The Common Descent Podcast

Dogs are among the most diverse and successful mammalian predators on the planet, from widespread wild predators like wolves to the most iconic domestic species of all time in our own homes. This episode, we look at what makes dogs unique, where they got their start, what their fossil history has looked like, and finally how one species ended up being among the most widespread species on Earth. In the news: hell ants, weird reptiles, dinosaur cancer, and “super-crocs” Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:37:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:05:30 Patron question: 01:51:30 Listen to our guest appearance on Ask a Scientist! Thanks to Victoria for inviting us! https://askascientistpod.com/ Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

Cats are among the most diverse and successful mammalian predators on the planet, from lions on the savanna to ocelots in the jungle to domestic cats in homes and homepages worldwide. This episode, we look at what makes cats unique, where they got their start, what their fossil history has looked like, and finally how one species ended up being among the most widespread species on Earth. In the news: African and American crocs, ancient owls, Fiji pigeons, and prey-breaking snakes. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:03:30 Patron question: 01:46:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

Everybody starts somewhere, and most animals start inside an egg! Eggs are about as old and as varied as animal life itself, and when they show up in the fossil record, they can be very telling. In this episode we discuss what goes inside an egg, what makes them so special and useful, and what we can learn from their patchy fossil record. In the news: early archosaurs, more on Dilophosaurus, Microraptor feathers, and a large dolphin. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:13:30 Patron question: 01:58:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

Roughly nine out of ten living amphibian species are frogs. They’re incredibly diverse and successful, and they have been since the Jurassic Period. But the origins of frogs and their fellow modern amphibians is shrouded in mystery. In this episode, we discuss what makes frogs special, what their fossil record looks like, and what paleontologists know and don’t know about the earliest evolution of modern amphibians. In the news: colorful insects, salamander evolution, saber-toothed marsupials, and venomous caecilians? Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:11:00 Patron question: 01:41:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

"Living fossils" aren't really a thing, not the way they're typically talked about anyway, and the term can be a source of debate among scientists and science communicators. In this episode, we talk about how this term is used and why some scientists defend it while others (including us!) aren't fans. In the news: horned gophers, dinosaur eggs, giant eggs, and croc tracks. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:37:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:00 Patron question: 01:54:00 In light of current events, we invite you to explore these links to educate yourself, as we have been doing, about the subject of racial injustice: Smithsonian NMAAHC - Talking About Race https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race TimeScavengers - Black Lives Matter https://timescavengers.blog/2020/06/01/black-lives-matter/ Ally Anti-Racism Resources https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MjUESaOh2H-846KKiHUWHDUIhi3PlaFts-rqy9EQ43g/edit#  We’ve also made a donation to the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/ Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

In the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia sits one of the most important, well-studied, and scientifically influential fossil sites in the world. The Burgess Shale not only provides us a glimpse into the tail end of the Cambrian Explosion, and not only yields tens of thousands of fossil specimens, but also includes some of the most exceptional fossil preservation of any fossil locality anywhere. This episode, we’ll dive into how it got that way, and what it has to tell us about some of Earth's earliest animal communities. In the news: baby sharks, hungry dinosaurs, a pregnant ichthyosaur, and one dino’s last meal. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:00:00 Patron question: 01:37:00 In light of current events, we invite you to explore these links to educate yourself, as we have been doing, about the subject of racial injustice: Smithsonian NMAAHC - Talking About Race https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race TimeScavengers - Black Lives Matter https://timescavengers.blog/2020/06/01/black-lives-matter/ Ally Anti-Racism Resources https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MjUESaOh2H-846KKiHUWHDUIhi3PlaFts-rqy9EQ43g/edit#  We’ve also made a donation to the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/ Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast. This episode, we discussed Conservation Paleontology (Episode 8) with Dr. Rachel Short and Dr. Jeff Martin of Texas A&M University.  You can find the video recording on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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.

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast. This episode, we discussed Paleopathology (Episode 84) with Laura Emmert of the Gray Fossil Site.  You can also watch the video recording of this Live Chat on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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.

Start exploring vertebrate evolution and paleontology, and it won’t be long before you end up on the subject of teeth. These handy structures are enormously significant not only for the history of life, but in the study of it as well. In this episode we discuss what makes a tooth a tooth, how teeth came to be, and we muse at length over the incredible diversity and scientific usefulness of teeth. In the news: dinosaur walking, gharial males and females, hurricane-induced evolution, and humans in Australia. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:10:00 Patron question: 01:56:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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. 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/

In this series, we invite scientists to live Q&As on YouTube, where we discuss topics we’ve covered before on the podcast. This episode, we discussed Turtles with Dr. Steven Jasinski of the State Museum of Pennsylvania. You can find Steven on Twitter at @StevenJasinski. You can also watch the video recording of this Live Chat on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfdiT8Klm_YO04cvDqZ-_O3Iiq0J5GZJz Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ 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.