The Common Descent Podcast

By Common DescentScience Education Natural Sciences Earth Sciences

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on Earth Sciences
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Typical duration
112 min
per episode
If it hooks
49%
finish an episode

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The Common Descent Podcast episodes

February 15 Episode 237 - The Dinosaur Renaissance
In the mid-to-late 20th Century, dinosaurs received a major makeover in their scientific and popular image. This episode, Riley Black takes us through the timeline of the Dinosaur Renaissance. We discuss some of the big scientific milestones and the various players which brought dinosaurs into their modern era, and we’ll explore the early signs and lingering notes of this historic shift.
In the news: sleepy jellyfish, fast mammals, bird beaks, and dinosaur diets.
Find Riley in these places:
https://rileyblack.net/
https://bsky.app/profile/restingdinoface.bsky.social
https://us.macmillan.com/author/rileyblack
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:07:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:53:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:43:30
Patron question: 02:56:25
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
3 hr 9 min
February 14 Pok-É – Giratina
Welcome ... to Pok-É!
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, so we’re picking some of our favorite Legendary Pokémon and speculating upon how they – or something like them – might evolve in real life, pulling inspiration from species throughout our planet’s history!
This episode, we confront the Renegade Pokémon. From what ancestors might we get a many-limbed monster from a parallel world? Our creature to create this time: Giratina.
Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Pok-É discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
More ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.
52 min
February 07 Pok-É – Lugia
Welcome ... to Pok-É!
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, so we’re picking some of our favorite Legendary Pokémon and speculating upon how they – or something like them – might evolve in real life, pulling inspiration from species throughout our planet’s history!
This episode, we set our sights on the Diving Pokémon. How might evolution produce a sea-dwelling bird with a knack for stirring up storms? Our creature to create this time: Lugia.
Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Pok-É discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
More ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.
59 min
February 01 Episode 236 - Chalicotheres
The Cenozoic Era was home to many unusual ancient mammals, but few so strange as the “gorilla-horses,” the ungulates that swapped their hooves for claws, chalicotheres. This episode, we discuss the features that make these animals distinct and which confused paleontologists for decades, and we go over what is known – and still unknown – about their evolution and lifestyles.
In the news: Let’s Botanize, Prototaxites identity, and giant kangaroos.
Find Let’s Botanize here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ben-goulet-scott/lets-botanize/9781635869040/
Book preorder promo: https://www.letsbotanize.org/preorder-promo.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:07:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:50:20
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:28:50
Patron question: 01:53:20
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 2 min
January 18 Episode 235 - Aquatic Plants
All plants need water, but some take it to the extreme. This episode, Dr. Aly Baumgartner joins us to explore the many life strategies of plants that live in the water. We’ll discuss the adaptations that allow them to lead an aquatic lifestyle, their evolutionary history as seen through genes and fossils, and the benefits that keep leading plants back to water.
In the news: fish diversity, ammonite survivors, gut microbes, and hiding dinosaurs.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:07:55
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:51:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:47:00
Patron question: 02:29:20
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 38 min
January 04 Episode 234 - Snails and Slugs
From deep-sea trenches to your home garden, gastropods (snails and slugs) are among the most diverse and successful groups of animal life in Earth history. This episode, we’ll explore what makes these animals distinctive, we’ll touch on their extraordinary fossil record, and we’ll investigate the many evolutionary experiments gastropods have undergone in their anatomy and lifestyle.
In the news: squishable ants, false saber-tooths, bee burrows, and baby ankylosaurs
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:43:55
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:40:10
Patron question: 02:10:25
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 24 min
December 31, 2025 End of the Year Q&A 2025
Happy New Year!
Please enjoy our annual question-answering marathon, now longer than ever! Thank you so much to everyone who listens, shares, and supports the podcast.
Check out our website blog posts and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
5 hr 52 min
December 21, 2025 Episode 233 - Flies and Mosquitoes
Of all the highly successful and capable flying insects in the world, few are as successful or capable as those in the order Diptera. This episode, we’re joined by special guest Brandon Strauss to discuss the distinctive anatomy and varied habits of flies, mosquitoes, and their many two-winged relatives. Then, we’ll peer into the past for a glimpse at the fossil record and dynamic evolutionary history of the group.
In the news: long-nosed crocs, river mosasaurs, stampeding sea turtles, and giant snakes
Find Brandon at punk_entomology on Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitch!
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:35
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:38:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:38:35
Patron question: 02:25:55
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 42 min
December 07, 2025 Episode 232 - Vertebrate Origins
Today, bony animals are some of the most diverse organisms on Earth, but it wasn’t always that way. This episode, we explore what features distinguish vertebrates from their closest relatives, and we dive into the abundant evidence from genetics, embryology, and the fossil record that gives us a glimpse at how our distant ancestors came to be.
In the news: swimming hands, early life, Dunkleosteus jaws, and Neanderthal noses
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:35
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:42:55
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:21:55
Patron question: 02:05:55
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 17 min
November 23, 2025 Episode 231 - Back to the Water (Secondarily Aquatic Vertebrates)
Nearly 400 million years ago, an unusual group of fish gave rise to the first land-dwelling vertebrates. Since then, their descendants have repeatedly moved back into the water. This episode, we explore the many ways these species adapt to the challenges of turning a terrestrial body into one that can survive at sea, and we investigate some of the most famous and confusing cases from the fossil record.
In the news: post-extinction oceans, croc eggs, damaged dino tails, and meat-eating dung beetles.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:45
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:15
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:31:35
Patron question: 02:30:30
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
2 hr 44 min