The Common Descent Podcast

Hadrosaurs (the so-called “duckbill” dinosaurs) and their fellow ornithopods were among the most abundant and successful dinosaur groups of all time. This episode, we discuss their evolution and dive…

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – m…

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again! Each episode in the series, we pick a type of monster and explore how it – or something like it – m…

Plants are delicious, nutritious, and full of energy, so they’re prime targets for all sorts of herbivores, parasites, and pathogens. But plants aren’t just sitting passively accepting attacks, they …

Earth’s oceans change over time, not just in their size and shape, but also in the very dynamics of their ecosystems. The stage was set for modern ocean ecosystems by an event called the Mesozoic Mar…

Eating plants isn’t easy, and yet the habit has evolved many times over the history of life on Earth, and herbivores have become essential components of ecosystems as we know them. This episode, we d…

There’s a new paleontology-adjacent movie out there, and as usual, it’s a great opportunity to examine how science is translated to the big screen.

Back to the Cretaceous (kind of) – 65 (2023)

Check …

For much of their evolutionary history, whales have been divided into two main lineages: baleen whales and toothed whales. The toothed variety are especially diverse today, including sperm whales, be…

Throughout Earth history, tectonic forces have changed the shape of the continents – and the oceans! You might be familiar with the Tethys Sea as an ancient ocean nestled against Pangaea, home to mar…

Mammals are famous for their ability to produce milk, a special substance that is essential for providing newborns with the ingredients they need for healthy development. As it turns out, mammals are…

Happy Snake Month!

In this special episode, it’s all about snakes with our very own snake-enthusiast: David!

Thanks to our Patrons for providing the inspiration for these interview questions!

Join us…

Snakes are surprisingly good at adapting to life in saltwater. Today’s seafaring serpents include a wide diversity of semi-marine species as well as a fascinating assortment of fully oceanic snakes, …

Most crocodilians today can handle saltwater to some degree, but many of their ancient cousins were much more suited to a life at sea, including some of the most impressive ocean-going reptiles in hi…

Happy Croc Month!

In this special episode, we talk about crocs with the croc-fanatic himself: our very own Will!

Thanks to our Patrons for providing the inspiration for these interview questions!

Joi…

When scientists find a new rock formation or fossil assemblage, how do they determine how old it is? The answer lies in the many varied methods of geologic dating. In this episode, we’ll discuss how …

In our modern world, there are three major groups of mammals: placentals (that’s most of us), marsupials, and the rare and bizarre monotremes. Today’s monotremes – that’s echidnas and platypuses – ar…

One of the hallmarks of angiosperms (flowering plants) is the formation of a container to hold their seeds. These containers are fruits, and they come in an astonishing variety of forms and functions…

From roughly 1.8 – 0.8 billion years ago, things on Earth seemingly slowed down. The geologic record shows a conspicuous lack of evidence for major climatic, tectonic, or biological changes, a dramat…

As you might know by now, our high-level supporters on Patreon get to request a topic for their own special mini-episode! Every now and then, we collect the most recent of these and put them together…

Check the fingers and toes of your favorite vertebrate animals and you’re likely to find claws or something similar at the ends. These digit-caps come in a variety of shapes – claws, nails, even hoov…