The evolution of horses is a classic story, first because it is a beautiful example of evolution in the fossil record, and second because of how our scientific perspective of this story has shifted over the years. From the tiny forest-dwellers of the Eocene, barely recognizable as horse-relatives, to the mighty domesticated animals we know today, we’ll unpack what we know – and what we thought we knew – about horse evolution. In the news: dinosaur teeth, alligator tools, ancient embryos, and din...
Dec 15, 2019•1 hr 55 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Welcome to the world of Pokémon Paleontology! In this digression – by popular demand – we explore how the fictional world of Pokémon draws inspiration from real world science, particularly in regard to fossils and evolution. We’ll name our favorite fossil Pokémon, discuss Pokémon evolution, and point out where the Poké-science gets wonky. What’s your favorite bit of Pokémon science? We're doing another End of the Year Q&A! Submit your question here: https://forms.gle/E398RmMhGvaYHpz6A The Co...
Dec 08, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 110
Time for another extinction! This time, we’re discussing what might be the most ancient, most mysterious, and most catastrophic mass extinction event of all time. The Great Oxidation Event marks the turning point that set our atmosphere on course to its current oxygen-rich state and made the Earth hospitable for life as we know it … at the expense of all the life that came before. In the news: the largest ape, early pollinators, early birds, and early snakes. Time markers: Intro & Announceme...
Dec 01, 2019•1 hr 40 min•Season 1Ep. 109
South America today is home to some of the most incredible ecosystems on the planet, and its fossil record is even more varied and fantastic. In this episode, we explore the history of the continent from its early formation to its long Cenozoic isolation, and we’ll highlight some of the strangest ancient creatures – especially its bizarre mammals – that have called South America home. In the news: ancient ape locomotion, a Polish pliosaur, post-extinction Colorado, and one really old dinosaur. T...
Nov 17, 2019•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Aly's back for more plants! As our friend Aly is fond of pointing out, plants aren't just the colorful background of Earth history, they're dynamic and influential drivers of environmental change. And few plant innovations are more famous or important than the familiar form of a tree. For hundreds of millions of years, trees have formed the basis of many of our planet's most widespread and diverse ecosystems. In this episode, Aly takes us on a tour of tree history! In the news: more dinosaur air...
Nov 03, 2019•1 hr 56 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and we’re back with more Spook-E! Each week this month, we’re choosing a creepy creature and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: monsters of Greek mythology. In this final episode of this season, we take on the task of evolving the most famous of mythical hybrids. Can our evolutionary processes combine the traits of reptiles, mammals, and mo...
Oct 26, 2019•50 min•Season 1Ep. 106
The oceans of the Mesozoic were home to a lot of fascinating sea predators, but perhaps none weirder than the plesiosaurs. Four giant flippers, tiny tails, and heads that ranged from enormous death traps to tiny noggins atop ridiculously long necks; there’s truly nothing like them in the world today, which makes them quite the prehistoric puzzle. In this episode, we’ll discuss what we know about them and what questions remain unanswered. In the news: sauropod beaks, croc snouts, the last mammoth...
Oct 20, 2019•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and we’re back with more Spook-E! Each week this month, we’re choosing a creepy creature and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: monsters of Greek mythology. This episode, we tackle the great monster of Lerna. How can we use nature's toolkit to evolve a poisonous lake-dwelling beast whose multiple heads constantly grow back? Our creatures to...
Oct 19, 2019•50 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and we’re back with more Spook-E! Each week this month, we’re choosing a creepy creature and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: monsters of Greek mythology. This episode, we're talking about Medusa and her kin. How could natural selection produce a serpentine humanoid with snakes for hair and a gaze that turns people to stone? Our creatures...
Oct 12, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 103
During the Cretaceous Period, North America flooded. The entire middle section of the continent was submerged, creating an inland sea that stretched from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and hosted a unique and fascinating underwater ecosystem. Not only that, but it split west from east, creating two distinct "subcontinents." In this episode, we explore how this sea came to be, what lived within it, and what effect it had on land ecosystems of the time and the fossil record they left behind. In ...
Oct 06, 2019•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and we’re back with more Spook-E! Each week this month, we’re choosing a creepy creature and discussing how it – or something like – might evolve biologically, pulling inspiration from critters of the real world. This month’s theme: monsters of Greek mythology. This episode, we turn to the multitude of stories about winged bird-like humanoids. How do you evolve something with wings and claws, a human face, and a penchant for thievery? Our crea...
Oct 05, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 101
With all the incredible diversity of life, it’s fascinating how often evolution repeats itself. The fossil record and the modern world are full of signs of this pattern of convergent evolution – similar pressures drive organisms to similar features and lifestyles. In this episode, we’ll talk about what exactly convergent evolution entails, share some of our favorite examples, and talk about how things can get a bit confusing. Did we mention your favorite example of convergent evolution? In the n...
Sep 22, 2019•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 100
It’s dinosaur time again! This episode, the spotlight is on the “living tanks” of the Mesozoic, the armored ankylosaurs. These impressive creatures were covered head to tail in dazzling armor that puts most other fortified animals to shame. We’ll discuss what exactly they may have been doing with that armor and how they fit into dinosaur-filled ecosystems. Oh, and we’ll talk about those tail clubs, too. In the news: shark-bitten whales, an early hominin skull, “killer” claws, and pterosaur poop....
Sep 08, 2019•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 99
If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance you’re using one of the most incredible tools in the animal toolkit: the eye! In this episode, we discuss what’s known – and what’s suspected – about the incredible evolutionary history of the eye. How many types of eyes are there? What is an eye, anyway? Just how difficult is it to evolve something so intricate and complex? All this and more! In the news: a giant parrot, a giant penguin, ancient RNA, and crinoid rafts. Time markers: Intro &...
Aug 25, 2019•1 hr 38 min•Season 1Ep. 98
We were in southern California for NAPC recently, so we sat down with a bunch of the crew from La Brea to get some insights into their work, their history, and their favorite things about the site. In this audio, you’ll hear from: Dr. Emily Lindsey, Assistant Curator and Excavation Site Director Dr. Mairin Balisi, NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow Laura Tewksbury-Wall, Senior Preparator Sean Campbell, Preparator Connie Clarke, Preparator Students from the La Brea Tar Pits Field School Thanks to e...
Aug 11, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 97
How odd that one of the world’s richest and most famous fossil sites isn’t on a mountain or in a desert, but in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. In this episode, we’ll dive into the history of the La Brea Tar Pits, explore how the site came to be, and give just a taste of the staggering diversity of fossil finds that fuel research into the latest chapters of the Ice Age. Also, we’ll explain why “tar pits” isn’t really a great name for them. In the news: a Cambrian Millennium Falco...
Aug 11, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 96
This episode, we take a deep dive into the evolutionary story of Earth’s largest land mammals. Extinction has left us with only three elephant species today, but for tens of millions of years their extended family, the proboscideans, came in many weird and wondrous forms, from mammoths to mastodons to shovel-tuskers and more. In the news: clam secrets, weird bird feet, surprise Greek humans, and early hominin breastfeeding. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:30 Main di...
Jul 28, 2019•2 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 95
It’s Episode 65, and you know what that means … extinction! This time, we address the ancient and confusing Late Devonian extinction. This is traditionally considered one of the “Big 5,” but it doesn’t seem to be “one” extinction at all. Geologists and paleontologists continue to work at piecing together the various causes and consequences that create an extended series – several millions years long – of very unfortunate events that altogether comprise one of the worst biological crises in Earth...
Jul 14, 2019•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Featuring paleoartist and herpetologist Gabriel Ugueto! Follow Gabriel on Twitter (@SerpenIllus) or at his website, gabrielugueto.com , and listen to his herpetology podcast: squamatespod.com Can you picture paleontology without … pictures? For about as long as people have been digging up fossils, some have tried to recreate ancient organisms through art. Paleoartists combine artistic talents with detailed knowledge of life past and present to create their best hypotheses about the appearance of...
Jun 30, 2019•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Part 5 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists? This episode, the latest installments: Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) The Co...
Jun 29, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Part 4 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists? This episode, Kong in the 21st century: King Kong (2005) and Kong: Skull Island (2017) The Common Desce...
Jun 22, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 91
The history of animal life on Earth has been shaped by sex. The struggle to reproduce puts unique evolutionary pressures on species which affect their behavior and even their physical form. Sexual selection is immensely important but trying to sort out the side effects of sex in the fossil record is notoriously tricky. In the news: giant beavers, croc metabolism, schooling fish, and another new croc. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:...
Jun 16, 2019•1 hr 54 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Part 3 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists? This episode, we’re talking about kaiju in general, with special focus on Cloverfield (2008) and Pacifi...
Jun 15, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Part 2 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists? This episode, a new monster is born: Gojira (1954) The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://...
Jun 08, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 88
When it comes to exceptional forms of preservation, it’s hard to beat amber. These fossilized chunks of tree resin have provided some of the most incredible ancient remains ever found. In this episode, we’ll discuss how amber forms and where the most famous amber deposits are, and we'll just scratch the surface of the astonishing diversity of amber-enclosed treasures that teach us so much about ancient ecosystems. In the news: dinosaur baby steps, ancient red mice, tip-toeing sauropods, and real...
Jun 02, 2019•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Part 1 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, centering around two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists? This episode, we begin where it began: King Kong (1933). The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://z...
Jun 01, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 86
It’s easy to see how fossils can teach us what ancient animals looked like, or how they evolved. But what about the ways they moved, ate, socialized, reproduced? In this episode, we explore the innovative ways paleontologists have devised to interpret the behavior of ancient animals. From their bones, their tracks, their living relatives, and modern clever experimentation, we can come to understand more than you’d ever imagine about behavior in the fossil record. In the news: a Denisovan jaw, a ...
May 19, 2019•1 hr 51 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Turtles are so weird and wonderful. They're unlike any other living reptiles, mostly because they've turned their entire torso skeleton into an armor-home. A glimpse into the fossil record reveals that they've been this way for more than 200 million years. And yet, with all our data on living and extinct turtles, they remain one of the most mysterious and confusing living vertebrate groups. Here's an episode about all of that. In the news: death rolls, one huge predator, one weird crab, the Gray...
May 05, 2019•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Many groups of life have conquered the land and water, but only four times in evolutionary history has life taken to the air. The most recent group to achieve flight are bats. Their combination of flight and advanced echolocation have earned them an incredible diversity, a worldwide distribution, and a deep-seated place in human culture, but their evolutionary history is a long-standing mystery, and their fossil record is nearly non-existent. But that's not going to stop us from geeking out abou...
Apr 21, 2019•1 hr 59 min•Season 1Ep. 83
It was the late 1800s, and paleontology was just getting started in the Americas. Two prolific and passionate scientists, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, among the earliest prominent fossil researchers on the continent, struck up a legendary rivalry. Their battles took place in the field and in the literature, and over three decades they engaged in some of the nastiest and most petulant quarreling in scientific history. This infamous era in early paleontology became known as The B...
Apr 07, 2019•1 hr 57 min•Season 1Ep. 82
