This week marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park, a movie that both plays with history and made history. Like Jaws and Star Wars before it, Jurassic Park changed what we thought was possible in movie theaters while commenting on our fascination with the pre-human past. I asked Dr. Elizabeth Jones, author of Ancient DNA: The Making of a Celebrity Science (on sale from Amazon right now) to come on the show to talk about how Jurassic Park changed the science of paleontology and just why that velociraptor scene in the kitchen is so damn good.
About our guest:
Dr. Elizabeth Jones holds a PhD in Science & Technology Studies from University College London, a MA in History & Philosophy of Science from Florida State University, and a BA in History & Philosophy from North Carolina State University. Currently, she works at the North Carolina Museum and Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University as the Coordinator for Cretaceous Creatures, a public science project that engages 8th grade science teachers and students across the state in making their own microfossil discoveries.
Show notes:
https://www.newsweek.com/new-dinosaur-utah-moros-intrepidus-tyrannosaurus-rex-1338776
https://colossal.com/george-church-the-future-without-limit/