Palaeo After Dark
Episodes
Podcast 145 - Bones and Hard Parts
16 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that deal with the origins of biomineralization (how living things make hard minerals to serve as skeletal structures). ...
Podcast 144 - Return to the Sea
02 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that investigate the ways that tetrapods return to the sea. It's another opportunity for Amanda talk at length about her...
Podcast 143 - Squamate Talk
19 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it has finally come to this. After almost 150 episodes under our belts, we've finally produced a podcast where almost no one read any of the pap...
Podcast 142 - The LDG
05 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look at the origins of the latitudinal diversity gradient, the tendency for higher species diversity in the tropics...
Podcast 141 - Save the Weasels
22 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look at the effects of climate change on cold adapted species, as well as the possibility of evolutionary rescue as...
Podcast 140 - Staying on Ecomorphic Brand
08 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang returns to a favorite topic, the link between morphology and ecology. Specifically, they look at two studies that use the morphology of ammon...
Podcast 139 - Whales and Birds Suck
24 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers on suction feeding among tetrapods, the process by which animals take in water to pull food into their mouths. Specifica...
Podcast 138 - Cambrian Food
10 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that use various lines of evidence to try to determine what Cambrian animals (particularly trilobites) might have eaten. W...
Podcast 137 - Sloth vs Sloth
27 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss several papers that detail the changes necessary for a terrestrial tetrapod to transition into aquatic marine lifestyle. They focu...
Podcast 136 - The Haunted Podcast Returns
13 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses coprolites (fossil feces) and the interesting information that we can glean from them. Specifically, they talk about two papers whi...
Podcast 135 - Competing Convergences
29 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses a few papers that illustrate how different evolutionary processes can generate very similar morphological structures. Yes, we're ta...
Podcast 134 - Training Fish in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber
15 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look how the environmental stresses caused from warming temperatures can affect fish. Specifically, we look at a p...
Podcast 133 - Long-Standing Pathologies
01 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses the various ways that injuries and diseases can be preserved in the fossil record, as well as the information these pathologies can...
Podcast 132 - We've Been Doing This For Five Years
18 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang spends their 5th anniversary podcast discussing the evolution and distribution of early tetrapods. So basically, we messed up. But at least y...
Podcast 131 - Would Sauropod Ribs Be Tasty?
04 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look at the complex evolutionary history of sauropod dinosaurs. In particular, these papers try to determine how sa...
Podcast 130 - Trace Fossil Diversity is Over 9000
18 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that use ichnology (the study of traces left by animals) as evidence for biological diversity in regions where body foss...
Podcast 129 - Curt Made Us Talk About Exaptation
04 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss a recent paper which suggests that pollinating butterflies and moths may have evolved well before the evolution of flowering plants (...
Podcast 128 - Conservation Paleoecology
21 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang talks about conservation paleoecology; the study of the fossil record to inform modern conservation efforts. Specifically, they look at two ...
Podcast 127 - Let's Just Talk About Birds
07 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The gang celebrates the new year by just talking about birds. Specifically, they look at two papers that use the evolutionary history of birds to expl...
Podcast 126 - The People of Minneapolis VS The Alchemist
24 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang celebrates the end of the year by taking another break to play Fiasco, a crime/noir storytelling game by Bully Pit Games. A lone figure stand...
Podcast 125 - Feeling Isolated; Biogeography and Evolution
10 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that investigate the impact that the geographic occupation of a species has on its evolution, both in the distant past a...
Podcast 124 - A Second Opinion
26 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that complicate our understanding of some important fossils. Specifically, we focus on abiotic "stromatolites" and crypt...
Podcast 123 - Periodicity of Extinction
12 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers with differing opinions about whether or not extinction events in the fossil record follow a periodic pattern. Also, Ja...
Podcast 122 - GSA 2017; We Have a Fridge
29 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
James and Curt are joined by friends of the show Brendan and Carlie to discuss the talks presented at the Geological Society of American annual meetin...
Podcast 121 - Reconstructing the Niche
15 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that use fossil evidence to determine the past ecology and niche-space of past organisms, specifically dodos and hyenas....
Podcast 120 - Something Something Convergence
01 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that deal with different examples of convergence. The first discusses how brood parasite female cuckoos m...
Podcast 119 - Dimorphic Dinosaurs
17 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look at the complex issues surrounding the identification of sexual dimorphism in archosaurs (e.g. birds, dinosaurs...
Podcast 118 - Dealing with Problematica
03 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that attempt to resolve the taxonomic placement of animals with complex or confusing morphologies. Also, they somehow go ...
Podcast 117 - Hero Terrapins and Fighting Frogs
20 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that study how the geographic ranges of turtles and frogs changed through time, and how these changes affected their ecol...
Podcast 116 - Changing Relationships; Dinosaurs and Marsupials
06 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that offer new evidence which re-contextualizes our understanding of the evolutionary history of two important Mesozoic gr...
Podcast 115 - Amanda Now Wants Tiny Whales to be a Thing
23 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that discuss the methods we use to determine how different things are from each (i.e. disparity). In particular, do variat...
Podcast 114 - Trilobites; Mice of the Paleozoic
09 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that describe the life strategies of trilobites, a diverse and charismatic group of extinct arthropods. Specifically, they...
Podcast 113 - What's In a Bauplan
25 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss the concept of the body plan, or "bauplan", and what it means for our understanding of evolution. When in the evolutionary history o...
Podcast 112 - How Specialized Are Specialists?
11 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that use biogeochemical evidence to determine the diets of two specialist species. Just how restricted are the diets of th...
Podcast 111 - Giant Killer Birds
28 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that use fossil evidence to determine how terror birds moved. Were they lumbering giants or fast sprinters? Also, James ...
Podcast 110 - Maneater
14 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two papers that show how diet can impact stress, strain, and wear patterns of the tooth and jaw, specifically on therizinosaur dinosa...
Podcast 109 - Dead Squids and Graptolites
30 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two papers that use modern decay experiments to determine how decay can affect our understanding of the evolution ...
Podcast 108 - Homology Party
16 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang decides to go back to some old papers they enjoy to discuss the concept of homology. What do we really mean when we say cert...
Podcast 107 - A Very Fishy Podcast
02 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang talks about two papers that detail the ecology and evolution of some early fishy vertebrates. Can we tell what early coelacanth fish might ha...
Podcast 106 - A Bunch of Living Fossils; Four Years of Podcasting
19 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang celebrates four years of podcasting with a lengthy discussion about living fossils. What do we mean when we use the term living fossil, and c...
Podcast 105 - We'll Meet Again
05 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses extinction rates to determine if we are in a sixth mass extinction (spoilers we very much are). Also, Curt decides to refocus the p...
Podcast 104 - Organisms Affect The Global Climate; The Great Oxidation Event
19 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang steps out of their comfort zone to discuss the changes in the ancient atmosphere that resulted in the Great Oxidation Event. Meanwhile, Amand...
Podcast 103 - History Repeats; In Which the Gang Fails to Learn From Previous Attempts At Talking About Odd Cambrian Animals
05 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses how exceptional fossil preservation can change our understanding of ancient life, focusing specifically on two new studies that off...
Podcast 102 - The Feather That Broke The Podcast's Back
22 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Curt thought that a simple podcast about preserving color patterns in feathers would be fun. Little did he know, this decision would end up pushing t...
Podcast 101 - Sucky Whales
08 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We celebrate the New Year by having a discussion about the evolution of feeding strategies, in particular sucking whales. Also, Amanda is a bad "paren...
Podcast 100 - Too Much to Bear
25 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang celebrates their 100th episode by taking a break and playing Fiasco, a crime/noir storytelling game by Bully Pit Games. A fluorescent mote...
Podcast 99 - How Not To Be Seen; Camouflage and Evolution
11 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two papers that look at the ecological and evolutionary impacts of animal camouflage. Also, James finds his true c...
Podcast 98 - When the Mammal Extinctions Are
27 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Editor's Note: Skip to 13 minutes in if you only want to get to the science. I didn't have the heart to cut the intro down In this episode, we eventua...
Podcast 97 - Big Heads
13 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers about archosaur heads, one of which is actually about archosaurs with big heads. Also, Amanda's cat gets revenge for the...
Podcast 96 - A Window to an Ancient World
30 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discuss two interesting fossil localities that allow us to see snapshots of ancient ecosystems. Meanwhile, Curt describes an alternative Mad...
Podcast 95 - How Old Is It; Greenland Sharks and Tyranosaurids
16 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that deal with the age of animals, one fossil paper looking at tyranosaurids and one modern example looking at Greenland...
Podcast 94 - GSA 2016; We Don't Actually Have a Fridge
02 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year again as James and Curt travel to Denver and see the cool, new, interesting paleo research that's going on at the Geological S...
Podcast 93 - Alien Shrimp Thing; Modern and Fossil Ecomorphy
18 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two studies that look at the extent to which the ecological preferences of an organism are linked to that organi...
Podcast 92 - The Root of the Problem
04 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that describe the root systems of the first "tree-like" plants, the giant lycopsids from the Carboniferous. Also, Amanda...
Podcast 91 - A Conservation Conversation; Evolution with a Human Touch
21 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that study how human beings have affected the evolutionary trajectories of other organisms. Meanwhile, Amanda paints a...
Podcast 90 - Big Small Cats
07 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that look at the evolutionary history of cats. Is there a trend towards an optimal cat size in evolution? Meanwhile, Cur...
Podcast 89 - Spicy Maple-Glazed Wings; A Discussion on Fossils in Amber
24 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two examples of cool animals trapped in amber. Meanwhile, James draws a line in the sand concerning food, Amanda can't decide whic...
Podcast 88 - Fossil Murder Mysteries
10 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang don their deerstalkers and dive into some palaeontological cold cases. Mystery and murder abound as they explore evidence for predation in th...
Podcast 87 - Leaving a Mark; Trace Fossil Changes Through Time
26 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody is back in the same zip code for an extra special episode focusing on fish faces and evolving trace fossils through time. Also, James enjoys...
Podcast 86 - Echolocation in the Fossil Record
12 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that use functional morphology to determine when echolocation evolved in two groups of mammals, whales and bats. Also, ...
Podcast 85 - Hot Blooded; Studying Fossil Metabolism
29 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two papers that use morphological and chemical proxies to understand the metabolism of fossil animals. Did all ear...
Podcast 84 - Jawless Fish and Spider Butts; Searching for Ancestral Forms in Fossil Data
15 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two papers that try and piece apart the complicated evolutionary history of cyclostomes (lampreys and hagfish) and...
Podcast 83 - Dead End Conversations; The Evolutionary Impact of Ecological Specialization
01 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses two papers about the long term macroevolutionary effects of ecological specialization. Is specialization on a spec...
Podcast 82 - So Like Majora's Mask; Astrobiology and Cyclicity of Extinction
17 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we wanted to discuss large-scale astrobiological patterns and cyclicity of extinction, but instead we picked a few papers that weren'...
Podcast 81 - Niche Ontogeny; The Hero This City Deserves
03 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the gang discusses two papers about how niche breadth can change as organisms grow, with one paper looking at modern organisms and the...
Podcast 80 - The Severity of The Sixth Mass Extinction, A Belated Birthday Fun-Time Celebration
20 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang celebrates its third year of podcasting by discussing two papers that use the fossil record to determine how our current bio...
Podcast 79 - All the Cool Stuff is Dead; On Dodos and Glyptodonts
06 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the gang talks about Dodo brains and Glyptodont genes. Meanwhile, James makes an unappreciated joke, Curt tries to create an "interne...
Podcast 78 - History Repeats, Bizarre Convergence in Fossil Animals
21 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses three papers that detail some truly unique examples of morphological convergence; from brachiopods that look like corals to bovids ...
Podcast 77 - Old and Burny, A Discussion of Fossil Fungi
07 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss the complex relationship between fungi and earth systems processes through time, focusing on the potential role of fungi i...
Podcast 76 - In Which James and Amanda are Slightly too Inebriated to Discuss Mesozoic Fossils
24 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss a grab bag of Mesozoic papers, ranging from potential dinosaur mating dances to large-eyed mosasaurs. And after a fairly so...
Podcast 75 - New Years Resolutions and Sponges Y'all!
10 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We ring in the new year by talking about new research on the evolutionary history of early animals. Also, Amanda makes some very deep cartoon cuts, J...
Podcast 74 - Early Tetrapods Awaken
27 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss two papers about early tetrapods/tetrapodomorph taxa, Tiktaalik and Ichthyostega, and what new findings suggest about th...
Podcast 73 - Sincere Apologies to All Ammonite Workers
13 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss two papers that describe ammonite feeding habits. Meanwhile, Amanda gets into a boxing match, Curt is introduced to Moon...
Podcast 72 - Converging on a Topic
29 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Fresh off of GSA, the gang gets together to discuss a quick paper about the extent to which adaptation can overprint historical signal in evolution. A...
Podcast 71 - GSA 2015
15 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year again, so James and Curt bring you day by day coverage of the 2015 Geological Society of America meeting, joined by friends Br...
Podcast 70 - Systems Breaking Down; The End of the Ediacaran
01 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that deal with the events that led to the extinction of the early metazoan Ediacaran fauna, as well as the extinction's ...
Podcast 69 - Tasty Kosher Food
18 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang finally just does what comes naturally and discusses two papers about food. Specifically, one paper on why things aren't tasty and another an...
Podcast 68 - Plonts
04 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers about the evolutionary placement of some Cretaceous flowering plants (angiosperms). Meanwhile, Amanda finds her alter e...
Podcast 67 - Stratigraphic Bias
20 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers that detail how the stratigraphic record affects our understanding of the fossil record. Meanwhile, Amanda gets very e...
Podcast 66 - Penguin Death Land
06 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the gang tries to have a discussion about the fossil preservation of birds. Instead they get completely sidetracked imagining the peng...
Podcast 65 - SEX!
23 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang goes broad and tackles two papers that deal with evidence of sex and reproduction in the fossil record. Meanwhile, Amanda goes method, James ...
Podcast 64 - Walk Before You Crawl; Convergence in Dinosaur Gait
09 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers about the evolution of quadrupedal lifestyle in ornithischian dinosaurs. Also, James discusses the joys of being...
Podcast 63 - Meaty; The Evolution of Hypercarnivory
26 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers about the evolution (and loss) of hypercarnivory in mammals. Meanwhile, Amanda shares more equine history, Curt does his...
Podcast 62 - Brachiopods and Bivalves; The Most Interesting and Amazing Lifeforms on the Planet
12 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang discusses two papers about the effects of the Permian Mass Extinction on the evolutionary and ecological patterns of brachiopods and bivalves...
Podcast 61 - Frills and Horns; Ceratopsian Convergence
28 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
That gang discusses convergent evolution and potential sexual selection in the horns and frills of ceratopsian dinosaurs, which Amanda refers to as th...
Podcast 60 – Many Memorable Mesozoic Mammals
14 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discuss the diverse and ecologically abundant mammals of the Mesozoic. Meanwhile, Amanda gives dedicated fans an exclusive c...
Podcast 59 - Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori
31 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Amanda thinks about a writing style. James takes on a big responsibility. Curt deflects. The nature of change is considered, but the conversation rem...
Podcast 58 - Hateful Stares; A Discussion on Biomass Trends Through Time
17 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang discusses changes in biomass through time. They also spend a fair chunk of the podcast passing blame. Meanwhile, James is de...
Podcast 57 - Imperfect Wings, Conifers and Bat Dinos
03 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang tries desperately to talk about a really interesting plant paper and fails miserably. Meanwhile, James stops caring, Amanda ...
New Website, Same Old Content ;)
01 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
To everyone who visits this blog, we have started a new official Palaeo After Dark webpage and will be terminating this blog in two weeks. Afterwards,...
Podcast 56 - So the End Triassic Mass Extinction Event
19 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang attempts to discuss the Ringo Starr of mass extinctions, the End Triassic. And much like the actual extinction event, the discussion is lon...
Podcast 55 - Mouth Mimes Attack
05 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the gang discusses mimicry in the fossil record, which James uses as an excuse to introduce everyone to one of his “favorite” pap...
Podcast 54 - Mind the Coral Gap
22 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang attempts to talk about the coral gap, but instead Amanda spends nearly 40 minutes trying to explain why Petoskey Stones are cool, and James t...
Podcast 53 - Sizeable Convergence
08 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang celebrates their second birthday podcast by discussing two papers that deal with large evolutionary trends through time in the marine realm. ...
Podcast 52 - Taphonomy; Still a Process
22 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we revisit the topic of taphonomy by discussing two papers that deal with actualistic taphonomy studies. Also, Amanda butchers potatoe...
Podcast 51 - Clock-like Clocks Part 2
08 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang returns to the subject of molecular clocks by discussing several papers that compare the results of molecular clock studies to the fossil evi...
Podcast 50 - Jawesome 2; Jawful
25 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The gang decides to revisit the past by returning to a few previous podcast topics and updating them with current research; starting with a survey of ...
Podcast 49 - Species 3D
11 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
After days of indecision about podcast topics, Curt snaps and decides to enact terrible revenge on the others. He holds the gang hostage and slowly to...
Podcast 48 - BearShark
28 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The gang gins up a flimsy excuse to talk about short-faced bears and megalodon. Also, Amanda researches topics for future podcasts on air, Curt become...
Podcast 47 - A Merry Little Maiming; Pathology in the Fossil Record
14 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the gang looks at a few cases of fossil pathologies in arthropods, birds, and amphibians and discusses the interesting broader evolut...