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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 is known about how these strategies have evolved over time.
In the news: soft robot echinoderms, bird tracks, taste evolution, and dinosaur eggs.
Time markers:
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more:
The End of the Year Q&A submission form is open! Submit your question here:
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here:
We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible: https://www.audibletrial.com/CommonDescent
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
By Common Descent4.8
728728 ratings
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 is known about how these strategies have evolved over time.
In the news: soft robot echinoderms, bird tracks, taste evolution, and dinosaur eggs.
Time markers:
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more:
The End of the Year Q&A submission form is open! Submit your question here:
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here:
We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible: https://www.audibletrial.com/CommonDescent
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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