Coffee & Geography 6x02 Omar Regalado Fernandez (Mexico) Decolonising Paleobiology, Citizen Science

In this rich and eye‑opening conversation, Mexican paleobiologist Omar Regalado Fernández joins Kit Marie to explore how paleontology has been shaped by colonial legacies — and how the field can move toward justice. Omar shares how growing up in the Cuautitlán-Pachuca Valley (with its unexpected Cornish connections!), studying in London, and now working in Germany have shaped his identity as a global citizen. They discuss the difference between paleontology and paleobiology, the mythologised history of the Bone Wars, and how scientific institutions often retell “great man” narratives that hide violence and exclude other ways of knowing. The episode also explores: • Why renaming species (like poinsettia) is more than cosmetic • Why Western science treats Indigenous knowledge as “folklore” • How colonialism functions like an “eldritch horror” • The shift toward qualitative and community‑rooted science • Routes into paleontology for neurodivergent young people • Museums, citizen science, and making science accessible Connect with Omar via Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathchaos.bsky.social and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-rafael-regalado-fernandez/ Links for further exploration: 🔗 Natural History Museum (UK) – Citizen Science Projects: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/citizen-science.html 🔗 Senckenberg Natural History Museum (Frankfurt): https://museumfrankfurt.senckenberg.de/en/ 🔗 The Bone Wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars 🔗 Our past creates our present: a brief overview of racism and colonialism in Western paleontology: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/our-past-creates-our-present-a-brief-overview-of-racism-and-colonialism-in-western-paleontology/79248D87425C01E9D388DA2EFED92866 🔗 Poinsettia/Cuetlaxōchitl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia 🔗 UNAM – National Autonomous University of Mexico: https://www.unam.mx 🔗 500 Queer Scientists: https://500queerscientists.com/ #CoffeeGeogPod #Paleobiology #DecolonisingScience #STEM #ColonialHistory #Taxonomy #IndigenousKnowledge #CitizenScience #GeographyPodcast #Mexico #Germany #UKScience #GlobalIdentity Theme music: "Spark of Inspiration" by Shane Ivers (silvermansound.com)