Episode 35 - De-extinction

It's time for another extinction episode!

Is extinction truly forever? Could something like Jurassic Park actually be possible? If so, should we do it? As we speak, there are scientists around the world working on the early stages of answering these questions, and in the process developing the very real science of De-extinction.

In the news: sea-going crocs, giant sea snakes, early baleen whales, and super-ancient viruses.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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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.

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

Episode 34 - Ancient DNA

Only a few decades ago, the idea of pulling DNA from long-dead organisms was the stuff of science fiction, but the field of ancient DNA is now totally real and thriving. In this episode, we discuss how we get DNA from ancient specimens and just a bit of the incredible world of information paleogenetics opens up for scientists.

In the news: Another ancient croc-cousin, human and sloth footprints, swimming human evolution, and the oldest wolverine!

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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.

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

Crocs vs Snakes - The Poll Returns

THE GREAT DEBATEIS BACK!

By popular demand!

Will and David agree on most things, but not this... Help us settle our long-running debate - choose a side!

Head to Twitter, Facebook, or Patreon and cast your vote!

And then, if you like, tell us what you really think...what's YOUR favorite group of animals?

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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.

Survey Response and Q&A

Thanks to everyone who filled out our Listener Survey!

In this bonus episode, we’re discussing the feedback we got on the survey and how we’re planning for the future of the podcast.

And then we’re answering all the wonderful questions you asked on the survey in an extended Q&A session! This starts about 20 minutes in.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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

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

Episode 33 - Ontogeny

Animals don’t start their lives as tiny copies of adults; there are all sorts of changes that a creature goes through from fertilization to birth and from newborn to mature. This development is called ontogeny. In this episode, we discuss how ontogenetic change impacts animals as they grow, what we can learn from these patterns, and how ontogeny can cause confusion in the fossil record.

In the news: colorful moth fossils, an enormous ichthyosaur, Neanderthals' strange faces, and sea turtle navigation.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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

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

Episode 32 - Naracoorte Caves, Australia

Over the past several hundred thousand years, Australia has witnesed numerous ice age cycles, ecosystems dominated by giant marsupials, the arrival of humans, the extinction of those giant animals, and more. And there may be no better window into this dynamic time period than the world-famous Naracoorte Caves of South Australia.

In the news: an infected dinosaur, humans' earliest steps in Canada, horny dinosaurs, and a four-eyed ancient lizard.

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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

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

Episode 31 - The Ediacaran Biota

Before life as we know it, and before even the Cambrian Explosion, there was a time when the Earth was home to an assortment of strange squishy creatures so unusual that they defy most of our best attempts at classification. This episode, we discuss life’s earliest experiments with complex bodies: the Ediacaran Biota.

In the news: the last pterosaurs, ancient lost tails, island spider evolution, and the legs of gators and crocs.

Please take our LISTENER SURVEY! https://goo.gl/forms/sY8YUr5cme59ORR03

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
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The Podcast music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Episode 30 - Prehistoric Poop

Everybody poops! Throughout the history of life on Earth, animals of all lifestyles have been littering the planet with little presents, and those few that fossilize become coprolites: unique time capsules that can serve as invaluable sources of information, not just on obvious stuff like ancient diets, but also about evolution, extinction, and more. This episode: we talk turds.

In the news: de-escalating plant evolution, reverse speciation in ravens, upside-down dinosaurs, and record-keeping giant sponges.

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http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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

Episode 29 - Placoderms, The Armored Fish

In the earliest millennia of vertebrate life on Earth, the seas were home to the placoderms, a diverse group of extinct armored fish whose evolutionary innovations set the stage for some of the most important features of vertebrate life. This episode, we talk about some of history's most influential placoderms, with a special spotlight on the most famous of armored fish, the giant predator Dunkleosteus.

In the news: asteroids and volcanoes, running lizards, Shawn's turtle, walking fish, and more on broken mastodon bones.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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

Episode 28 - Charles Darwin

Happy Darwin Day!
In honor of Chuck's birthday (Feb 12), we are joined this episode by Dr. Sarah Bray of the Discovering Darwin podcast, to chat about the man whose research and writings laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of biology and evolution: Charles Darwin!

In the news: orange crocs, insect evolution, and footprints at NASA!

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw

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