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Dr. Greg Wilson Mantilla is a Professor in the Department of Biology, Adjunct Professor in Department of Earth & Space Sciences, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Burke Museum, and Director of the DIG Field School at the University of Washington. He is also a Research Associate at the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Greg received his B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, he received an NSF Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Helsinki. Before moving to the University of Washington, Greg was Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Greg was awarded the Raymond M. Alf Award for Excellence in Paleontological Research & Education from the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, and he received the University of Washington’s Bergstrom Award for Art and Science (with Ari Rudenko). In this interview, Greg shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:31)
Outside of science, Greg enjoys staying active, spending time with his family, and following sports. Playing soccer has long been a favorite pastime, and Greg now enjoys coaching his two children. He also enjoys watching soccer and other sports, working out, reading, traveling, and relaxing with movies and TV shows.
The Scientific Side (4:30)
His research explores the evolution of mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs and how mammals have diversified over time. Remarkable fossil discoveries have revealed that these early mammals were far more diverse than once thought, including species adapted for digging, climbing, gliding, and even feeding on small dinosaurs.
A Dose of Motivation (6:33)
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:22)
Greg wasn’t a dinosaur-obsessed kid who knew he wanted to be a paleontologist from an early age. He was more interested in exploring nature and pursuing soccer than studying fossils, and it wasn’t until college that courses in genetics and human origins sparked his fascination with the prehistoric world. Hearing more about paleontology from his older brother who is now also a paleontologist gave Greg more exposure to the field during a formative time.
Even after beginning graduate school, Greg wasn’t sure if paleontology was the right fit. After a pivotal conversation with his advisor, and a summer of fieldwork in Montana, Greg was convinced. That experience showed him the excitement of asking questions and testing ideas directly in the field. Today, Greg continues to study the same fossils in Montana that first captivated him as a graduate student, using decades of accumulated data to better understand the mass extinction that ended the age of the dinosaurs.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (26:28)
In paleontology, fieldwork is essential for making new discoveries, but it also involves a lot of complicated logistical and interpersonal hurdles. These include securing government permissions, building relationships with local communities, coordinating collaborators, and navigating unfamiliar situations.
On some expeditions in places like Ethiopia and India, Greg and his colleagues have invested substantial time and resources, discovered exciting fossils, and begun excavations only to be told at the last moment that they could not collect the specimens. Experiences like these have taught Greg the importance of patience, persistence, and adaptability. While setbacks beyond your control can be deeply frustrating, he has learned that sometimes the best response is to adjust, move on, and learn what you can from the experience. Even projects that don’t work out as planned can provide valuable lessons that will serve you well later in your career.
A Shining Success! (30:51)
Greg recently published a paper describing a new 75-million-year-old mammal fossil that is one of the most complete mammal specimens known from this period in North America. The fossil was discovered in 2009 by a close friend and colleague who later passed away unexpectedly, and the project remained unfinished for many years. During a recent sabbatical, Greg committed to completing the work, and the species was ultimately named in honor of his late friend—making the publication especially meaningful.
The fossil also offers a fascinating window into one of the great success stories of mammal evolution. This mammal belonged to an extraordinarily long-lived lineage that arose during the Jurassic period, thrived alongside dinosaurs, survived the mass extinction, and persisted until about 35 million years ago. These small mammals evolved specialized teeth for eating plant foods and diversified into a variety of ecological roles, including ground-dwelling, tree-climbing, and digging species. Their adaptability may have helped them survive the asteroid-driven extinction, though they were eventually surpassed by groups such as rodents and primates.
Book Recommendations (3:27)
The Double Helix by James D. Watson
Most Treasured Travel (36:07)
Travel and fieldwork have given Greg opportunities to experience cultures and places far beyond the typical tourist destinations. However, one particular expedition had a lasting impact. Before beginning graduate school, Greg spent four months in Niger on a paleontological expedition in the Sahara Desert, searching for dinosaur fossils in areas that had rarely been explored by scientists. At about 24 years old, he found himself camping in the desert, working alongside local guides, hauling enormous fossils from the ground by hand, and navigating the many challenges and adventures of conducting research in such a remote environment. The people, landscapes, music, and experiences from that trip remain vivid in his memory, and the expedition helped inspire a lifelong passion for fieldwork that has shaped many of his subsequent research projects.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (7:33)
Greg’s PhD advisor, Bill Clemens, had a major influence on the way Greg approaches science and mentorship. Bill was a calm and thoughtful guide who helped Greg become the scientist he is today. One of the traditions in Greg’s lab is to give a gift to each student when they finish their PhD. For one student who was also impacted by Bill’s mentorship, Greg decided to have a custom bobblehead of Bill made as their gift. He made two copies: one for the student and one for himself to keep. The bobblehead remains on the bookshelf in Greg’s office as a regular reminder to slow down, think carefully, and explore things deeply.
Advice For Us All (42:56)
Take time to identify what genuinely makes you happy and find ways to pursue those interests, even if the path looks different from traditional career options. In paleontology, for example, meaningful involvement can extend far beyond becoming a professor or museum curator. Passion plus the hard work of learning and developing expertise can open many doors, and you’ll often find that others are willing to help.
Guest Bio
As a paleontologist, Greg aims to understand critical transitions in the deep-time history of life. One of the most captivating of these transitions is the early radiation of mammals, which ultimately led to their striking diversity today, from the tiny, flying bumblebee bat to the titanic, fully aquatic blue whale. His research is collaborative and combines fieldwork around the world to collect new fossils and associated geological data, description and systematic study of fossil specimens, and quantitative analysis of morphology, function, and ecology of extant and extinct taxa and communities. He focuses on the first two-thirds of mammal evolution during the Mesozoic Era (220 to 66 million years ago) and early Paleogene, when major mammal groups that include placentals and marsupials originated, and fundamental changes in the anatomy, physiology, and ecology of mammals occurred. His work has elucidated paleoecological and macroevolutionary patterns of early mammals in the context of dinosaur-dominated terrestrial ecosystems, the breakup of Pangaea, and the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic.
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