DinoCon, an event for the palaeontology community, was launched just last year. Photo Credit: iStock/Marcio Silva
DinoCon, an annual event in the UK for enthusiasts of palaeontology, palaeoart, natural history and related topics, has banned a number of scientists, authors and researchers whose names were revealed to be in the Epstein Files.
The people in question "allegedly engaged in correspondence with members of the Epstein organisation after the conviction of Jeffrey Epstein," notes a statement on DinoCon's social media channels.
In addition to banning such individuals from all DinoCon events, the statement continues, "we find it deplorable that some established palaeontological organisations are not taking action to protect their members in light of these allegations. As such, executive committee members from organisations that are not issuing public bans to these individuals are also banned from our events. We do not tolerate those who allow this behavior to go unchallenged within our community."
DinoCon does not name any of the banned individuals or organisations in its statement; rather, the banned-persons list is a confidential internal document, according to palaeontologist Nathan Barling, director of DinoCon. Taking a public position, however, was an important consideration.
"We felt that making this statement was the moral thing to do and was done so in the interest of protecting our attendees, staff and volunteers in light of the release of the Epstein Files," he said. Keeping the list of banned entities private was likewise designed to ensure the safety of all staff and volunteers, and to protect the organisation from a legal standpoint.
A family-friendly event
The show, which is scheduled to take place July 25-26 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole in England, debuted in 2025, reportedly drawing close to 1,000 people to the inaugural conference. It is continuing the legacy of TetZooCon, a convention and conference dedicated to natural history founded by a palaeontologist and palaeoartist, which had a successful 11-year run.
DinoCon promises a family-friendly setting, offering "something exciting for everyone interested in dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, of all ages," according the show's website. On the agenda are "talks, discussion panels, presentations and book signings, as well as unique palaeoart workshops to learn how experts illustrate dinosaurs."
Such bans have yet to be publicly announced at academic conferences in the scientific community, although a number of scientists are facing public backlash after their names appeared in the files. While not everyone who is named has been implicated of any wrongdoing, the recent release of information has revealed that Epstein was quite involved with scientific research, beyond simply funding the proposals. According to the journal Nature, Epstein kept a list of prominent scientists and corresponded with a number of these researchers even after his initial 2008 conviction for sex crimes.
Source: Northstar Meetings Group