The Common Descent Podcast

For tens of millions of years, North and South America were separate sisters across the sea, each with their own unique ecosystems. But around 3 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama brought the landmasses together and kicked off an incredible mass migration of life between the continents. Some species thrived, others suffered, and in the end the very ecosystem structure of both continents was drastically altered, setting the stage for the American wildlife we know today.

In the news: prehistoric parasites, early turtle evolution, teeth through time, and a surprising hominin hybrid. Also, a devastating museum fire in Brazil.

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Welcome to our Spotlight Series!

We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different invertebrate paleontologists about their research and other work.

It’s Episode 2, and we’re chatting with Adriane Lam to discuss her work exploring ancient oceans through tiny foraminifera (not technically invertebrates, we know…) as well as her efforts bringing scientists and science education to the public with Time Scavengers!

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

Welcome to our Spotlight Series!

We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! Across this 5-part series, you’ll get to know some paleontologists as we interview them about their research and their lives as scientists.

Our theme for this series is Invertebrate Paleontology.

In this first episode, we sit down with Dave Marshall to chat about his research on eurypterids (sea scorpions!) and his work creating and running Palaeocast, the Virtual Natural History Museum, and more!

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

It's a dinosaur episode! With their croc-like faces, their weird ornamentation, and their curious fondness for water, the spinosaurs are among the most bizarre and fascinating of all dinosaurs. In this episode, we introduce Spinosaurus and the gang and discuss why these dinos are so cool - and so controversial.

In the news: secrets of regeneration, a new pterosaur, a really old animal, and giant hunting insects.

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

There have been several times in evolutionary history where a land-dwelling group has transitioned to life in the water, but few have done it so successfully as the cetaceans. Not only are modern whales diverse and fascinating, but their ancestors have left behind an incredible fossil record of their transition into the sea. All that and more as we discuss the Evolution of Whales.

In the news: the evolution of ant castes, the strange skulls of aye-ayes, really old worms (maybe), and a shark turnover.

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Check out Will’s guest appearance on The Cruise Geeks podcast! https://thecruisegeeks.podbean.com/e/the-cruise-geeks-episode-26-geekettes-and-sharks/

Today’s Patron Question comes from Cheryl!

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The island of Madagascar, isolated from all other landmasses on Earth, hosts one of the planet’s most unique ecosystems. But it’s not just an interesting place today – the geologic and fossil history of this land is equally fascinating! In this episode, we take a tour through time, stopping off at some of Madagascar’s most magical moments to marvel at some truly unique and incredible assortments of life.

In the news: an early giant dinosaur, more on human origins, ancient fish appendages, and a baby snake in amber!

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

We just talked last episode about Speculative Evolution, so now is a great time to tackle another request we received: to talk about mermaids!

In this digression, we discuss these famous mythical marine creatures and do some speculating of our own. Could aquatic humans evolve? And if so, what might they really look like?

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

We just talked last episode about Speculative Evolution, so now is a great time to tackle another request we received: to talk about mermaids!

In this digression, we discuss these famous mythical marine creatures and do some speculating of our own. Could aquatic humans evolve? And if so, what might they really look like?

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The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

This episode, we’re discussing the fun and fascinating “What If” thought experiments of evolution. From fantastical fictional stories to unusual scientific hypotheses to just-for-fun artistic creations, speculative evolution is all about exploring the unseen (and maybe never-to-be-seen) possibilities of real biological science. We’ll touch on some of our favorite “hard science fiction” as well as how this style of creative thinking can contribute to the study of real living creatures of the past ... and beyond.

In the news: Native American dogs, Neanderthal hunting methods, mammal testicle evolution, and plant-induced insect development.

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

At long last, a plant episode!

Our friend Aly Baumgartner joins the podcast to teach us all about grass - it's not just part of the background! From humble beginnings during the Age of Reptiles, grasses have gone on to dominate global ecosystems (as well as human diet!) and continue to do so today. They are truly one of the most influential groups of life on Earth.

In the news: strange ancient reef fish, dinosaur tongues, a surprise extinct gibbon, and a history of primate claws.

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Follow Aly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kyrietree

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0