The Common Descent Podcast

When we study life, past or present, we talk a lot about species, their evolution, their diversity, their extinction, and more. But we don’t often slow down to discuss what we really mean by that. What is a species? How and where do new species arise? It turns out this topic is much more complicated – and controversial! – than it may seem. In this episode, we’ll touch on the basics and discuss why scientists get so worked up about species and speciation.

In the news: a glass-ified brain, a Cretaceous croc, a long walk, and a sensitive dinosaur.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

We were featured on Pallet University, talking about science and Pokémon! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noKhRDVa03o

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

Follow and Support us on:

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.

It’s October once again and time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: sea monsters.

This episode, we tackle a particularly prevalent body shape among sea monsters. How might evolution produce an ocean full of enormous slithery beasts fit for sailors’ nightmares? Our creatures to create this time: sea serpents.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

It’s October once again and time for Spook-E! Each episode throughout this month, we’re choosing a monster and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: sea monsters.

This episode, we discuss one of the most famous fictional sea creatures of all. How might natural selection give us a ship-wrecking cephalopod of titanic proportions? Our creature to create this time: the Kraken.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Okay, that’s not a great title. More accurately, we’re discussing toxins, the substances that organisms produce for chemical defense or attack against each other. Toxins are found in practically all living things, they function as part of immune systems, poisonous defenses, and predatory venom, and they have all sorts of amazing effects from discomfort to death. In this episode, we’ll touch on who has them, what they do, and what we know about the long, complex evolutionary history of venom and biological poison.

In the news: Spinosaurus teeth, an overlooked extinction, bird beaks, and Neanderthal DNA.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Marsupials are like alternate-reality mammals. Everything about them, from their skeletons to their reproductive strategies, is just a bit strange – from the perspective of us placental mammals, that is! But you can’t argue with results, and marsupials include some of the most fascinating mammals of the past and present. In this episode, we track the long evolutionary journey that gave the modern world its kangaroos, koalas, possums, opossums, and more.

In the news: air-breathing sea scorpions, fish bone evolution, mastodon migrations, and burrowing dinosaurs.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

If you missed our DragonCon presentations, find them here:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

This episode marks the end of our extinction series, but on the bright side, Aly’s here!

Most of the extinction events we discuss are very animal-focused, but the end of the Carboniferous Period featured one of history’s worst plant extinctions. This event wiped out the famous ecosystems of the Carboniferous, reshuffled ecosystems, and ushered in a more familiar world of plants. In this episode, as usual, we discuss what happened, why, and how it impacted the world.

In the news: a croc-bitten sloth, a dinosaur embryo, dinosaur dimorphism, and ancient hibernation.

Time markers:

Follow Aly on Twitter (@kyrietree) or Instagram (@paleolorax)

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Dogs are among the most diverse and successful mammalian predators on the planet, from widespread wild predators like wolves to the most iconic domestic species of all time in our own homes. This episode, we look at what makes dogs unique, where they got their start, what their fossil history has looked like, and finally how one species ended up being among the most widespread species on Earth.

In the news: hell ants, weird reptiles, dinosaur cancer, and “super-crocs”

Time markers:

Listen to our guest appearance on Ask a Scientist! Thanks to Victoria for inviting us! https://askascientistpod.com/

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Cats are among the most diverse and successful mammalian predators on the planet, from lions on the savanna to ocelots in the jungle to domestic cats in homes and homepages worldwide. This episode, we look at what makes cats unique, where they got their start, what their fossil history has looked like, and finally how one species ended up being among the most widespread species on Earth.

In the news: African and American crocs, ancient owls, Fiji pigeons, and prey-breaking snakes.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Everybody starts somewhere, and most animals start inside an egg! Eggs are about as old and as varied as animal life itself, and when they show up in the fossil record, they can be very telling. In this episode we discuss what goes inside an egg, what makes them so special and useful, and what we can learn from their patchy fossil record.

In the news: early archosaurs, more on Dilophosaurus, Microraptor feathers, and a large dolphin.

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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

Roughly nine out of ten living amphibian species are frogs. They’re incredibly diverse and successful, and they have been since the Jurassic Period. But the origins of frogs and their fellow modern amphibians is shrouded in mystery. In this episode, we discuss what makes frogs special, what their fossil record looks like, and what paleontologists know and don’t know about the earliest evolution of modern amphibians.

In the news: colorful insects, salamander evolution, saber-toothed marsupials, and venomous caecilians?

Time markers:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Follow and Support us on:

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