The Greatest Showdown: Wolverine and the Extinction of Australia’s Ice Age Giants

RGSQ Lecture Series

Gilbert Price, Associate Professor of Palaeontology, The University of Queensland

In mid-2024, ABC’s flagship science program, Catalyst, aired a two-part series titled Megafauna: What Killed Australia’s Giants?, narrated by Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman. The series explored one of the most enduring scientific debates in Australia, and indeed globally: the extinction of Australia’s Ice Age megafauna—large-bodied marsupials, birds, and reptiles that roamed the continent for much of the last 2.5 million years. The central question remains unresolved: were these giants driven to extinction by climate change, human activity, or a combination of both? A major challenge in settling this debate is the lack of key data needed to rigorously test these hypotheses. This includes well-dated fossil records, palaeoclimate data, archaeological evidence, and precise palaeobiological and palaeoecological information on the extinct species. While Catalyst presented the latest knowledge on these megabeasts, many questions remain unanswered. As a scientific consultant for the program, my talk will delve into the science behind the story, extending beyond the series to address current knowledge gaps. I will also highlight some of the exciting new evidence emerging in the field, including a sneak peek into one of the most significant megafauna fossil discoveries in Australia in several decades.

Bio: Gilbert Price is an Associate Professor of Palaeontology at The University of Queensland. His research spans palaeontology, geology, geochemistry, and dating techniques, with a particular focus on developing critical datasets to examine key extinction events during the Quaternary period—the geological epoch in which we live today. A former Queensland Young Scientist of the Year, Gilbert has held multiple Australian Research Council fellowships. His current field-based research projects extend across Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and throughout Australia. He is also passionate about using palaeo-data to inform modern conservation strategies, drawing insights from past ecosystems to address contemporary environmental challenges. His recent TEDx talk explores this topic in greater detail. Gilbert shares his research at www.TheFatWombat.com and his teaching experiences at www.PandemicTeaching.com.