Tom's SciCast

Find out how the closed circulatory system and changes to the vertebrate heart helped them become the largest, fastest, most active, and among the most successful animals on the planet.

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Sometimes, I get riled up and strongly disagree with other scientists, including some paleontologists who don't think we are currently in the 6th mass extinction.  Sadly, the latest evidence clearly shows we are losing species like when the dinosaurs went extinct. I make my case for the dire threats to modern diversity. Warning: this is a hard podcast to listen to. 

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How did we get to our modern world teaming with plant and animal life? It was a long road taking billions of years and four key innovations along the way that paved the way for plants and animals.  

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Did you know plants can sense and respond to their environment! Far more than just passive observers, plants use many senses from detecting light, to water in their roots, and they even known when their leaves are being eaten. Follow along as I dive into how plants respond to their environment.

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Although species are fundamental to evolution, it has proven difficult to develop a single definition  we can use on millions of  organisms including plants, animals,  their fossils, or even asexually reproducing organisms. I discuss three different species concepts, why they work, and their limitations. Along the way, I talk about dancing male jumping spiders, lung-less salamanders, Dark-eyed Juncos. 

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Sometimes, teaching lessons  on plants is a "hard sell" for many students. So, I made this podcast explaining why plants are important for evolution, for ecosystems, for society, and even for own happiness. If it weren't for plants, the world would be really different!

Early in this podcast, I sometimes interchanged green algae with plants. Plants evolved from green algae sometime around 475 million years ago. I may have referred to ancient green algae as plants, I hope I'm not too confusing. Also, when discussing what makes plants unique, I intentionally left out alternation of generations. 

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Is evolution a fact or a theory? Why did Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection not only revolutionized science, but is also considered one of the most important theories in all of science. In this podcast, I explain how scientific theories have changed how we understand the universe and our place in it. I also discuss why many people do not believe in evolution and explain the evidence for it and why evolution by natural selection is a valid scientific theory. 

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There's a common pattern to the attacks on science, climate change is no exception. Sadly, ignoring science has serious consequences for society.

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Despite the overwhelming evidence, some people still debate whether the climate is changing or if humans are causing it. Tom Kennedy explains how we know the climate is changing and how we can rule out natural causes showing that humans are the cause of modern climate change.

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