The Common Descent Podcast

This June, by popular demand, we’re doing a Silver Screen Science double feature focusing on our two favorite reptiles: crocs and snakes. One croc movie, one snake movie, both quintessential creature features of the 90s. This episode, it’s snake time: Anaconda (1997) The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

This June, by popular demand, we’re doing a Silver Screen Science double feature focusing on our favorite reptiles: crocs and snakes! One croc movie, one snake movie, both quintessential creature features of the 90s. This episode, crocs take center stage: Lake Placid (1999) Next time … Anaconda. The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

All over the Earth, there are biological communities that differ depending on the local climate and landscape. These are biomes, and biologists love to map them to unravel patterns of ecosystem distribution. But biomes also change over time as climates and landscapes shift. In this episode, our favorite paleobotanist, Dr. Aly Baumgartner, joins us to discuss how we identify biomes in the past and present, how they’ve changed over time, and what it means for a new biome to arise … or for an old one to go extinct. In the news: whale diets, moa poop, shark extinction, and flower seeds. Follow Aly on Twitter or Instagram @paleolorax Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:33:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:11:30 Patron question: 01:46:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Far to the north and far to the south, conditions on Earth get weird. Cold climates and periods of perpetual night or day create some of the most unique habitats on the planet. In this episode, we look at what makes the polar regions so strange, how they’ve changed over time, what it takes for life to survive there, and what fossils tell us about what lived there in the past. In the news: gut microbiomes, chewed Neanderthals, ancient symbiosis, and very old turtles. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:13:30 Patron question: 01:44:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The geologic record of Earth is an archive of data on the causes and effects of changing climates. As climate changes, it impacts everything from plants and animals to rocks and rivers. The study of ancient climates is paleoclimatology, and it’s important not only for our understanding of climate in the past, but also for teasing out what’s happening with our climate today and what we can expect for the future. In the news: tyrannosaur group, a chomped squid, horned crocs, and night dinosaurs. This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Rachel Lupien! Find Rachel at rachellupien.com or follow her at @loopdlupien on Twitter. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:42:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:26:00 Patron question: 02:11:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Subterranean passages and chambers within the Earth form eerie and incredible environments that are home to unique ecosystems of bizarre creatures and which serve as some of the most invaluable sources of fossils in the world. This episode, we discuss how caves form, what ecosystems dwell within them, and why they’re so darn important for paleontology. In the news: pterosaur thumbs, scimitar-cat diets, counting T. rex, and ancient soil DNA. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:03:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:00 Patron question: 01:55:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

There isn’t much on Earth quite like an ant colony or a beehive. Lots of animals are social, but relatively few are eusocial. It’s a bizarre lifestyle, living in large multi-generational colonies with lots of members who don’t reproduce but instead dedicate their lives to protecting and nourishing the offspring of the few reproducers. In this episode, we discuss the many questions surrounding this phenomenon, including how many times this trait has evolved, why it’s apparently so beneficial, and exactly how natural selection could even produce such a strange lifestyle.   In the news: venom evolution, pointy things, early rainforests, and bone origins. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:15:00 Patron question: 02:02:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We’ve talked a lot about Godzilla and King Kong in previous Silver Screen Science episodes, and now there’s a new movie with both of them in it, so we’re going to talk about that! More monster fights, more science, more fun. This episode, the all-star monsters are back: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) We also briefly discuss the last time these monsters met: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Go searching in the right spots in Illinois and you’re liable to find a hard chunk of ironstone with a gorgeous fossil inside. The Mazon Creek Fossil Beds represent some of the best Carboniferous fossils in the world, yielding exceptionally preserved plants and animals from a tropical river delta over 300 million years old. This episode, we discuss the history, the geology, and some of the most famously bizarre creatures of Mazon Creek. In the news: a “winged” shark, digging ankylosaurs, the oldest cephalopods, and a fly full of pollen. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:33:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 00:56:00 Patron question: 01:22:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Despite their unfortunate reputation, hyenas are really impressive. Modern and fossil, they’re a diverse group with a variety of dietary and social habits, and they are the quintessential example of bone-crushing specialists. In this episode, we discuss what makes hyenas unique and interesting, and we take a look at their surprisingly varied fossil history. In the news: lamprey larvae, octopus diets, nesting dinosaurs, and tyrannosaur bites. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:03:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:11:30 Patron question: 01:49:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/