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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
Sunday Jun 03, 2018
Sunday Jun 03, 2018
In this episode, we’re examining the incredible formation of reefs! Not just coral – reef systems have been built by many different organisms over Earth history, and we’ll be touching on the details of these essential harbors of biodiversity: past, present, and prospects for the future.
In the news: bone-crushing dogs, ancient global warming, a tick in a web, and how birds bounced back.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:11:30
Patron question: 01:46:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Friday Jun 01, 2018
Friday Jun 01, 2018
Part 1 of 5!
By the end of June, there will be five Jurassic Park films! So for each of the five Saturdays this month, we’re re-watching all of the movies and chatting about the science in a series of “science reviews.” How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists?
This episode, we start at the beginning: Jurassic Park (1993).
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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.
Sunday May 20, 2018
Sunday May 20, 2018
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.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:07:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:08:00
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Sunday May 06, 2018
Sunday May 06, 2018
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!
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:31:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 00:56:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Tuesday May 01, 2018
Tuesday May 01, 2018
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?
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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.
Sunday Apr 29, 2018
Sunday Apr 29, 2018
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.
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Sunday Apr 22, 2018
Sunday Apr 22, 2018
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.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:30:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:08:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Saturday Apr 07, 2018
Saturday Apr 07, 2018
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.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 00:57:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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/
Sunday Mar 25, 2018
Sunday Mar 25, 2018
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.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:30
Main discussion: 00:31:30
Please take our LISTENER SURVEY! https://goo.gl/forms/sY8YUr5cme59ORR03
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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.
Sunday Mar 11, 2018
Sunday Mar 11, 2018
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.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:00
Main discussion: 00:37:30
Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
Follow and Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast/
PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2
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.