Fossils – James Ronan Palaeontologist

16 Dec 202518 Dec 2025 James Ronan Dinosaurs, Education, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Hadrosauridae, Hadrosaurs, Lambeosaurinae, Learning, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Saurolophinae, Scientific Newsletter, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Exploring Hadrosaur Social Behaviour and Communication

Expert perspective from a palaeontologist with 8+ years of research experience – insights based on extensive research and scientific literature review.

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Crests, Calls & Cretaceous Kinships: This issue explores hadrosaur life beyond the bones. Dive into how these Cretaceous giants communicated, raised their young, and thrived together in mixed herds across the prehistoric world. I hope you enjoy the fascinating palaeontology content and discoveries in this edition.

This edition explores:

How hadrosaurs communicated: Their social calls, signals & nesting behaviours.
Herd life revealed: The fossil evidence proving hadrosaurs thrived in social groups.
Dinosaur parenting: Why hadrosaurs were devoted caregivers to their young.
Meet the hadrosaur family: The Saurolophinae (non-crested) vs. Lambeosaurinae (crested) hadrosaurs.

Continue reading →

10 Nov 202516 Dec 2025 James Ronan Avian Dinosaurs, Birds, Darwin Finches, Dinosaurs, Education, Evolutionary Biology, Feathers, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Learning, Natural History, Natural World, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Parrot, Rainbow lorikeet, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Birds The Living Dinosaurs Explained

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Plumage & Legacy: Birds as Living Dinosaurs: Welcome to The Palaeo Minute, your bite-sized window into prehistoric wonders. This edition dives into how birds retain evolutionary and genetic advancements inherited from their dinosaur ancestors.

I explore the seven distinct types of bird feathers and examine how natural selection has shaped bird development for survival and feeding. From modern plumage to beak morphology, birds tell a remarkable story one that links their vibrant diversity to their prehistoric lineage.

I hope you enjoy this evolutionary journey into the origins of feathers, structures that first emerged not just for flight, but for insulation, communication, and display. Together, let’s uncover how birds are not merely descended from dinosaurs, they are dinosaurs, alive and thriving in our world today.

This edition explores:

Feather Types: The seven distinct types of bird feathers & their specialised functions.
Avian Success: Why birds thrive today, with over 11,000 species adapted to diverse habitats.
Natural Selection & Darwin’s Finches: Darwin’s Finches how evolutionary pressures shaped birds’ anatomy, & survival strategies.

Continue reading →

14 Oct 202512 Nov 2025 James Ronan Birds, Dinosaurs, Education, Feathered Dinosaurs, Feathers, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, Sinosauropteryx Prima, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights, Zhenyuanlong suni

Discovering the Vibrant Feathers of Sinosauropteryx

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

The Ginger-Tailed Dinosaur That Changed Everything: Welcome to The Palaeo Minute, where feathered secrets come to life, one filament at a time. In this edition, I spotlight Sinosauropteryx prima with its ginger-striped tail and “bandit mask” camouflage. I also examine Zhenyuanlong suni a spectacular dromaeosaurid from China with elaborate plumage.

From display and thermoregulation to evolutionary signalling, fossils continue to reshape our understanding of feather function in non-avian dinosaurs. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into their fossil stories and the evolutionary insights they continue to reveal.

This edition explores:

Sinosauropteryx prima: A feathered dinosaur with a fascinating history.
Melanosome & Pigmentation: How we can identify colour in dinosaurs.
How Scientific Discoveries: Have reshaped our understanding of dinosaur appearance.
Zhenyuanlong suni: A unique feathered dromaeosaurid from China.

Continue reading →

16 Sep 202512 Nov 2025 James Ronan Archaeopteryx lithographica, Birds, Dinosaurs, Education, Feathers, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Unravelling Feathered Dinosaurs: Evolution Insights

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Feathers Before Flight The Dinosaur–Bird Connection: Welcome to The Palaeo Minute, where feathered dinosaurs rise from the geological record to rewrite natural history. This edition traces how feathers once seen as bird-exclusive evolved deep within the dinosaur lineage.

I examine one of the most important fossil discoveries Archaeopteryx and how this feathered dinosaur not only bridges the evolutionary gap between birds and their theropod ancestors, but also provides direct evidence of feather pigmentation through microscopic melanosomes.

From Archaeopteryx’s wings to Sinosauropteryx’s striped tail, fossils reshape the story of flight, appearance, and evolution. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the evolutionary history of feathered dinosaurs.

This edition explores:

Feather Function: Feather evolution & their usage.
Avian Character Development: The key traits which arose through avian evolution.
Archaeopteryx: The first feathered bird-like dinosaur that changed everything.

Continue reading →

29 Aug 202511 Nov 2025 James Ronan Behind-the-scenes, Bonus Edition, Dinosaurs, Education, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, Paleontology, Science Newsletter, Scientific Newsletter, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Behind-the-Scenes of The Palaeo Minute: Bonus Edition

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Welcome to this bonus edition of The Palaeo Minute! In this behind-the-scenes dispatch, I will walk you through the process of writing, researching, and refining the newsletter. How it came to be, why it matters, and how science communication can spark curiosity about life in the past, present, and beyond.

This bonus edition explores:

The Spark behind The Palaeo Minute: How a simmering idea throughout 2024 evolved into a living, breathing science communication project.
Shaping the First Editions: The editorial decisions, thematic planning, & symbolic choices that laid the foundation for the newsletter’s tone & identity.
Inside the Tyrannosaurid Edition: A dive into the research, structure, & storytelling that made Newsletter 2 a palaeontological powerhouse.
Science Beneath the Surface: From bone histology to jaw biomechanics, explore the anatomical insights & research methods that drive each edition.

Continue reading →

12 Aug 202511 Nov 2025 James Ronan Badlands Dinosaur Museum, ceratopsian, Daspletosaurus, Dinosaurs, Education, Fieldwork, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Geology, Gorgosaurus, Hadrosaurs, Judith River Formation, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, Science Communication, Science Newsletter, Science Writing, The Palaeo Minute, Theropod, Unlock Dino Insights

Unveiling Prehistoric Treasures in The Judith River Formation in Montana

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Step into Montana’s Late Cretaceous wilderness, where dreams came true and 79-million-year-old fossils saw daylight again. In this edition of The Palaeo Minute, I take you behind the scenes of my fossil-hunting adventure in the Judith River Formation where ancient environments, incredible discoveries, and a lifelong dream came to life. I hope you enjoy the insights from the field and a closer look at this remarkable chapter in palaeontological exploration.

This edition explores:

My Fossil Fieldwork in Montana: Digging deep into natural history!
Excavating Dinosaur Fossils: The discoveries I made & the skills I gained.
Step into the Late Cretaceous: Exploring this fossil rich site’s incredible dinosaur biodiversity.
A Glimpse into a Lost World: The palaeoenvironment where dinosaurs thrived 79–75 million years ago.

Continue reading →

5 Jul 202520 Dec 2025 James Ronan Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Dinosaurs, Education, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Gorgosaurus, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, Science Communication, Science Newsletter, Tarbosaurus, The Palaeo Minute, Theropod, Tyrannosaurid, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Unlock Dino Insights

The Secrets of Tyrannosaurs: Growth, Dominance, and Evolution

Expert perspective from a palaeontologist with 8+ years of research and field experience – insights based on extensive research, fieldwork excavation and scientific literature review.

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

Note: This edition is a special extended feature. Future newsletters may be shorter or vary in depth depending on the topic.

In this edition: How tyrannosaurs grew fast, bit harder than sharks, and evolved skulls built for battle. Subscribe to unlock future dispatches and join the fossil frontier.

Welcome to The Palaeo Minute your one-stop dispatch from the fossil frontier. Imagine growing faster than an elephant and delivering a bite force powerful enough to crush a car.

In this thunderous edition I spotlight the mascot of the newsletter delving into the life, growth, and bone-crunching bite of tyrannosaurs, from their ontogeny (development) to their skull adaptations. Get ready for the latest palaeobiology insights and fossil-fuelled discoveries, all packed into one mighty read.

Continue reading →

5 Jul 202520 Dec 2025 James Ronan Curiosity, Dinosaurs, Education, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Geology, Learning, Natural History, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Palaeontology Newsletter, Prehistory, science, Science Communication, Science Newsletter, Scientific Newsletter, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Welcome to The Palaeo Minute: Your Source for Prehistoric Knowledge!

Expert perspective from a palaeontologist with 8+ years of science communication and content creation – insights based on science writing, research and digital storytelling.

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

Explore the depths of the Mesozoic Era, one discovery at a time. Uncover the stories, science, and symbolism behind The Palaeo Minute.

Welcome to this FREE edition of The Palaeo Minute, the official palaeontology newsletter for my website! Join me on a journey through prehistoric discoveries as I share what you can expect from The Palaeo Minute and the exciting palaeontological path ahead.

Continue reading →

20 Jun 202520 Jun 2025 James Ronan Colin Trevorrow, Dinosaurs, Film, Film Insight, Fossils, Gareth Edwards, Jack Horner, Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park Franchise, Jurassic World, Jurassic World Rebirth, Jurassic World: Dominion, Natural History, Palaeontology, Steve Brusatte

Palaeontology and Jurassic World: Insights from Professor Steve Brusatte

Celebrating a decade of Jurassic World, I speak with Professor Steve Brusatte the palaeontological consultant behind Jurassic World: Dominion and Jurassic World: Rebirth, to uncover how science has shaped the blockbuster franchise.

Continue reading →

16 Jun 202517 Jun 2025 James Ronan Colin Trevorrow, Dinosaurs, Film, Film Canon, Film Insight, Fossils, Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park Franchise, Jurassic World, Jurassic World Resort, Masrani Global, Natural History, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology

Jack Ewins Reveals Jurassic World’s Marketing Magic

To mark a decade of Jurassic World, I speak with Jack Ewins of Chronicle the creative force behind its viral marketing and canon to uncover the secrets, stories, and behind-the-scenes magic that shaped the canon development for the franchise.

Continue reading →