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Episodes
Join David and Will as they explore the paleontologists’ perspective on various topics in life and earth history. Each episode features a main discussion on a topic requested by the listeners, presented as a lighthearted and educational conversation about fossils, evolution, deep time, and more. Before the main discussion, each episode also includes a news segment, covering recent research related to paleontology and evolution. Each episode ends with the answer to a question submitted by subscribers on Patreon. New episodes with new topics every fortnight!
Episodes
Saturday May 14, 2022
Saturday May 14, 2022
Scavenging isn’t easy. There’s a reason most scavengers are only part-time carrion-eaters. But vultures are exquisitely adapted for a dedicated lifestyle of finding and feasting on carcasses, and as a result, they’ve made themselves invaluable members of ecosystems all over the globe. In this episode, we explore vulture evolution, their ancient history, and the adaptations that make them the world’s most famous scavengers.
In the news: insect wings, trilobite mating, a “small” sauropod, and post-Cretaceous plants.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:00
Patron question: 01:44:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Apr 30, 2022
Saturday Apr 30, 2022
It's an easy mistake to think of the Moon as a simple accessory to our planet, but the Earth and Moon are a close-knit pair, and the Moon influences everything from our tides to our magnetic fields to the brightness of our nights. All life on Earth has evolved in the presence of the Moon, and so life on Earth can't be fully understood without considering our cosmic companion. In this episode, we discuss how the Moon influences life past and present, and what we know about the deep history of the Earth-Moon relationship.
In the news: pterosaur colors, a glowing spider, deformed pollen, and a long-toed tetrapod.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:30
Patron question: 01:55:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
Saturday Apr 16, 2022
We talk about fossils a lot on this podcast – every episode, in fact – but we rarely take the time to discuss how fossils get the way they are. This is a crucial subject, because the fossilization process is a filter, and nothing comes through the filter unaltered, and many things don’t come through at all. In this episode, we talk about how fossils typically form, how we study this process, and why it’s so important for paleontologists to understand fossilization.
In the news: giant croc tracks, injured dino footprints, evolution in cities, and ancient snakey-ness.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:41:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:00
Patron question: 01:52:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Apr 02, 2022
Saturday Apr 02, 2022
Seahorses are very strange fish, with their upright posture, tube-like mouths, and various other unusual features. Along with their cousins in the family Syngnathidae, seahorses have been the subject of much research into how they came about their bizarre body plans and lifestyles. In this episode, we discuss a bit of what we know of how seahorses (and their relatives) do what they do, and how they came to do it.
In the news: trilobite predators, early jaws, de-extinction troubles, and spinosaur bone density.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:26:30
Patron question: 02:08:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Our highest-level supporters on Patreon get their own special mini-episode on a topic of their choosing! We released the first five in a compilation a while ago, and now that we’ve done five more, here’s another compilation for everyone to enjoy.
Special thanks to our Patrons for their generous contributions, and thanks also to our special guest, Laura!
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:15 Crinoids for Lewis
00:16:15 Acrocanthosaurus for Will
00:36:30 The Hadean for Jordan
00:52:30 Fainting Goats for Mike
01:12:30 Scabies for Andreas
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Mar 19, 2022
Saturday Mar 19, 2022
Every plant starts somewhere, and often that somewhere is inside a seed. Seeds are among the most diverse and important evolutionary innovations of plants, allowing species to survive, thrive, and travel between generations in extraordinary ways. This episode, Aly joins us to discuss how seeds do what they do, how seeds have evolved over time, and how seeds are invaluable resources for paleontologists seeking to understand plants of the past.
In the news: early octopus-cousins, early tuatara cousins, evolution of walking, and how sauropods moved.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:39:00
Patron question: 02:22:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Paleoartist Rob Soto has created some fantastic artwork for the podcast over the years. Most recently, for our Five Year Anniversary celebration, he produced our Five Year logo and a series of movie-poster-style depictions of famous fossil localities, all now available on our merch store!
In this special episode, we continue our Five Year celebration by sitting down with Rob to discuss his background in art and the process of creating the Art of Common Descent.
Find Rob online: https://linktr.ee/RaptorRobb
You can check out Rob’s art and other merchandise on our Zazzle store: http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
More music like this at http://ocremix.org.
Saturday Mar 05, 2022
Saturday Mar 05, 2022
Blood is nutritious, easy to digest, and not hard to come by, so it’s unsurprising – if a bit unsettling – that thousands of species have evolved a taste for the stuff. From birds to bats to bugs, the diversity of sanguivores includes a wide variety of body plans, feeding strategies, and unique evolutionary histories, all converging upon a similar set of behaviors and features honed for a diet of blood. Be aware, this episode is, at times, kinda gross.
In the news: a new spinosaur, a new pterosaur, a new abelisaur, and a new euphorbia.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:27:00
Patron question: 02:19:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Feb 19, 2022
Saturday Feb 19, 2022
None of us are alone. Like, in the literal, biological sense. Symbiotic relationships – close interactions between unrelated organisms – are a defining feature of life on Earth. Each of our bodies has its own share of parasites, hitchhikers, and tiny helpers, and some of the most prominent ecosystems on Earth function only by virtue of the symbiotic relationships at their foundations. In this episode, we touch on the incredible diversity and impact of symbiosis, and how the deep history of these relationships has created the world we know today.
In the news: sick sauropods, puking pterosaurs, jumping genes in snakes, and dino-eating crocs.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:24:30
Patron question: 02:05:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/
Saturday Feb 05, 2022
Saturday Feb 05, 2022
Episode 132 – Mary and Louis Leakey
Happy Darwin Day!
Mary and Louis Leakey are two of the biggest names in the history of paleoanthropology and human evolution, and they’re one of history’s most impressive scientific duos. In this episode, our special guest takes us through the tales of the Leakey’s most important scientific work, their personal lives, and the ongoing impact they’ve had on modern science.
Our guest this episode is Meredith Johnson, Communications Director at the Leakey Foundation and host of Origin Stories!
Learn more here: https://leakeyfoundation.org/category/origin-stories/
Follow the Leakey Foundation at @TheLeakeyFndtn
Follow Origin Stories at @OriginsPodcast
In the news: artificial intelligence meets fossils, red nectar evolution, arthropod nervous systems, and ancient human diets.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:08:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:27:00
Patron question: 02:08:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp
Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent
Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev
Follow and Support us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast
Instagram: @commondescentpodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com
Or send us physical mail at:
The Common Descent Podcast
1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165
Johnson City, TN 37604
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/