Mary Anning, Princess of Paleontology

Tracy and Holly talk about their favorite pens, and Tracy describes a unique radio she had as a child.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Edwin Howard Armstrong isn’t exactly a well-known inventor, but his work in radio literally changed communications around the globe. But his most famous invention – FM radio – became a source of constant frustration after he developed it. Research: Armstrong, Edwin H. “Frequency ... Show More

Before the ballpoint pen, people used their hands, reeds, bamboo, brushes, quills, and eventually nibs to write or draw. But how did things evolve from there to get to things like the fountain pen, and eventually, a ballpoint? Research: "pen." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Bri ... Show More

Mary Anning lived in Lyme Regis on what is now known as the Jurassic Coast in the first half of the 19th century. Knowing the shore from childhood and with a remarkable eye for detection she was extremely successful in finding fossils. In 1812 she unearthed parts of an Icthyosaur ... Show More

Twelve year old Mary Anning pulled a dinosaur out of a cliff, and set off a firestorm of philosophy and science that never seemed to include her, somehow. From the Loch Ness Monster to Jurassic Park, the world would never be the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca ... Show More

A pair of old timey fossil hunters had a rootin’ tootin’ rivalry that spilled from academic journals into the American Wild West - where fossils were dynamited and employees turned double agent. Learn about the two-fisted origins of American paleontology. Learn more about your ad ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the significance of fossils. In the middle of the nineteenth century the discoveries of the fossil hunters used to worry poor Ruskin to death, he wrote in a letter in 1851, “my faith, which was never strong, is being beaten to gold leaf…If only tho ... Show More

You can learn a lot from an animal's scat, even if that animal hasn't walked the Earth since prehistoric times. In this episode, Robert and Julie explore the fascinating world of coprolite and ponder just what ancient humans and creatures ate. Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More

A first-wave feminist of the 1800s and 1900s, Professor Margaret Murray was known as both "The Old Woman of Egyptology" and "The Grandmother of Wicca." She was one of the first to take up the subject of the witch-cults of England. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch ... Show More

How the legendary Peking Man fossils from China disappeared in the 1940s, and why archaeologists think that maybe—just maybe—they now know where to find them... 

This is #2 in a series on dinosaur coprolites, AKA fossilized feces! In the 1800’s, Mary Anning was known as the best fossil hunter in England. She made many great discoveries, including dinosaur poop. With help from our friend Kidosaurus and children’s science historian Melanie ... Show More

Did 20-foot-tall giant fungi rule the earth 400 million years ago? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the puzzling prototaxites fossils from the Devonian period. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio ... Show More

She is likely the most famous historical figure from Ancient Egypt. And yet, thousands of years after Cleopatra's reign, her final resting place has yet to be discovered. Archaeologist and historians struggle to find evidence surrounding her death and who and what she was buried ... Show More