Evolution Talk
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Mutation Celebration Day
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Darwin's revolutionary observations of Galapagos tortoises and finches, explored how natural selection allows species to adapt over time. From...
Deception
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Challenging Mark Twain's assertion that "man is the only one that lies.", we discover that deception is a widespread evolutionary strategy employed by...
Animal Communication
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's enter the fascinating world of animal communication used by different species. We'll also touch on the evolutionary aspects of these communicati...
New Season - New Shows!
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The new season is about to kick and I'm really excited about it. I'm always looking for ways to expand the show's reach and science education, and t...
Island Laboratories
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The wonderful thing about islands is they continue to provide insights into the processes that shape life on Earth, reminding us of the incredible ada...
Symbiosis
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world where different species live in close partnerships, essential for their survival. Tune in for a journey through millions of years of e...
What Can Educators Do? Only A Theory Pt. 2
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest Blake Touchet from the National Center for Science Education joins the show to discuss what teachers and educators can do both in and ou...
Only A Theory Revisited - Part 1
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Blake Touchet from the National Center for Science Education joins me to discuss the age-old phrase that evolution is "Only a Theory". Please cons...
The Evolution of Venom
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From ancient Conodonts to modern-day rattlesnakes, venom has independently evolved in a diverse array of creatures including snakes, spiders, scorpion...
Bergson's Vitalism
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into Charles Darwin's theory of Evolution by Natural Selection and explore the alternative philosophical perspective of Henr...
The Law of Superposition
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The concept of superposition exists in both quantum mechanics and evolutionary geology. We start with the strange and counterintuitive wor...
The Evolution of Consciousness - Part 3
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if consciousness, much like the architectural 'spandrels' we talked about before, isn't actually crucial to our survival? Stephen Jay...
The Evolution of Consciousness - Part 2
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do our thoughts serve a purpose, or are they just a byproduct of something deeper? Consciousness studies bridge the realms of philosophy and science. ...
The Evolution of Consciousness - Part 1
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the mysterious world of consciousness, a mystery that resides within the depths of our minds. We'll explor...
AI - The Next Step
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive deep into the astounding journey of technological evolution, from the Wright brothers' inaugural flight to humanity's giant l...
Exploring the Depths of Evolutionary Psychiatry Part 2
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue our exploration into the realm of evolutionary psychiatry, a field that seeks to understand the ancient roots of our mode...
The Foundations of Evolutionary Psychiatry Part 1
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's dive deep into the fascinating world of Evolutionary Psychiatry, building on our previous exploration of Evolutionary Psychology (from 100 episo...
From A Warm Pond...
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sagan once pondered, "How did the molecules of life arise?" This question, echoing through the annals of scientific history, brings us to today's epis...
The Case of the Missing Chromosomes
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our story starts with cells. Not our cells but the cells of our closest relatives. The great apes. Within the nucleus of their cells the great ape...
Suboptimal Design
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vestigial features and atavistic traits are all evidence of our past. They are glimpses into a species distant past. We have nature and evolution by...
About Those Fingerprints
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to personal IDs, we have many. There's your driver's license, passport, online username, among other human-made forms of proving who y...
What's Old is New Again
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Attics aren't the only places you'll find old secrets from the past, begging to be rediscovered or let out. You have them in you as well. I'm not talk...
The Ants Have It
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ants have mastered the art of cooperation. They have highly organized social structures, caste systems, and with everything they do, they do for the...
Reading, Writing, & Evolution
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Evolution by natural selection is not perfect, nor does it strive to be. It doesn't strive to be anything at all. An adaptation that is beneficial...
Playing Dead
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever heard the phrase "play possum", you may know it means to feign death. It's real thing. Possums do it, as do sharks, ants, and a multitu...
Why Teach Evolution?
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the start of a new season of episodes, I thought it appropriate to revisit why I created this podcast in the first place with the question - "Why...
Summer Break
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for a summer break. There will be some exciting new video content coming up as well. You can keep up to date on all that is happening at...
Did the Homo Naledi Bury Their Dead?
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Homo Naledi have been intriguing scientists since their discovery in 2013, challenging our understanding of early human life. In this episode, we ...
Nature's Halloween Party
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the mysterious world of Batesian mimicry, where harmless creatures masquerade as dangerous ones to survive. Journey with us from Britain's s...
Gene Flow: The Recipe of Life
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a vibrant caravan of travelers arrives with new foods, traditions, and stories, a sleepy hamlet's culinary landscape is forever altered. We explo...
The Bone Wars
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Discover "Fossils, Feuds, and Fantastical Creatures: The Cope and Marsh Saga." Journey back to 1863 Berlin, where Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Char...
Get 25% off the Evolution Talk Book until June 8!
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can get 25% off the Evolution Talk book at Amazon! The discount is good until June 8th. If you buy one let me know what you think! Have a grea...
Our Reptilian Brain?
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the quiet roads of New Hampshire, where snapping turtles are more common than lizards, to the depths of our evolutionary past, we'll grapple with...
It's All One Song
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Using the metaphor of a simple beat evolving into a complex symphony, we explore how small-scale genetic changes within populations give rise to new s...
The Grand Tapestry of Macroevolution
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the focus is on macroevolution, which deals with larger scale evolutionary changes compared to microevolution. Macroevolutionary chan...
The Dance of the Alleles
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The constant dance of microevolution is driven by alleles, different versions of genes that determine traits. Sexual reproduction results in organisms...
Where There Is No Light
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015,a spelunker named Joachim Kreiselmaier discovered a troglobite, a species that lives in underground environments, in the Danube-Aach cave syst...
The Galapagos & Adaptive Radiation
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On September 15, 1835, the Galapagos Islands welcomed the arrival of a ship that had traversed South America, offering a strikingly different landscap...
Fact & Theory
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It can be straightforward to confuse facts and theories, but they remain distinct entities. Asserting that evolutoion by natural selection is not a fa...
What They Ate
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our diet has a direct impact on our quality of life, and this fact is not new. Throughout the evolution of our species, food availability and our diet...
Hominins: The End of the Hominin River
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our journey down the Hominin River in search of our ancestors and the evolution of our species has been extensive. Homo sapiens began exploring the wo...
Hominins: Homo erectus and the Mystery of the 5 Skulls
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of a Homo erectus skull in 2005, known as Skull 5, marked a significant archaeological find. Among the five skulls found, estimated to b...
Hominins: Homo habilis
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1959, a significant event took place when teeth were discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. These teeth were identified as belonging to a hominin...
Hominins: Paranthropus
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Plummer, an archaeologist, had received information about the discovery of stone tools on the Homa Peninsula hillsides in Kenya. In an attempt ...
Hominins: Lucy and the Australopithecus
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've come quite a long way along the Hominin River. We've passed tributaries and navigated some pretty large bends. On the way we've heard rumors...
Hominins: Ardipithecus ramidus
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Between 1992 and 1994, working in the Awash region of Ethiopia, the same region that Ardipithecus kadabba would be found a few years later, paleoanthr...
Hominins: Ardipithecus kadabba
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last couple of episodes we've met two early travellers along the Hominin River. Today, we will meet yet another one. This one lived approxi...
Hominins: Orrorin tugenensis
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We continue with our exploration into hominin history by introducing one who once walked the earth six million years ago - the Orrorin tugenensis. It ...
Hominins: Sahelanthropus tchadensis
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We begin our exploration into hominin history with an introduction to what is arguably the oldest hominin fossil yet found. Does Sahelanthropus tcha...
Hominins or Hominids
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When talking about our ancient anscestors the question often comes up over how we refer to them. Are they hominins or hominids? It's a good questi...
Walk This Way
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When did our ancestors descend from the trees and walk on two legs instead of four? How exactly did bipedalism develop? We have some ideas but tha...
Return of the Naledi
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our study of the Homo Naledi continues to surprise us. In December 2022, Professor Lee Berger announced yet another insight into the mystery surroun...
A Spandrel in the Works
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1979 Stephen Jay Gould and genetecist Richard C. Lewontin presented the paper "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique ...
The Eclipse: A Watchmaker
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 4 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at William Paley's watch analogy and how it evolved into another explanatio...
The Eclipse: Mutationism
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 3 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at "Mutationism". Can a new species evolve in a single step or is it a se...
The Eclipse: Neo-Lamarkism
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2 of a 4 Part Series on "The Eclipse of Darwinism", we take a look at "Neo-Lamarkism" as proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamark. Proponents hoped ...
The Eclipse of Darwinism
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After Charles Darwin's death, the period from the 1880s to the 1920s is known as "The Eclipse of Darwinism". Coined by Julian Huxley, it was a time ...
Speciation Pt. 2
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this continuation of the look at speciation we began in the last episode, we will tackle some more "not so obvious" causes. Evolution Talk is a...
Speciation Pt. 1
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been awhile since we took a look at speciation and its causes. In the first of two parts we'll jump right in with Allopatric speciation. Evo...
One Cell's Junk
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, ever since we first began to study and understand our cell's biology and the coding sequences of DNA, we saw bits and pieces that didn't ...
Orthogenesis
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1893, the German zoologist Wilhelm Haacke published Design and Inheritance. In it, Haacke introduced the concept of orthogenesis. According to ...
Gone Forever
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Consider this episode a memorial to the millions of extinct animals that once walked the earth long before we inherited it. Like fragments of novels...
Eureka Moments
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Great idea don't spring out of a vacuum, but they do sometimes seem to. In this episode we take a look at a few. For show notes and more, please ...
Evolution Talk - The Book
15 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Evolution Talk - the book is now available at your local bookstore! If you love the show, and have listened to the last 100 episodes this book is for ...
The Eggplant of Life
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What came first, the chicken or the egg? It's an age old question. How about another one? What stored genetic information first? DNA or RNA? ...
Bringing Back the Mammoth
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Colossal Biosciences hopes to reintroduce the wooly mammoth to the world, thousands of years after the last one walked the earth. If successful they...
A Gut Feeling
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Evolution by Natural Selection has assisted many amazing symbiotic relationships. Here's one you may not be familiar with, and which you're a partic...
The Immortal Gene
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1976, British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins published The Selfish Gene. It made exactly the splash he'd intended, but people were confus...
Hitting Replay
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Jay Gould once asked what would happen if the evolution of life on Earth were to take the same path if we had the ability to start it all over...
The Joy of Mutation
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world without mutants. I don't mean those super-powered heroes that populate the comics and movies from Marvel. I'm talking about you, me, a...
Jaws!
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just what does the act of chewing have to do with brain size and evolution? Perhaps nothing or everything. A team of researchers is helping us to ...
Love is Like... Hydrogen?
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has long been believed that an early oxygenation even gave rise to the eukaryotes. Perhaps oxygen had nothing to do with it. A castle deep beneat...
A Selection Strategy
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you were somehow in control of repopulating and regenerating an area that had essentially been wiped clean of life, how would you do it? With lim...
A Bit of Astrobiology
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do we find life in a galaxy, or galaxies, far far away while sitting here on Earth? It's not just by looking through telescopes or sending probes....
Carrion My Wayward Plant
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A friend of mine recently posed a question on his podcast about carrion plants. If you don't know what one is, the carrion plant emits an odor that ...
Artificial Selection
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We don't know why dogs became man's best friend, but we have some ideas. And those ideas take us back anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.They ...
Meet LUCA
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I want to introduce you to someone. Actually, this someone is a thing, and this thing wiggled its way through life between two to fo...
Cro-Magnon
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As a kid I was fascinated by the idea of cavemen. Of course, all I had to go on were a few poorly produced movies that depicted cavemen battling din...
The Cosmic Calendar
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many years ago, in 1977, astronomer and author Carl Sagan offered us the concept of a "Cosmic Calendar" in his book The Dragons of Eden. It's a fun ...
Dating Fossils Again
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to look at fossil dating again! The last episode mentioned two dating methods used to estimate how old the Homo Naledi bones found the Ris...
Homo Naledi 2020
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Quite a few episodes back, I produced a show that looked at a new hominin species discovered in 2013. This history-changing discovery happened when pa...
Evolution Does Not Produce Perfection
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Natural selection isn't perfect. It only cares that something works. If it works and is not harmful to its host, then that something is passed on. ...
Is Evolution Random?
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is more than random mutations when it comes to evolution by natural selection. You also have to look at other variables outside of a genetic mut...
Series 2 Update
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Please join me for a brief update on the show, it's future, and what you can do to help.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Evolution by Natural Selection is a beautiful theory. But as wonderful a theory as it is, it does have its detractors. One argument states that ev...
The Human Eye
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Evolution by natural selection can build complex features through small, incremental changes. But can it build an eye?
Denisovans
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Caves hide many things. Be it shards of glass, arrowheads... or bones. It's to whom these bones might have belonged to which often leads us on a p...
Survival of the Fittest Part 2
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Consider this a 'lost episode' of Evolution Talk. In it I talk with Stephanie Keep of BiteScis.org about the origins and misconceptions around the t...
Mary Anning
22 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1811 , or 1812, a young girl by the name of Mary Anning, along with her little brother, happened upon an incredible find while digging around the c...
Rosalind Franklin
08 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It's safe to say, and very few would disagree, that without Rosalind Franklin the double helix structure would not have been discovered when it was, n...
An Interview With Emma Darwin
25 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Way back in Episode 30 I stepped into a time machine and traveled back to 1869 in order to interview Charles Darwin. This time around I brought someon...
Convergent Evolution
18 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Convergent evolution has shown us that nature will find similar solutions under similar conditions. So too might it be on other planets. Life might no...
Cladistics
11 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A cladogram will show those animals that share similar form and structures. It's not about animals which have evolved from one another. In this episod...
An Interview With Jonathan Tweet
04 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Tweet has authored a very remarkable book for children. He wasn't just trying to make evolution and its concepts easier to understand for kid...
Are We Still Evolving?
28 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
There are some who say that evolution by natural selection, at least when it applies to you and I, is no longer a driving force. The argument is that ...
Your Brain
21 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of billions of years a small region of specialized cells began to develop sensory organs. These light sensitive cells slowly developed...
Homo Naledi
14 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013 a secret that had been hidden for hundreds of thousands of years in a South African cave was discovered. Bones... many bones. Upon inspection ...
The Evolution of Music
07 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Evolution Talk we take a look at some of the theories which have attempted to trace the evolution of music, from Charles Darwin to ...
Math and Maupertuis
30 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was fascinated with the origin and evolution of life. If there was a creator, finding the keys to his work had to in...
Coevolution
23 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Coevolution often involves an arms race. You have a predator and prey both upping the game. Like a bat and a moth. Each one trying to outdo the other....