In this episode of the Safe Travels Podcast, I sit down with Jennifer Cavin, Fossil Preparator and Lab Manager at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, to explore one of the most overlooked roles in paleontology: fossil preparation.

When most people think about paleontology, they picture scientists excavating fossils in the field. But behind every museum-quality fossil specimen is a highly skilled fossil preparator, the meticulous expert who stabilizes, cleans, preserves, and reconstructs fossils for scientific research and public display.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• What a Fossil Preparator actually does in a paleontology lab
• The difference between field excavation and laboratory fossil preparation
• Mechanical prep vs. chemical prep techniques
• How air scribes, micro sandblasters, and adhesives are used to reveal fossils
• The delicate process of removing matrix without damaging bone
• The relationship between fossil preparators and paleontologists
• Why preparators are critical to peer-reviewed scientific research
• The physical health risks of fossil prep, including silica dust exposure and repetitive strain injuries
• Conservation ethics and preserving fossils for future generations

Jennifer explains why fossil preparators are the unsung heroes of paleontology. Without their precision and technical expertise, many fossil discoveries, including ancient mammals like early horses, camels, and saber-toothed predators from the John Day Basin, would never be studied, published, or displayed.
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