The Common Descent Podcast

"Living fossils" aren't really a thing, not the way they're typically talked about anyway, and the term can be a source of debate among scientists and science communicators. In this episode, we talk about how this term is used and why some scientists defend it while others (including us!) aren't fans.

In the news: horned gophers, dinosaur eggs, giant eggs, and croc tracks.

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In light of current events, we invite you to explore these links to educate yourself, as we have been doing, about the subject of racial injustice:

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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

In the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia sits one of the most important, well-studied, and scientifically influential fossil sites in the world. The Burgess Shale not only provides us a glimpse into the tail end of the Cambrian Explosion, and not only yields tens of thousands of fossil specimens, but also includes some of the most exceptional fossil preservation of any fossil locality anywhere. This episode, we’ll dive into how it got that way, and what it has to tell us about some of Earth's earliest animal communities.

In the news: baby sharks, hungry dinosaurs, a pregnant ichthyosaur, and one dino’s last meal.

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In light of current events, we invite you to explore these links to educate yourself, as we have been doing, about the subject of racial injustice:

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

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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

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast.

This episode, we discussed Conservation Paleontology (Episode 8) with Dr. Rachel Short and Dr. Jeff Martin of Texas A&M University. 

You can find the video recording on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz

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

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

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast.

This episode, we discussed Paleopathology (Episode 84) with Laura Emmert of the Gray Fossil Site. 

You can also watch the video recording of this Live Chat on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

Start exploring vertebrate evolution and paleontology, and it won’t be long before you end up on the subject of teeth. These handy structures are enormously significant not only for the history of life, but in the study of it as well. In this episode we discuss what makes a tooth a tooth, how teeth came to be, and we muse at length over the incredible diversity and scientific usefulness of teeth.

In the news: dinosaur walking, gharial males and females, hurricane-induced evolution, and humans in Australia.

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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

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast.

This episode, we discussed Turtles with Dr. Steven Jasinski of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. You can find Steven on Twitter at @StevenJasinski.

You can also watch the video recording of this Live Chat on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

From massive Triceratops to tiny Psittacosaurus, few dinosaurs are as famous, charismatic, or commonly preserved as ceratopsians. In this episode, we’ll follow this group’s evolutionary journey from little bipeds to horned behemoths and discuss some of the biggest scientific questions about their history, their identification, and of course their magnificently adorned noggins.

In the news: the Tully monster, very strange mammals, dinosaur hunting habits, and the tail of Spinosaurus.

Please pardon our audio issues in this episode.

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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

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast.

This episode, we discussed Ancient DNA with Dr. Leigha Lynch of Washington University. You can find Leigha on Twitter at @PantheraLeigha.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:

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

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

In the South Pacific Ocean, there is a family of islands that have been isolated since the Cretaceous Period. New Zealand – past and present – has been home to some of the most unique and fascinating ecosystems on the planet, from its reptiles to its birds to its plants. This episode, we visit New Zealand and take a trip through the fossil and geology history that made it the wonderful place it is today.

In the news: lizard birth, Cretaceous shark extinction, traveling monkeys, and marine croc ears.

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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

We’ve discussed mass extinctions quite a bit on this podcast, and indeed we’ve devoted episode to four out of the famous “Big Five” that shaped life on Earth. This episode, we’re completing the set with the Ordovician mass extinction, the earliest of the five. As usual, we’ll explore what happened, who it happened to, why it happened, and how it left its mark on life on Earth.

In the news: ocean crocs, early archosaurs, ancient humans, and post-extinction lakes.

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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