In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Neil Shubin about the building blocks of life over billions of years. They discuss why the fossil record is so essential for understanding the history of the earth and for understanding the history of past and present organisms. They talk about the importance of the discovery of Tiktaalik. They also talk about the four arches that make up all heads within embryology along with the continuity that is seen with eyes and ears. They discuss Darwin's concept of "by a change of function," and the importance of embryonic comparison. They have a discussion on how DNA and genes are important for change of function, the sonic hedgehog gene, and the future of the human body. 

Neil Shubin is a Paleontologist and Evolutionary Biologist. He is the Robert Bensley Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and the Associate Dean for academic strategy of the Biological Sciences Division. His research focuses on the evolution of new organs and he and his team discovered the 375 million-year-old Tiktaalik fossil. He is the author of three popular science books: Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body, The Universe Within: The Deep History of the Human Body, and Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA. You can find his research and published works here. Twitter: @neilshubin

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