Paleo Nerds

Ep #83 Diggin' the Beasts of the Badlands Feb 18, 2025

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 Jan 28, 2025

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 Dec 17, 2024

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 Nov 26, 2024

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 Oct 29, 2024

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 Sep 26, 2024

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 Aug 27, 2024

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 Jul 30, 2024

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 Fighting Finbacks of Seymour Texas with Chris Flis Jun 25, 2024

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 May 23, 2024

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 Apr 23, 2024

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 Mar 19, 2024

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 Feb 20, 2024

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 Jan 23, 2024

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 Dec 28, 2023

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? Nov 21, 2023

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 Oct 31, 2023

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 Sep 26, 2023

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 Aug 29, 2023

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 Jun 13, 2023

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 May 23, 2023

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 Feb 21, 2023

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 Jan 24, 2023

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 Dec 27, 2022

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 Nov 29, 2022

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.

Episode #58 Hell Creek, Hell Yeah! Dave Digs Dinosaurs in Montana Sep 27, 2022

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 Aug 23, 2022

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 Jul 19, 2022

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 May 31, 2022

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 Apr 26, 2022

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 Asteroid (almost) Killed Our Planet with Robert DePalma Part One Apr 07, 2022

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 Mar 29, 2022

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 Mar 15, 2022

The nerds reconstruct ancient ecosystems with Paleobotanist Dr. Ellen Currano

Episode #50: The Past is All We Ever Have with Ken Lacovara Mar 01, 2022

The nerds hit the prehistoric Jersey Shore with Ken Lacovara

Episode #49 Raptors red in tooth and claw with James Kirkland Feb 22, 2022

The nerds talk Utahraptors with Utah State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland.

Episode #48 The Ends of the World with Peter Brannen Oct 12, 2021

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!

Episode #47 Locked in Time with Dean Lomax Oct 05, 2021

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 Sep 28, 2021

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 Sep 21, 2021

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 Sep 14, 2021

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 Sep 07, 2021

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 Aug 31, 2021

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 Aug 24, 2021

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 Aug 17, 2021

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 Aug 10, 2021

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 Aug 03, 2021

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 Jul 27, 2021

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 Smith Jul 20, 2021

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!

Episode #36 The Call of the Parasaurolophus with Ashley Hall Jul 13, 2021

Ashley Hall has been obsessed with dinosaurs since she was a kid and now she spends her days educating the public at the Museum of the Rockies. She makes fossils fun!

Episode #35 Painting the Living Science of Paleontology with William Stout Jul 06, 2021

Seeing dinosaurs on the silver screen made Bill Stout a Paleo Nerd, so it's only fitting that he started his art career illustrating movie posters. His work spans from comic books to murals and has brought him all the way to Antarctica.

Episode #34 One for the Bird Nerds with John Marzluff Jun 29, 2021

Ravens and crows have their own form of complex communication amongst themselves, and John Marzluff has studied how these birds pass information on an individual and even generational level. Ray gets to ask questions about his own raven experiment!

Episode #33 The Sistine Chapel of Dinosaurs with ReBecca Hunt-Foster Jun 22, 2021

ReBecca Hunt-Foster is the Park Paleontologist at the Dinosaur National Monument. Yes, she has the iconic park ranger hat, but she spends her time tracing the footsteps of the dinos that walked Utah in the Late Jurassic.

Season 3 is Coming Soon!!! Jun 15, 2021

This season brings a lineup that won't disappoint! There's something for everyone as Ray and Dave discuss ancient salmon, corvids, and "hell pigs" with Paleo Nerds in the sciences, the arts, and even on other planets...

Episode #32 The Hot Blooded Dinosaur Revolutionary with Bob Bakker Apr 20, 2021

Dr. Bob Bakker is widely known as the "Dinosaur Heretic". Over his long career, he has revolutionized our understanding of dinosaur behavior and overturned many outdated concepts. Get an insight into the mind of this bold maverick and expansive thinker in our season two finale.

Episode # 31 The Tantalizing Truth about Trilobites with Sam Gon III Apr 13, 2021

Sam Ohu Gon III, trilobite expert and Senior Scientist & Cultural Advisor for the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi. Sam looks to traditional Hawaiian cultural history as an example for a sustainable future.

Episode #30 Diving into Hell’s Aquarium with Laura Wilson Apr 06, 2021

Imagine time traveling back to the Western Interior Seaway AKA "Hell's Aquarium." It's a fitting nickname for the shallow marine environment, full of fish with teeth so big they ate differently than modern fish.

Episode #29 Fighting Anti-Science with Facts and Fossils with Don Prothero Mar 30, 2021

Don Prothero has written 48 books and counting! And he has repeatedly gone to bat for science, using the facts of the fossil record to disprove creationist beliefs.

Episode #28 Mammoths, Mummies and Wolves (Oh My!) with Grant Zazula Mar 23, 2021

Grant Zazula is a Paleo Nerd! His interest in archaeology is what attracted him to the Pleistocene and now he studies in the mighty Yukon, managing thousands of fossils that are byproducts of the mining industry.

Episode #27 A Crash Course on the Great Alaskan Terrane-Wreck with Connie Soja Mar 16, 2021

Connie Soja has extensively studied the paleontology of the Alexander terrane, a gigantic crustal fragment that underlies Ray's backyard of Southeast Alaska. In fact, she's reconstructed ancient environments around the globe!

Episode #26 Hunting for Sharks in a Dark National Park with JP Hodnett Mar 09, 2021

JP Hodnett is a Paleo Nerd. But that's a given! He's a shark (and sauropod and cat) expert, so the Nerds get to go off the deep end, diving into incredible finds at Mammoth Cave and JP's day job at Dinosaur Park.

Episode #25 Slothful Titans of the Tar Pits with Emily Lindsey Mar 02, 2021

Emily Lindsey is a paleoecologist who's been fascinated with giant ground sloths since the beginning of her career. She is now a curator and excavation director at the La Brea Tar Pits in LA!

Episode #24: Hunting Dinosaurs with a Camera with Louie Psihoyos Feb 23, 2021

Louie is a photographer and documentary filmmaker, so what's he doing on a podcast about paleontology? Well, you can thank Jurrasic Park for that.

Episode #23 In the Valley of the Tiny Titanosaurs with Luis Chiappe Feb 16, 2021

Luis Chiappe is as famous for his barbecues as he his for his knowledge of prehistoric birds. Luis' discoveries include an incredible Sauropod nesting site and is currently the Vice President of the Natural History Museum of LA.

Episode #22 How to See a Forest in a Handful of Dirt with Regan Dunn Feb 09, 2021

Regan Dunn is a paleobotanist who's work has taken her all over the world and has landed her in the hottest paleontology site in Hollywood - the La Brea Tar Pits. Learn how she uses the microscopic remains of plants to reconstruct entire ecosystems!

Episode #21 Out of the Ooze, Evolved to Cruise with Neil Shubin Feb 02, 2021

The Nerds get to talk Tiktaalik with esteemed evolutionary biologist and author Neil Shubin. Neil uses molecular biology and gene expression to fill in the gaps left in the fossil record.

Episode #20 How to Kill a Dinosaur with Holly Woodward Jan 26, 2021

Paleontologist Holly Woodward reads the microscopic stories left behind in dinosaur bones to tell characteristics like their age, sex, and general health. She's even used histology to "kill" a dinosaur!

Episode #19 My Favorite Fossil is the Next One with Chuck Bonner Jan 19, 2021

Ray joins his old friend Chuck Bonner in Kansas where Chuck's family has collected exquisite fossils now on display around the world.

Episode #18 Eons of Epic Epochs with Fossil Librarian Kallie Moore Jan 12, 2021

The Nerds sit down with Kallie Moore, cohost of the PBS youtube show Eons and fossil librarian at the University of Montana.

Episode #17 I’ll Have the Dinosaur, Please! with Jack Horner, the REAL Dr. Alan Grant Jan 05, 2021

World renowned paleontologist Jack Horner discusses bringing paleontology to the masses as the scientific advisor on the Jurassic Park franchise and how dyslexia may have helped him make discoveries.

Season Two Teaser Dec 15, 2020

Get ready for a second season of Paleo Nerds: A Prehistoric Podcast with David Strassman and Ray Troll. Interviews with Paleontologists, Scientists and Artists who love dinosaurs just as much as they did when they were kids.

Episode #16 Walking with Whales with Bobby Boessenecker Oct 27, 2020

The Nerds have a whale of a time with Bobby Boessenecker.
Modern whales actually evolved from walking mammals! But how exactly does a huuuuuuge blue whale go from walking on land to swimming in the ocean? Find out!

Episode #15 Sleeping Through Extinction with Christian Sidor Oct 20, 2020

Dr. Christian Sidor tells the Nerds all about the ancestry of mammals, including a little creature that hibernated through the Permian-Triassic extinction, allowing reptiles to branch off and evolve into mammals.

Episode #14 The Flight of the Cephalopods with Danna Staaf Oct 13, 2020

Did you know we're in the middle of a Cephalopod Renaissance? Esteemed author Danna Staaf is ready to introduce you to our Squid Overlords!

Episode #13 Evolving Toward a Sense of Beauty with Carl Safina Oct 06, 2020

What's the difference between humans and animals? Who decided there was a difference? Maybe there's less of a difference than we thought...

Episode #12 Life Finds a Way... and Then Medea Kills It with Peter Ward Sep 29, 2020

The Nerds sit down with one of life's great thinkers, Peter Ward. He currently studies Mass Extinctions but nautiloids and ammonites are an ongoing passion.

Episode #11 The Origin of Human Anatomy is in Old Dead Fish with John Long Sep 22, 2020

"You're a fish!"
Turns out that's not an insult, it's the truth! Professor John Long will explain why this is true AND discusses the origins of sex! And then he'll ride off on his motorcycle...

Episode #10: Comparative Science Fiction Anatomy with Gabriel Santos Sep 15, 2020

Gabriel Santos is a nerd. But, hey, if you're listening to this podcast so are you! He's studied the paleoparadoxical Desmostylians, but now he uses cosplay to demonstrate that science is everywhere, especially in pop culture!

Episope #9: All Birds are Dinosaurs but Not All Dinosaurs are Birds with Paleontologinista Jingmai O’Connor Sep 08, 2020

Paleontologista Jingmai O'Connor teaches the Nerds how to fly! Well, at least how dinosaurs evolved flight and eventually became the birds we live with today.

Episode #8: Know Your Prehistoric Marine Reptiles with Pat Druckenmiller Sep 01, 2020

The nerds try and impress Dr. Pat Druckenmiller with their knowledge of marine reptiles. The key word being try.

Episode #7: Using Lasers to Stare Into the Eyes of a Pterosaur with Tom Kaye Aug 25, 2020

Tom Kaye uses lasers to see microscopic changes recorded in the rock surrounding fossils that reveal soft tissues, literally shaping what dinosaurs looked like when they walked the Earth.

Episode #6: What Came First, the Shark or the Ratfish? with Dr. Dominique Didier Aug 18, 2020

Dr. Dominique Didier has touched and fondled more ratfish than anyone one, so what better person to discuss the evolutionary perfection and sex life of this living fossil.

Episode #5: Beating Your Art to the Grave with Paleo Artist Gary Staab Aug 11, 2020

Gary Staab leaps on snakes, wrestles caiman, taxidermies road kill, oh and sculpts massive dinosaurs, realistic sharks and celebrity mummies.

Episode #4: Cheating the Tooth Fairy with Leif Tapanila Aug 04, 2020

Dr. Leif Tapanila studies fossil invertebrates and clams, so why is he here to talk about Helicoprion (AKA the Buzz Saw Shark)? Turns out it's all Ray's fault.

Episode #3: Smashing the Patriarchy like a Bone-Crushing Dog with STEMinist Amy Atwater Jul 30, 2020

As a paleontologist and science communicator, Amy Atwater has been challenging the conviction that all paleontologists look like Indiana Jones!

Episode #2: Channeling Your Childhood Superpower with Kirk Johnson Jul 21, 2020

The Nerds talk to Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and long-time friend and collaborator of Ray's.

Episode #1: The Only Way to Know Where We’re Going is to Know Where We’ve Been. Jul 21, 2020

Ray Troll and David Strassman swap childhood stories about becoming Paleo Nerds and reminisce about their most treasured finds in this exciting and refreshing debut recording.

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