Evolution Talk

Evolution Talk episodes:

• 04.22.2024

  The Evolution of Consciousness - Part 2

  Do our thoughts serve a purpose, or are they just a byproduct of something deeper? Consciousness studies bridge the realms of philosophy and science. Are we truly aware, or is it all just an illusion? Please consider becoming a show...

  
• 04.08.2024

  The Evolution of Consciousness - Part 1

  In this episode, we delve into the mysterious world of consciousness, a mystery that resides within the depths of our minds. We'll explore the physical and philosophical...

  
• 03.25.2024

  AI - The Next Step

  In this episode, we dive deep into the astounding journey of technological evolution, from the Wright brothers' inaugural flight to humanity's giant leap on the moon, and onto the revolutionary frontiers of AI with ChatGPT. Let's contemplate AI's potential to...

  
• 03.18.2024

  Evolution Talk is Now on YouTube!

  I have some exciting news about the show. In addition to this podcast, which will continue with the help of our patrons at Patreon, I am going to produce a YouTube video show. This won’t be the audio from the...

  
• 03.11.2024

  Exploring the Depths of Evolutionary Psychiatry Part 2

  In this episode, we continue our exploration into the realm of evolutionary psychiatry, a field that seeks to understand the ancient roots of our modern mental health challenges. Are mental disorders "glitches" in our evolutionary programming, where ancient survival strategies...

  
• 02.26.2024

  The Foundations of Evolutionary Psychiatry Part 1

  Let's dive deep into the fascinating world of Evolutionary Psychiatry, building on our previous exploration of Evolutionary Psychology (from 100 episodes ago!). In that episode we compared the brain to an information processing device shaped by eons of evolution? Today,...

  
• 02.05.2024

  Evolution Talk Needs Your Help

  The "Evolution Talk" podcast needs your help! I have some great ideas for the show and for continuing to bring you free content. The truth is that the expense of keeping the show active and producing new episodes has become...

  
• 01.08.2024

  From A Warm Pond...

  Sagan once pondered, "How did the molecules of life arise?" This question, echoing through the annals of scientific history, brings us to today's episode. We've long understood the mechanics of evolution, but the origin of life itself remains a captivating...

  
• 01.01.2024

  2 New Projects

  I wanted to tell you about a couple of projects I have underway outside of the world of science that may interest some of you. One is a podcast, and the other is a YouTube channel, which may turn into...

  
• 12.11.2023

  The Case of the Missing Chromosomes

  Our story starts with cells.  Not our cells but the cells of our closest relatives.  The great apes. Within the nucleus of their cells the great apes have 24 chromosome pairs.  We have 23 pairs.  If we share a common...

  
• 11.27.2023

  Suboptimal Design

  Vestigial features and atavistic traits are all evidence of our past.  They are glimpses into a species distant past. We have nature and evolution by natural selection to thank for it. But nature’s not perfect.  It makes mistakes.   Evolution...

  
• 11.13.2023

  About Those Fingerprints

  When it comes to personal IDs, we have many.  There’s your driver’s license, passport, online username, among other human-made forms of proving who you are.  Then there are those that nature gave you that’s yours and yours alone.  Like your...

  
• 10.30.2023

  What's Old is New Again

  Attics aren’t the only places you’ll find old secrets from the past, begging to be rediscovered or let out. You have them in you as well. I’m not talking about the the type of secrets you keep to yourself and...

  
• 10.16.2023

  The Ants Have It

  Ants have mastered the art of cooperation.  They have highly organized social structures, caste systems, and with everything they do, they do for the colony.  They are in a sense, a superorganism with each ant contributing to benefit of colony,...

  
• 10.02.2023

  Reading, Writing, & Evolution

  Evolution by natural selection is not perfect, nor does it strive to be.  It doesn't strive to be anything at all.  An adaptation that is beneficial under one set of circumstances may be a detriment under another. There are also...

  
• 09.18.2023

  Playing Dead

  If you've ever heard the phrase "play possum", you may know it means to feign death. It's real thing. Possums do it, as do sharks, ants, and a multitude of other animals. It's a defense mechanisms shaped by evolution. Evolution...

  
• 09.04.2023

  Why Teach Evolution?

  With the start of a new season of episodes, I thought it appropriate to revisit why I created this podcast in the first place with the question - "Why Teach Evolution?" Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find links...

  
• 06.26.2023

  Summer Break

  It's time for a summer break.  There will be some exciting new video content coming up as well.  You can keep up to date on all that is happening at Evolutiontalk.com !   Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find...

  
• 06.19.2023

  Did the Homo Naledi Bury Their Dead?

  The Homo Naledi have been intriguing scientists since their discovery in 2013, challenging our understanding of early human life. In this episode, we explore the burning question: how did they end up in the incredibly difficult-to-reach Dinaledi chamber? From the...

  
• 06.12.2023

  Nature's Halloween Party

  Dive into the mysterious world of Batesian mimicry, where harmless creatures masquerade as dangerous ones to survive. Journey with us from Britain’s south coast, where hoverflies fool predators with wasp-like outfits, to the deceptive bands of the scarlet kingsnake in...

  
• 06.05.2023

  Gene Flow: The Recipe of Life

  When a vibrant caravan of travelers arrives with new foods, traditions, and stories, a sleepy hamlet's culinary landscape is forever altered. We explore how this 'mixing of recipes' changes the DNA menu of a population, much like the newfound dishes...

  
• 05.29.2023

  The Bone Wars

  Discover "Fossils, Feuds, and Fantastical Creatures: The Cope and Marsh Saga." Journey back to 1863 Berlin, where Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh kickstart a rivalry for the ages. Originally friends, their bond fractures at a New Jersey fossil...

  
• 05.23.2023

  Get 25% off the Evolution Talk Book until June 8!

  You can get 25% off the Evolution Talk book at Amazon!  The discount is good until June 8th.  If you buy one let me know what you think! Have a great week! Rick Link to Evolution Talk book: https://amzn.to/3MJTJ9h

  
• 05.22.2023

  Our Reptilian Brain?

  From the quiet roads of New Hampshire, where snapping turtles are more common than lizards, to the depths of our evolutionary past, we'll grapple with the idea that we may still carry a piece of our reptilian ancestors within us....

  
• 05.15.2023

  It's All One Song

  Using the metaphor of a simple beat evolving into a complex symphony, we explore how small-scale genetic changes within populations give rise to new species. From microevolution to macroevolution. Here, the role of natural selection is handed over to the...

  
• 05.08.2023

  The Grand Tapestry of Macroevolution

  In this episode, the focus is on macroevolution, which deals with larger scale evolutionary changes compared to microevolution. Macroevolutionary changes can give rise to new species, and its results can be seen in the fossil record. By piecing together fossils,...

  
• 05.01.2023

  The Dance of the Alleles

  The constant dance of microevolution is driven by alleles, different versions of genes that determine traits. Sexual reproduction results in organisms inheriting a unique combination of genetic material from both parents, creating genetic diversity within a population. New alleles can...

  
• 04.24.2023

  Where There Is No Light

  In 2015,a spelunker named Joachim Kreiselmaier discovered a troglobite, a species that lives in underground environments, in the Danube-Aach cave system in South Germany. This small, pale fish had an elongated body, large nostrils, and minuscule, non-functional eyes. It was...

  
• 04.17.2023

  The Galapagos & Adaptive Radiation

  On September 15, 1835, the Galapagos Islands welcomed the arrival of a ship that had traversed South America, offering a strikingly different landscape. The vessel, HMS Beagle, still had just over a year before it would return to England. Aboard...

  
• 04.10.2023

  Fact & Theory

  It can be straightforward to confuse facts and theories, but they remain distinct entities. Asserting that evolutoion by natural selection is not a fact does not diminish its significance as a theoretical framework. The theory is founded on empirical evidence...

  
• 04.03.2023

  What They Ate

  Our diet has a direct impact on our quality of life, and this fact is not new. Throughout the evolution of our species, food availability and our diet have been influential factors. The Hominin River has provided insights into the...

  
• 03.27.2023

  Hominins: The End of the Hominin River

  Our journey down the Hominin River in search of our ancestors and the evolution of our species has been extensive. Homo sapiens began exploring the world 300,000 years ago, and anatomically modern humans appeared 200,000 years ago. We, also known...

  
• 03.20.2023

  Hominins: Homo erectus and the Mystery of the 5 Skulls

  The discovery of a Homo erectus skull in 2005, known as Skull 5, marked a significant archaeological find. Among the five skulls found, estimated to be approximately 1.8 million years old, Skull 5 stands out as the most complete hominin...

  
• 03.13.2023

  Hominins: Homo habilis

  In 1959, a significant event took place when teeth were discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. These teeth were identified as belonging to a hominin species known as Homo habilis, which for decades held a special place as the first...

  
• 03.06.2023

  Hominins: Paranthropus

  Thomas Plummer, an archaeologist, had received information about the discovery of stone tools on the Homa Peninsula hillsides in Kenya. In an attempt to gain more knowledge, he initiated an excavation. However, instead of discovering more stone tools, he and...

  
• 02.27.2023

  Hominins: Lucy and the Australopithecus

  We’ve come quite a long way along the Hominin River.  We’ve passed tributaries and navigated some pretty large bends.  On the way we’ve heard rumors about what was ahead.  A name actually.  You’ll recognize her name because she's been mentioned...

  
• 02.20.2023

  Hominins: Ardipithecus ramidus

  Between 1992 and 1994, working in the Awash region of Ethiopia, the same region that Ardipithecus kadabba would be found a few years later, paleoanthropologist Tim White unearthed well over 100 specimens of something new.   What was it?   Evolution...

  
• 02.13.2023

  Hominins: Ardipithecus kadabba

  In the last couple of episodes we’ve met two early travellers along the Hominin River.  Today, we will meet yet another one.  This one lived approximately 5.5 million years ago.  It is know as Ardipithecus kadabba, and this is its...

  
• 02.06.2023

  Hominins: Orrorin tugenensis

  We continue with our exploration into hominin history by introducing one who once walked the earth six million years ago - the Orrorin tugenensis. It was bipedal, a mix of ape-like and human-like traits, and may be a direct ancestor......

  
• 01.30.2023

  Hominins: Sahelanthropus tchadensis

  We begin our exploration into hominin history with an introduction to what is arguably the oldest hominin fossil yet found.  Does Sahelanthropus tchadensis represent our earliest hominin ancestor or is it something else?    Evolution Talk is also a book! You...

  
• 01.23.2023

  Hominins or Hominids

  When talking about our ancient anscestors the question often comes up over how we refer to them.  Are they hominins or hominids?  It's a good question and it depends on how it is being used and what "hominid" branch is...

  
• 01.16.2023

  Walk This Way

  When did our ancestors descend from the trees and walk on two legs instead of four?  How exactly did bipedalism develop?  We have some ideas but that's all they are - ideas.  We may never know, but we can certainly...

  
• 01.09.2023

  Return of the Naledi

  Our study of the Homo Naledi continues to surprise us.  In December 2022, Professor Lee Berger announced yet another insight into the mystery surrounding the presence of the Naledi in the Rising Star Cave System.   Evolution Talk is also a...

  
• 01.02.2023

  A Spandrel in the Works

  In 1979 Stephen Jay Gould and genetecist Richard C. Lewontin presented the paper “The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme”.  What do spandrels have to do with evolution and biology?  Sometimes, things...

  
• 12.26.2022

  The Eclipse: A Watchmaker

  In Part 4 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at William Paley's watch analogy and how it evolved into another explanation for the abundance and intricacies of life around us.  Evolution Talk is...

  
• 12.19.2022

  The Eclipse: Mutationism

  In Part 3 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at "Mutationism".  Can a new species evolve in a single step or is it a series of gradual, accumulated changes as Darwinian evolution...

  
• 12.12.2022

  The Eclipse: Neo-Lamarkism

  In Part 2 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at "Neo-Lamarkism" as proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamark.  Proponents hoped it would push Darwinian evolution aside as the principal force behind the evolution of...

  
• 12.05.2022

  The Eclipse of Darwinism

  After Charles Darwin's death, the period from the 1880s to the 1920s is known as "The Eclipse of Darwinism".  Coined by Julian Huxley, it was a time where alternative theories to explain evolution sought to push Natural Selection aside.  ...

  
• 11.28.2022

  Speciation Pt. 2

  In this continuation of the look at speciation we began in the last episode, we will tackle some more "not so obvious" causes.   Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others...

  
• 11.21.2022

  Speciation Pt. 1

  It's been awhile since we took a look at speciation and its causes.  In the first of two parts we'll jump right in with Allopatric speciation.   Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find links to Amazon, Barnes &...