The Fossil Files

When Palaeontology Makes the News: How (and how not) to do it [Bonus Preview]

This is a preview of a bonus episode. Full bonus episodes are available to our Patreon members via https://www.patreon.com/cw/FossilFiles   Scientists have a responsi

Could dinosaurs swim across oceans? Part 1

Dinosaurs were massive. No cap. They spread all over the world, but how did they cross oceans? In this episode we ask the question: how far could a dinosaur swim? This is

Cute fossil babies reveal how mammals evolved live birth

How and when did mammals transition from laying eggs to live birth? The fossil record doesn't typically preserve soft tissues like embryos and placentas making this a tou

Are we failing the next generation of palaeontologists? The future of fieldwork [Bonus Preview]

New finds in palaeontology are dependent on people getting out in the field and digging up fossils, but are the next generation of palaeontologists getting to do that? Op

The sound of a Jurassic forest, recreated using fossils and AI

Sounds play such an important ecological role, but palaeontologists have always had to use their imagination when reconstructing the sound of extinct landscapes: Until no

Where did turtles come from?

The origin of turtles has long been a scientific mystery. Not only do they have super weird things going on with their ribs, head, and teeth, but also its unclear if they

Fake Fossil Fails [Bonus]

What happens when fossils that have been faked or 'enhanced' end up being used in scientific studies? Why does it happen? How can we spot them? How do researchers, prepar

Were dinosaurs eating fruit? Cretaceous Plant Power

As well as tasting good, fruit play a really important role in ecosystems across the world. But when did they evolve? Were dinosaurs eating them and dispersing them? In a

The weird case of a whale necropolis, sat at the bottom of an ocean trench for 5 million years

The deep sea environment holds many mysteries but yields hardly any fossils. A new mindblowing finding at the bottom of the Indian ocean challenges the way we think about

How to become a palaeontologist: Finding and applying for PhDs

Studying for a PhD is in an important step towards becoming a scientist, but the process of finding and applying for a PhD programme is mysterious and inaccessible. In th

The hunt for the first-ever animals, with Emily Mitchell

Where, when, and how did the animals first appear? The fossil record holds some tantalising insights from well-preserved sites in Canada, Australia, Russia (and Leicester

Did a lack of sex hold back the evolution of the first animals?

The first animals turned up in the Ediacaran as simple frond-like organisms that didn't do much of anything. Why was this Pre-Cambrian 'Avalonian biota' so static and bor

Why did T. rex have such small arms? Revealed

Tyrannosaurus rex is perhaps the most famous dinosaur and maybe even the most famous fossil animal. It has long been a source of curiosity as to why is has such small arm

Digging for dinosaurs and the battle against poaching: Susie reports from the field [Preview]

Digging up dinosaur fossils is a complicated and unpredictable business. But how does it feel to be one of the scientists on the ground doing the exploring? What can you

The Fossil Files is one year old: The best bits so far

The Fossil Files is one year old! Thank you everbody for your support! To mark the occasion, Susie and Rob take a look back at the last year and put together some of thei

The Mysterious Devonian Giant that may be an unknown branch of life

400 million years ago, before the rise of forests, the land was covered in mossy carpets, loomed over by weird 8 meter tall columns called Prototaxites. These weird giant

Were giant super intelligent octopuses the top predators of the Cretaceous?

Cretaceous oceans have long been accepted as a dangerous place full of massive mosaurs and other predators. Now some new fossils from Japan have upended this with the sug

Aliens burning coal? [bonus preview]

Are we alone? For decades a global effort has been made to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), but have we been looking in the wrong place? A new paper sugge

How can we reconstruct the sense of smell of extinct organisms?

Smell defines so much of animal's life from finding a mate, to tracking down food sources and avoiding predators. Genetics and behaviour can offer us rich insights for mo

The First Fossil Puke: What It Reveals About Permian Predators

Fossilised vomit can provide direct, yet disgusting, evidence of past ecosystems and interactions between long extinct organisms. This week we take a look at "the earlies