When the smash-success Jurassic Park first hit theaters in 1993, it inspired a generation of dinophiliacs and helped to usher in a new “golden age of paleontology.”
But it also froze the public’s perception of dinosaurs in time, and popularized inaccuracies that people still believe are true today.
So what happens when the biggest source of information on a scientific field comes from a fictional monster movie? In this episode, three Jurassic Park super-fans (one paleontologist and two podcasters) try to sort it all out.
Featuring Gabriel-Philip Santos.
This episode was originally published in 2022. To read the transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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LINKS
Want to learn more about dinosaurs? Check the publish date before you check it out from the library! And here are some good options:
Smithsonian’s The Dinosaur Book (pretty much all of the Smithsonian books are good for younger readers)
Want to get a more global perspective of where dinosaurs have been discovered? Check out a dinosaur atlas book.
For older readers, or anybody who loves a good coffee table book, check out this entry featuring a number of excellent paleoartists: Dinosaur Art II (Taylor has the first one and loves to show it off).
Also: A truly disheartening read about people who think feathered dinosaurs are an attack on masculinity.
CREDITS
Host: Nate Hegyi
Reported, produced, and mixed by Taylor Quimby
Edited by Rebecca Lavoie, with help from Nate Hegyi and Justine Paradis. The team also includes Felix Poon and Marina Henke.
Executive Producer: Taylor Quimby
NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio: Rebecca Lavoie
Music for this episode by Sarah the Illstrumentalist, Pandaraps, Matt Large, Ballpoint, Valante, and Blue Dot Sessions.
Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio
