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PODCAST

The Common Descent Podcast

Join David and Will as they explore the paleontologists’ perspective on various topics in life and earth history. Each episode features a main discussion on a topic requested by the listeners, presented as a lighthearted and educational conversation about fossils, evolution, deep time, and more. Before the main discussion, each episode also includes a news segment, covering recent research related to paleontology and evolution. Each episode ends with the answer to a question submitted by

science natural sciences

All Episodes

01:11:03

Spotlight 2024 - Adele Pentland, Pals in Palaeo

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/03/06

Welcome to Spotlight 2024! In this series, we’re sitting down with our fellow paleo-podcasters to discuss Science Communication.In this first episode, our guest is Adele Pentland, host of Pals in Palaeo! Find Adele and Pals in Palaeo in these places: https://adelepentland.com/ https://palsinpalaeo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/palsinpalaeo/ https://www.instagram.com/palaeodel/ Connect with Common Descent: https://linktr.ee/common_descent Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus

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02:09:39

Episode 186 - Owls

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/03/03

Owls are among the world’s most iconic and charismatic birds, and they’re also among the most effective aerial predators. This episode, we’ll take a tour of the amazing adaptations that have allowed owls to achieve their modern diversity and worldwide range, and we’ll explore what we know – and what we don’t – about their evolutionary history.In the news: snake evolution, ancient polar life, dinosaur joints, and dragon teeth. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:10 Main

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02:16:50

Episode 185 - Cacti

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/02/18

Cacti are famous for their spine-shaped leaves, their water-retaining tissues, their green stems, and especially for being among the most well-adapted organisms on Earth for dry environments. This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Aly Baumgartner to discuss the diversity of cacti, their unique adaptations for an unusual lifestyle, and their mysterious evolutionary past.In the news: Stone Age jewelry, kelp fossils, long-jawed fish, and early trees. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News:

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01:54:36

Episode 184 - Richard Owen

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/02/04

A familiar name to modern biologists and paleontologists, Sir Richard Owen is famous for his pioneering work in the fields of paleontology and comparative anatomy, his contributions to public appreciation of biological sciences, and his often antagonistic relationships with contemporary scientists. This episode, we’ll explore Owen’s major scientific contributions and his long-standing reputation as a villain of 19th Century science. In the news: temnospondyl survivors, big sauropods, dinosaur

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02:24:28

Episode 183 - Feathers

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/01/21

Feathers are among the most diverse and complex forms of animal integument. Today, they’re exclusive to birds, where they can be found in a dizzying variety of forms and functions, and incredible fossils reveal even more diversity of feathers on ancient dinosaurs. This episode, we explore the features of modern feathers, the mysteries of feather origins, and the much-discussed question of which ancient animals were truly feathered. In the news: sturdy bird necks, giant worms, early photosynthesis,

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02:21:49

Episode 182 - Camouflage

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2024/01/07

Blending in with the surroundings is an incredibly useful habit. Even without evidence, this fact would be obvious from the sheer variety of organisms that do it and the vast diversity of strategies and adaptations they use. This episode, we look at what camouflage is and how it works in its many forms, and we explore how we can spot camouflage – and what we can learn from it – in the fossil record. In the news: curled-up trilobites, Antarctic octopus DNA, crab organs, and giant whales. Time

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04:23:42

End of the Year Q&A 2023

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/12/31

Happy New Year! It’s time again for our annual answering-your-questions marathon episode! Thanks to all our askers for a great set of questions! And as always, a huge thanks to all of you who have supported the podcast this year, whether you’re a top-tier Patron or a newcomer who’s just a couple episodes in. You make Common Descent possible. Now sit back and enjoy several hours of us rambling about whatever you asked about. Check out our website for blog posts and

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02:09:29

Episode 181 - Dragonflies

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/12/24

Dragonflies and damselflies are incredible insects. They are arguably the world’s most skilled fliers, arguably the world’s most successful predators, and arguably the best insects (so says David). Not only that, they and their ancient cousins have been abundant and successful aerial predators for over 300 million years. This episode, we discuss what sets these bugs apart from all the rest, we explore what’s known of their evolution from their surprisingly good fossil record, and of course we

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02:12:16

Episode 180 - Filter Feeding

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/12/10

Filter feeding is among the most widespread dietary strategies in the world. From tiny bivalves to massive basking sharks, animals have developed a vast array of convergent strategies for filtering tiny food particles out of the water. This episode, we discuss what it takes to be a filter feeder, why it’s so common, the various methods animals employ to make it happen, and how we try (sometimes successfully) to identify filter feeding in the fossil record. In the news: Thailand trilobites, mammal

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02:08:39

Patron Mini-Episode Compilation #4

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/12/04

Mini-episodes are rewards for our high-level supporters on Patreon, each one focusing on a requested topic for a specific Patron. From time to time, we combine a bunch of these and release them as a bundle for all our listeners to enjoy. Enjoy! A huge thanks as always to our Patrons for their kind and generous contributions to our education efforts. Intro: 00:00:00 Icarosaurus for Elizabeth - 00:02:25 Corvids for Stephen - 00:17:20 Thylacines for Traci - 00:40:45 Shrikes for Oscar -

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02:09:26

Episode 179 - Thermoregulation

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/11/26

If things get too hot or too cold, the crucial processes inside the cells and tissues of living organisms stop working properly, and that’s bad. So, organisms expend a lot of time and energy managing their body temperatures. This episode, we break down the familiar concepts of “warm-blooded” and “cold-blooded,” we discuss the many adaptations that animals use to manage the heat, we explore what evidence allows us to interpret thermoregulatory strategies in the fossil record, and we investigate what

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02:24:01

Episode 178 - Ears

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/11/12

Listen up! The world around us is full of sound, and animals have evolved numerous strategies for receiving and interpreting those sounds. In this episode, we discuss the many varieties of sound-sensing organs and how they’ve evolved repeatedly throughout life history. We’ll also explore some of the other important things that ears can do, including the ever-important task of maintaining our equilibrium. In the news: carnivorous lampreys, caterpillar legs, early dragonflies, and the sea star body

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01:01:11

Cute-E - Friendly Dragons

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/11/04

Welcome … to Cute-E! Every October during Spook-E, we have fun speculatively evolving monsters from myths and stories, but we leave out the cuddlier side of fiction. In Cute-E, we’re choosing kinder creatures and discussing how they – or something like them - might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from organisms of the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we snuggle up with the sweeter side of dragons. How might natural processes produce

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02:38:58

Episode 177 - Neanderthals

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/29

These days, we Homo sapiens are the only humans around, but that wasn’t always the case. This episode, we are joined by special guest Dr. Bridget Alex to discuss our most famous extinct cousins, Neanderthals. We explore what makes them similar and dissimilar to us, what evidence we use to study their lives and culture, and how our understanding of them has grown from outdated misrepresentations to the complex and fascinating people we now know them to have been. In the news: a fossil bat skull,

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44:23

Spook-E - Turtle Dragons

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/28

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we combine some disparate mythologies. How could nature give rise to a shelled wonder with a mixed reputation? Our creatures to create this time:

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57:50

Spook-E - Wyverns

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/21

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we investigate a modern favorite. How could natural selection give us a (perhaps) more reasonably shaped dragon? Our creatures to create this time:

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02:33:33

Episode 176 - Hadrosaurs

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/15

Hadrosaurs (the so-called “duckbill” dinosaurs) and their fellow ornithopods were among the most abundant and successful dinosaur groups of all time. This episode, we discuss their evolution and diversity, and we explore some of the most outstanding and unique features of the group, including their incredible fossil record, complex social behaviors, wacky head ornaments, and their truly incredible mouths. In the news: fluorescent mammals, snake tracks, leaf mining, and terror bird footprints. Time

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57:37

Spook-E - East Asian Dragons

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/14

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we travel to another part of the world. How could we end up with an elemental being that combines the features of many animals? Our creatures to

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01:05:07

Spook-E - European Dragons

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/07

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we start with something familiar. How might evolution produce a fearsome serpentine beast with four legs and two wings? Our creatures to create this

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01:55:56

Episode 175 - Plant Defenses

The Common Descent Podcast ·

2023/10/01

Plants are delicious, nutritious, and full of energy, so they’re prime targets for all sorts of herbivores, parasites, and pathogens. But plants aren’t just sitting passively accepting attacks, they use a variety of strategies to defend themselves, from the frustrating to the fatal. This episode, we’re joined by our favorite paleobotanist, Aly Baumgartner, to discuss the many ways plants defend themselves – physically, chemically, and beyond – and the fascinating evolutionary history of plant

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