What's the use of Palaeontology?   With Dr John Laurie, Curator of the Palaeontological Collections at the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) and Ms Cindy Hann, Education Officer at AGSO. Compered by the charismatic Wilson da Silva, past ABC Quantum reporter and Managing Editor for Newton, the new science magazine soon to be launched here by Australian Geographic. Science in the PubTM visits Orange to present the session, 'Whatís the use of Palaeontology?' for the Palaeontology Down Under 2000 Conference. At a time when Australian science appears to be in a state of decline, and economic rationalists insist that scientific endeavour should encourage our global competitiveness in the market place, palaeontology slips further and further into the quagmire of ëuseless pursuitsí­perhaps there to remain until unearthed by some future fossil hunter? But is it a useless pursuit? What is it good for? Is it alive and well here at the turn of the century? All of these questions and many more will be dealt with by our panellists for the night.  Wilson will lead the discussion and call for the many questions that we expect to have from an audience comprising so many distinguished Australian and international palaeontologists and educators. Thursday, July 13th 2000, 7:00-9:00pm The Canobolas Hotel, 248 Summer Street, Orange, NSW John Laurie  is, for the time being, curator of the palaeontological collections at AGSO and is one of the few remaining palaeontologists at AGSO. In fact John has been a palaeontologist since he was about 10, he just didn't have the expertise to be payed for it until about 12 years later. He has a B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology from the University of Newcastle and a Ph.D. in Palaeontology from the University of Tasmania. After a short stint with the Northern Territory Geological Survey as a geologist involved in regional mapping he joined the BMR (now AGSO) as a palaeontological research assistant. He is now a senior research scientist and has published over 50 scientific papers, edited two books and is now the honorary editor of the monographic series ëMemoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologistsí. Despite having done his Ph.D. on Tasmanian Ordovician brachiopods, he now specialises in Cambrian and Ordovician trilobites, and among other things is currently involved in a joint project with the Northern Territory Geological Survey dating core material from the Georgina Basin from the contained trilobite faunas. Cindy Hann is an enthusiastic Scorpio (and sometime geologist and palaeontologist) whose career follows a typical pattern of punctuated equilibrium.  She completed an Honours degree in geology and palaeontology at Monash University when Luke Skywalker finally earned his stripes.  After hearing horror house foundation stories for 2.25 years as a geologist at Universal Soil Laboratories, she threw caution to the wind and took up teaching: This entailed sharing the  finer points of general science, geology and geography (and fossils) with Year 6 ó 12 kids.  Since January 2000 Cindy has worked as an education officer with the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) in Canberra, surrounded by all things geological, promoting the richness and ëífun-nessí of geoscience (and the very sexy charisma of fossils!).   Cindy can think of many uses for palaeontology!   True to the tradition of Science in the Pub, both John and Cindy have presented their abstract' in verse... From John,  Palaeothe Passion!        Some whackers think palaeo's boring,        But it's fossils that kids are adoring.        'Jurassic Park' they flock to see,        Not some bland tale about geology.        To his career Spielberg could have said good night,        If his film had been 'Jurassic Shoshonite'        Some wallies think palaeo's not used,        But them I try to disabuse.        To get here, unless they did pedal,      Itís a safe bet they used petrol.        Some ask, "where does the go-juice come from?"        From out of the ground, that's where, son!        "And how do they find the stuff?"        By drilling down just enough.        "How do they know when to stop?"        The palaeo tells them, that's what!        "That's just a load of wank!"        No son, that's why its not a hundred bucks a tank.        Steve Gould is a well known Harvard feller.        He writes books and he wrote a bestseller.        'Wonderful Life' was on the Burgess Shale.        About fossils, it was quite an enjoyable tale,        But would it have sold nearly so well,        If on 'S' or 'I' type granites he did dwell?        Some dipsticks say palaeo's dead        But they're not right in the head        Because they don't know        About the amateur palaeo.        You see, for people like me, palaeo is a passion,        Not just a job or simply a fashion.     Palaeo will never, ever die        No matter how hard the fundamentalists try,        Because unlike sedimentology,        Or other fields of geology        It's got one thing over them, son        So many people do it just for fun.   From Cindy, We didn't kick-start life (with apologies to Billy Joel and Poets everywhere)        Big Bang, billion years,      Prebiotic, weather clears,        Atmospheric O2, dawn of life,        Now thereís two        Then a few stromatolites,        Banded iron, eukaryotes,      Ediacara in the Protozo,        Cambrian life set to explode,        Complex orgs have a try,        Ordovician fish to fry!        Little plants invade the land,        Brachiopods make a stand.        Then a lot of critters die,        Under a new Silurian sky.        Vertebrates scamper high and low,        Insects everywhere they go.        Forests, lots of swampy peat,        Making coal for future heat!        The Permian blitzes lots of life,      Trilobitesin serious strife.        Mesozoic reptiles tread,        Killing tiny mammals dead.      Wollemi pine,a happier time,        Flitting birds, killing time,        Comets falling, Cretaceous sky        Making lots of reptiles die.        Dinosaurs are last to go,        Hot or cold bloods, whoís to know?        Now we see the mammals lead,        Diversifying is their need.        Horses, bats and nice big whales,        Monkeys with prehensile tails!      Theyíre evolving thought and tool,        Humans seem to think they rule!        Now weíre at our current place        Evolution isnít a race!        We didnít kick start life,        It was all evolving with the Earth revolving,        Wedidnít kick start life,      Itísbeen going on and on and on and ÖÖ Science in the PubTM is an initiative of the Australian Science Communicators (NSW). Regular sessions are staged from 7.00-9.00 pm on the last Wednesday of every even month (Feb - Nov) at the Harlequin Inn, 152 Harris Street, Pyrmont in Sydney.  We can organise Science in YOUR Pub anywhere in Australia, or the world! Please contact Robyn Stutchbury, phone: 02 9427 6747; fax: 02 9427 6767; email: mailto:rstutch@bigpond.net.au   Visit our website at http://www.scienceinthepub.com/.  Admission costs $5 worth of raffle tickets, your chance to win one of many excellent prize! Future Science in the Pub sessions (see the website for full details) Wednesday 30 August, Harlequin Inn, Sydney, in collaboration with the Australian Biotech Association. Medicines for the next Millennium: natural or engineered? A discussion on the future of medicine.
Science in the Pub™, © 2000. Stutchbury, R, Burton, M.