Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality And 21st Century Archaeology

Be it Nazis, religious artifacts, and whips, or scales, snarls, and beasts movies capture the imagination of audiences. They also direct attention to the fantastic side of archaeology and paleontology. Nearly thirty years ago Indiana Jones inspired and infatuated audiences with archaeology and the field expended with public interest. In a similar way, interest was also increased in paleontology on the heels of the Jurassic Park franchise. This type of hype and attention does have its drawbacks. The realities of the work archaeologists and paleontologists do (i.e. glorified construction work, rough environmental conditions, and vagrant lifestyle at times) is overlooked or portrayed inaccurately for the sake of a good plot line. Joining us today is Dr. Mark Loewen, paleontology research associate at the University of Utah. He can speak to the awesomeness and pitfalls of Jurassic World and illuminate the realities the study of paleontology, a sister field of archaeology.