The Common Descent Podcast
Episodes
SciFest in St. Louis
30 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Will and David recently attended SciFest: Rock, Fossil, Quake! This was an event held at the St. Louis Science Center in collaboration with the Washin...
Spotlight - Ranjeev Epa (5/5)
29 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different inverteb...
Silver Screen Science - The Meg
28 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's a movie about a giant prehistoric shark that eats a bunch of people. Let's talk science! In this "science review," we're discussing The Meg (2018...
Episode 44 - Hybridization
23 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we tackle the fascinating – and confusing – subject of hybridization. What are hybrids? Why are hybrids? And if organisms can bre...
Spotlight - Chris Mah (4/5)
22 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different inverteb...
Spotlight - Alycia Stigall (3/5)
15 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different inverteb...
Episode 43 - The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI)
09 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For tens of millions of years, North and South America were separate sisters across the sea, each with their own unique ecosystems. But around 3 milli...
Spotlight - Adriane Lam (2/5)
08 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different inverteb...
Spotlight - Dave Marshall (1/5)
01 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! Across this 5-part series, you’ll get to know some paleontolo...
Episode 42 - Spinosaurs
26 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's a dinosaur episode! With their croc-like faces, their weird ornamentation, and their curious fondness for water, the spinosaurs are among the mos...
Episode 41 - Evolution of Whales
12 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There have been several times in evolutionary history where a land-dwelling group has transitioned to life in the water, but few have done it so succe...
Episode 40 - Madagascar
29 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The island of Madagascar, isolated from all other landmasses on Earth, hosts one of the planet’s most unique ecosystems. But it’s not just an inte...
...But We Digress - Mermaids
22 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We just talked last episode about Speculative Evolution, so now is a great time to tackle another request we received: to talk about mermaids! In this...
Episode 39 - Speculative Evolution
15 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we’re discussing the fun and fascinating “What If” thought experiments of evolution. From fantastical fictional stories to unusual...
Episode 38 - Grass
01 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
At long last, a plant episode! Our friend Aly Baumgartner joins the podcast to teach us all about grass - it's not just part of the background! From h...
Silver Screen Science - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (5/5)
30 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 5 of 5! This is it – the end of our series! We’ve now re-watched all the old movies and finally turned to the newest one for our “science r...
Episode 37.5 - More Birds
24 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise! We've gotten a lot of bird requests, so to follow up our Evolution of Birds discussion, we put together three mini-discussions based on othe...
Silver Screen Science - Jurassic World (4/5)
23 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 4 of 5! Our Jurassic Park review series is almost done! All month, we’ve been re-watching the movies and chatting about the science in a series...
Episode 37 - Evolution of Birds
17 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Birds are such unique and fascinating animals; for many decades scientists have wondered at their evolutionary story – and so have many of our liste...
Silver Screen Science - Jurassic Park III (3/5)
16 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 of 5! Every Saturday this month, we’re re-watching all of the Jurassic Park movies and chatting about the science in a series of “science r...
Silver Screen Science - The Lost World: Jurassic Park (2/5)
09 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of 5! Each Saturday in June, we’re re-watching all of the Jurassic Park movies and chatting about the science in a series of “science revie...
Episode 36 - Reefs
03 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re examining the incredible formation of reefs! Not just coral – reef systems have been built by many different organisms over...
Silver Screen Science - Jurassic Park (1/5)
02 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 35 - De-extinction
20 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Episode 34 - Ancient DNA
06 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Crocs vs Snakes - The Poll Returns
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 sid...
Survey Response and Q&A
30 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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’r...
Episode 33 - Ontogeny
22 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 an...
Episode 32 - Naracoorte Caves, Australia
08 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past several hundred thousand years, Australia has witnesed numerous ice age cycles, ecosystems dominated by giant marsupials, the arrival of...
Episode 31 - The Ediacaran Biota
25 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 creatu...
Episode 30 - Prehistoric Poop
11 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody poops! Throughout the history of life on Earth, animals of all lifestyles have been littering the planet with little presents, and those few...
Episode 29 - Placoderms, The Armored Fish
25 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the earliest millennia of vertebrate life on Earth, the seas were home to the placoderms, a diverse group of extinct armored fish whose evolutionar...
Episode 28 - Charles Darwin
11 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Darwin Day! In honor of Chuck's birthday (Feb 12), we are joined this episode by Dr. Sarah Bray of the Discovering Darwin podcast, to chat abou...
Episode 27 - Domestication
28 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we explore the evolutionary innovation that brought us a diversity of animal companions, from corgis to cattle to cauliflower, and jump-...
Episode 26 - Astrobiology
14 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we look to the stars! Our discussion takes a tour across the field of astrobiology, the broad and thought-provoking science that seeks t...
Episode 25 - The Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction
31 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we firmly establish a tradition of extinction-talk! This time, by request, it’s the latest major prehistoric extinction in Earth hi...
Episode 24 - Sloths
17 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, by listener request, is all about sloths! We explore their bizarre family tree, their adorable and internet-favorite living representati...
Episode 23 - Jurassic Park
03 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hold onto your butts … in this episode, we celebrate the intersection of science and popular culture with a discussion about the biggest dinosaur mo...
Episode 22 - Micropaleontology
19 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we take a super up-close look at the tiniest components of the fossil record, the microscopic remains that are so essential to our under...
Episode 21 - Dinosaurs, An Introduction
05 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
There is no group of prehistoric creatures more iconic, more widely-studied, or more requested by our listeners, than the subject of this episode! Thi...
Episode 20 - The Scientific Method
22 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we’re taking a big step back at the concept that underlies everything we talk about on this podcast: the scientific method! Our discus...
Diversity in Paleontology - Special Episode
08 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
To coincide with Episode 19 of Common Descent, this is a compilation of voices, more than a dozen paleontologists sharing their varied perspectives on...
Episode 19 - Women in Paleontology
08 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This is a listener-requested topic and a guest episode! We are joined by super-special guest Michelle Barboza-Ramirez of the Femmes of STEM podcast, w...
Episode 18B - Human Evolution Part 2
24 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of our exploration of our own evolutionary past, we focus in on one particular recent group of big-brained, bipedal hominins. We ex...
Episode 18A - Human Evolution Part 1
24 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This time, by request, we discuss an ancient story so detailed, compelling, and important that we had to split it in two! In part one, we find our own...
Episode 17 - The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP)
10 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, David tells tales of his trip to Calgary for this year’s SVP meeting: research presentations; meeting new people; paleo-field trips...
Episode 16 - Cephalopods
27 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, by request, we’re talking about one of our favorite groups of invertebrates! Specifically, invertebrates with big brains and squiggly ...
Episode 15 - The End-Triassic Extinction
13 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we’re talking mass extinction again! Last time, we touched on the event that ended the Age of Dinosaurs, but this time – by listener...
Episode 14 - The Gray Fossil Site
30 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we finally take the time to talk in detail about the dig site we mention more than any other, the site where we both spent many years: t...
...But We Digress - The History of Earth
19 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
And now for something completely different! Just how deep is Deep Time? Exactly how are important events arranged throughout our planet’s history? W...
Episode 13 - The Fossil Preparation Lab
16 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The episode comes to you from inside the fossil prep lab, where we explore what goes into cleaning, repairing, and generally making fossils ready for ...
Episode 12 - The Geologic Time Scale
02 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about the history of the earth, and how we compile all that we know about the ancient past in the great Geologic Time Scale. In t...
Episode 11 - Antarctica
18 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is another listener-requested topic! We’re discussing the fascinating and mysterious continent of Antarctica, its long complex history,...
...But We Digress - Tyrannosaur Skin (and Feathers?)
10 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back for another digression! Another new study is making (ridiculous) headlines all across the internet! It’s the first published investigat...
Episode 10 - The Tree of Life
04 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we’re taking the time to talk about a subject that comes up just about every episode: the classification and relationships of living o...
Episode 9 - The Cambrian Explosion
21 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re discussing the dramatic event that saw the rise of modern animal life and formed the foundation for all animal ecosystems –...
Episode 8 - Conservation Paleontology
07 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This episode topic comes from a fan request! We’re discussing how lessons from our planet’s prehistoric record can guide our efforts to preserve m...
Episode 7 - Primates
23 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by special guest Ethan Fulwood! He shares with us the fascinating diversity and evolutionary history of a familiar grou...
Episode 6 – Evolution of Flight
09 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we’re discussing one of nature’s most incredible inventions: flight – who has it, how do they do it, and most mysteriously, how...
...But We Digress - Ornithoscelida
29 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Some big dinosaur-related news dropped last week - so big we just had to talk about it! So here's a mini-episode (a small digression) about the new st...
Episode 5 - The K-Pg Extinction (the "Dinosaur Extinction")
26 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss one of the most famously devastating events in Earth history – the mass extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs. In t...
Episode 4 - Island Evolution
12 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re exploring the unique and sometimes bizarre directions evolution takes on islands. In the news: ancient tortoise DNA, a better...
Episode 3 - Snakes
26 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This time around the topic is David’s favorite group of life: snakes. We look at their impressive diversity, their mysterious origins, and their lon...
Episode 2 - Crocodilians
12 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back for Episode 2! This episode we’re talking about Will’s favorite group of animals: crocodilians, their fascinating modern diversity, a...
Episode 1 - Paleontology
10 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the first episode of the Common Descent Podcast! Episode One’s discussion topic is the field of paleontology, our own experiences, and th...