Paleo Nerds

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

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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

The nerds reconstruct ancient ecosystems with Paleobotanist Dr. Ellen Currano

The nerds hit the prehistoric Jersey Shore with Ken Lacovara

The nerds talk Utahraptors with Utah State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland.

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! 

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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."

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.

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. 

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!