Elsa Panciroli
Dr Elsa Panciroli - Ask A Palaeontologist
This month we chat to Elsa Panciroli, Researcher in Palaeontology at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
- Name: Elsa Panciroli
- Job: Researcher in Palaeontology
- Location: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
What inspired you to become a scientist?
I started working as a wildlife interpreter, talking to the public about marine life in my local area. People asked me lots of questions I couldn’t answer, so I started studying marine science – teaching myself from books – to find out how to reply. Through doing that I rediscovered a love for science, and ended up going back to university to study it.
What inspired you to become a palaeontologist?
While studying Environmental Science, I had a class on climate change in which we looked at climate in the past. I was stunned to discover we can reconstruct the planet’s climate from millions of years ago! The more I looked at palaeo-science, the more excited I became about extinct worlds and animals, and soon realised it was what I was truly passionate about.
Describe your work/job
I study extinct life, particularly ancient mammals from the time of dinosaurs. A lot of my work involves finding new fossils, taking CT scans of them, digitally reconstructing the bones, and then describing and analysing them. We can compare them to living animals to understand how they moved and lived in their environment in the past. I also do a lot of outreach work with the public and schoolchildren, talking about evolution and fossils.
What’s the best part of your job?
I love writing. Sometimes I spend whole days immersed in the anatomy of a fossil, describing it, comparing it to other fossils and living animals. I also adore turning my CT scan data into digital reconstructions of the fossil – it’s a kind of magic, making those tiny blobs of rock into beautiful skeleton we can study.
What other jobs have you done?
Lots of things: cleaner, babysitter, administrator, museum attendant, cinema usher, groundskeeper, shop assistant…
What were your favourite subjects at school?
English, art, and biology.
Where did you study geoscience/palaeontology?
I began learning about it during my undergraduate degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands, then I did a masters degree in Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol. Finally I did my doctorate at National Museums Scotland in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh.
What hobbies do you have outside of palaeontology?
Hiking, knitting, reading, cooking and writing.
What is your favourite fossil?
I’m not sure I really have one! There are lots of amazing fossils to choose from, but perhaps I’ll pick Repenomamus: it was one of the biggest mammals from the time of dinosaurs, about the size of a chunky badger. It lived at the start of the Cretaceous, and ate baby dinosaurs! We know this because baby dinosaur bones were found inside its stomach. Such an amazing fossil, and it really turns our idea of animal interactions from that time period on their head.
What’s your favourite place that you have travelled to study palaeontology?
I spent two weeks in a wonderful village in South Africa called Qhemegha. Our team was working with the local community to excavate fossils that they had found nearby. But the best thing about it for me wasn’t the fossils, it was the local people. We hung out, sang around the fire as it got dark, shared stories. It was a wonderful time.
Why is it important for us to study palaeontology?
Fossils give us perspective we simply can’t get from only examining the living world. They tell us how environments change over millions of years, and how animal life responds to those changes. They also reveal the patterns of evolution, which informs everything from conservation to medicine.
What advice would you give to somebody interested in becoming a palaeontologist?
Stay open-minded, and stay positive. There are lots of unexpected directions palaeontology can take you. So think about developing as many different skills as you can, and be open to exploring jobs you might not have considered, like publishing, data analysis, or even working in television!
Elsa Online
- Follow Elsa's Blog: https://elsapanciroli.wordpress.com/
- Follow Elsa on Twitter: @gsciencelady
- Read Elsa's new book The Earth: A Biography of Life?
- Find out more about the fossils that Elsa works on YouTube