Listen up! The world around us is full of sound, and animals have evolved numerous strategies for receiving and interpreting those sounds. In this episode, we discuss the many varieties of sound-sensing organs and how they’ve evolved repeatedly throughout life history. We’ll also explore some of the other important things that ears can do, including the ever-important task of maintaining our equilibrium. In the news: carnivorous lampreys, caterpillar legs, early dragonflies, and the sea star body plan. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:06:10Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:45Main discussion, Part 2: 01:30:15Patron question: 2:14:05 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more:http://commondescentpodcast.com/ The End of the Year Q&A submission form is open! Submit your question here:https://forms.gle/EeAMhEfnatVWqmnS9 Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here:https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/ We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible: https://www.audibletrial.com/CommonDescent Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent 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 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/