The Common Descent Podcast

Viviparity is the reproductive style where embryos develop inside a parent’s body instead of inside an egg the parent lays. It’s a very familiar habit to us placental mammals, but it’s also an extremely widespread and diverse feature of life. Seriously, it’s ridiculous just how many times viviparity has evolved and just how many different ways species have found to be viviparous. In this episode we’ll answer such questions as: How and why does viviparity evolve? What features vary from one viviparous group to the next? And how do we identify viviparous animals in the fossil record?

In the news: army ants, oldest lizards, beaver families, and swimming dinosaurs.

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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

Built-in body armor is common among reptiles and rare among mammals, but armadillos are the major exception. Equipped with a full set of segmented armor over their heads, backs, and tails, armadillos have been waddling around well-protected for tens of millions of years, and their ancient relatives include some of the most famous and preposterous of extinct mammals. This episode, we discuss the unique features and fascinating history of armadillos, glyptodonts, and their other ancient cousins.

In the news: roots and extinction, new croc-like reptiles, early cooking, and giant turtles.

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The 2022 End of the Year Q&A Form is LIVE! Submit your question now!

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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

You might have noticed that over the last few decades, a lot of really exciting and famous fossil discoveries have been coming out of China. If you pay close attention, you might even catch that many of them are coming from the same place: the incredible fossil assemblages of the Jehol Biota. We’ve mentioned Jehol fossils many times on the podcast, but in this episode, we focus on the big picture: where do these fossils come from, why are they so incredibly well-preserved, and what are just some of the fascinating research questions we can answer by examining these amazing fossils?

In the news: bird evolution, dinosaur growth patterns, mammal speciation rates, and glowing scallops.

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The 2022 End of the Year Q&A Form is LIVE! Submit your question now!

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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

Look at the various animals on Earth – or rather, look just behind them – and you’ll see a vast variety of tails! Tails and tail-like structures are often simple extensions of the body, and yet they’ve been adapted and modified into many shapes with many functions, and because they’re often so important to an animal’s lifestyle, they can be especially useful for paleontologists trying to understand ancient animals. In this episode, we’ll discuss definitions, diversity, functions, and fossils of tails.

In the news: drought fossils, early fish jaws, early fish fins, and paleontology video games.

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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

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

October is here, and that means it’s time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from organisms of the real world. This year’s theme: monsters of Dungeons and Dragons.

This episode, we delve into a paranoia-inducing scourge of dungeons. What hypothetical natural scenario might cultivate a shape-shifting ambush hunter that disguises itself as inanimate objects? Our creatures to create this time: Mimics.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

And share your Spook-E musings on social media with the hashtag #SpookE

Check out our blog for podcast info, fan art, and more!

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast 

Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp

Follow and Support us on:

You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

October is here, and that means it’s time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from organisms of the real world. This year’s theme: monsters of Dungeons and Dragons.

This episode, we gaze upon something truly alien. Can we formulate an evolutionary path to produce a malicious floating orb creature that stares at the world through many eyes? Our creatures to create this time: Beholders.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

And share your Spook-E musings on social media with the hashtag #SpookE

Check out our blog for podcast info, fan art, and more!

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast 

Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp

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You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.

Stegosaurus is one of the all-time most famous and recognizable dinosaurs, but it wasn’t alone! Its whole extended family, the stegosaurs, were medium- to large-sized herbivorous dinosaurs sporting an array of plates and spikes. This episode, we discuss the diversity and deep history of stegosaurs, what we know of their lifestyles, and of course the big questions: just what were they doing with that ridiculous armor?

In the news: Moon impacts, bird brains, Jurassic vomit, and super-old algae.

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Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

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You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

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

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

October is here, and that means it’s time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from organisms of the real world. This year’s theme: monsters of Dungeons and Dragons.

This episode, we roll out a monster that’s tough to get grasp on. From where on the tree of life might we develop a many-limbed predator with a knack for fooling the eye? Our creatures to create this time: Displacer beasts.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

And share your Spook-E musings on social media with the hashtag #SpookE

Check out our blog for podcast info, fan art, and more!

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast 

Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp

Follow and Support us on:

You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

October is here, and that means it’s time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like it – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from organisms of the real world. This year’s theme: monsters of Dungeons and Dragons.

This episode, we play with a classic chimera. How might nature select for a beast that combines the fierce features of a bear and a bird of prey? Our creatures to create this time: Owlbears.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

And share your Spook-E musings on social media with the hashtag #SpookE

Check out our blog for podcast info, fan art, and more!

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast 

Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp

Follow and Support us on:

You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.

In our modern world, ants are so ubiquitous that it’s difficult to image our planet without them, so successful that they shape the environments around them despite their tiny size, and so diverse that we couldn’t possibly discuss even a small fraction of their diversity in this one podcast episode. We’ll touch on some of what makes ants unique, list a few of our favorite examples of modern ant lifestyles, and dive into what is known about their ancient history and evolution. Get ready for fire ants, bullet ants, dinosaur ants, hell ants, and more.

In the news: mysterious maybe-molluscs, giant otters, tuatara cousins, and fossil fish organs.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

Follow this link for a 30 day free trial to Audible!

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast 

Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp

Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Follow and Support us on:

You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com

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