Your Mother Was a Vetulicolian and Your Father Smelt of Elderberries with Henry Gee

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 75:32


    The Paleo Nerds cover the history of life on Earth with Nature Senior Editor Henry Gee

    Episode #51 Botany, Bugs, and Beards with Dr. Ellen Currano

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2022 67:03


    The nerds reconstruct ancient ecosystems with Paleobotanist Dr. Ellen Currano

    Episode #50: The Past is All We Ever Have with Ken Lacovara

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 78:08


    The nerds hit the prehistoric Jersey Shore with Ken Lacovara

    Episode #49 Raptors red in tooth and claw with James Kirkland

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 74:09


    The nerds talk Utahraptors with Utah State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland.

    Episode #48 The Ends of the World with Peter Brannen

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 81:08


    Author Peter Brannen just happened to be driving through Kansas so Ray flagged him down to ask him about The Ends of the World, his recent book on mass extinctions, a fitting end to Season 3 of Paleo Nerds! 

    world kansas ends peter brannen
    Episode #47 Locked in Time with Dean Lomax

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 96:57


    Dr. Dean Lomax sold his Star Wars collection to fund his paleontology dreams. While some may gasp, his investment certainly paid off - his book Locked in Time has already come up a few times on the show already!

    Episode #46 The Colossal Wyoming Death Cave with Julie Meachen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2021 63:37


    The Natural Trap Cave is a sinkhole death trap that contains a pile of fallen mammals that spans over 100,000 years and Julie Meachen has been studying this pile of bones since 2014.

    Episode #45 The Coastal Fossil Finder with Kent Gibson

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2021 65:00


    While installing his Cruisin' the Fossil Coastline exhibit at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Ray had a chance to sit down with Kent Gibson who lent a very small fraction of his massive collection of coastal fossils to Ray's exhibit.

    Episode #44 Polar Dinos and Super Crocs! with Greg Erickson

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 64:03


    Greg Erickson is a very well-rounded paleontologist: he's studied Super Crocs, arctic duckbills and even "dated" (well, aged...) the prehistoric celebrity Sue.

    Episode #43 Interplanetary Paleontology with Kenneth Williford

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2021 83:22


    This episode of Paleo Nerds is truly out of this world! The Nerds talk to Kenneth Williford, Deputy Project Scientist for the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. Blast off to the martian past!

    Episode #42 The Scariest Moments with Brian Skerry

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2021 79:14


    Brian Skerry has logged over 10,000 hours underwater, capturing powerful images for National Geographic and has recently teamed up with James Cameron to continue bringing the captivating stories of the world's oceans to those of us stuck on land.

    Episode #41 A Gentleman's Geology of Georgia with Cameron Muskelly

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2021 64:46


    Youtube star Cameron Muskelly joins the Nerds to talk about the geologic treasures of Georgia and the southern United States. Cam is a paleo encyclopedia, so you're sure to learn something new!

    Episode #40 Who Dung It? with Karen Chin

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2021 71:00


    Coprolites (or fossil poop to the layman) have come up repeatedly on the show so we are thrilled to finally have the Queen of Coprolites herself on the show! Karen Chin can interpret entire lifestyles from a thin slice of paleo dung.

    Episode #39 Hell Pigs: T. rex of the Tertiary with Scott Foss

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 93:20


    What had giant cheeks, protruding canines, dainty hooves and a giant, ridged back? The Hell Pig is almost like Frankenstein's monster, and Scott Foss tells us all about how these creatures utilized this unique combo of features to be the "T. rex of the Tertiary."

    Paleo Nerds on Vacation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2021 9:05


    Dave and Ray both took advantage of their early vaccination status (the perks of being living fossils!) and got out for some traveling. Dave visited Montana and Ray drove across the country, both visiting a few Paleo Nerds along the way.

    Episode #38 A Dog's Day at the Tar Pits with Mairin Balisi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2021 68:36


    The Nerds return to the La Brea tar pits, this time to talk carnivores with Mairin Balisi! She studies what the dogs of the tar pits ate throughout their life and discusses dog evolution. 

    Episode #37 Turning Trout into Salmon with Gerald "Jerry" Smith

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2021 80:57


    Anyone familiar with Ray's art knows that fish are a focal point and salmon are central, so it's shocking that it's taken so long to have a salmon expert on the show! We're talking spike tooth salmon with Jerry Smith - Dive in!

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