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 – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we investigate a modern favorite. How could natural selection give us a (perhaps) more reasonably shaped dragon? Our creatures to create this...

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 diversity, and we explore some of the most outstanding and unique features of the group, including their incredible fossil record, complex social behaviors, wacky head ornaments, and their truly incredible mouths. In the news: fluorescent mammals, snake tracks, leaf mining, and terror bird...

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 – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we travel to another part of the world. How could we end up with an elemental being that combines the features of many animals? Our creatures...

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 – might evolve under the rules of evolution and natural selection, pulling inspiration from life in the real world. This year’s theme: Dragons. This episode, we start with something familiar. How might evolution produce a fearsome serpentine beast with four legs and two wings? Our creatures to create...

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 use a variety of strategies to defend themselves, from the frustrating to the fatal. This episode, we’re joined by our favorite paleobotanist, Aly Baumgartner, to discuss the many ways plants defend themselves – physically, chemically, and beyond – and the fascinating evolutionary history of plant...

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 Marine Revolution, a dramatic restructuring of ecology in shallow seas that saw the rise of many forms of active predatory lifestyles. This episode, we discuss the fossil evidence, the major players, and the ongoing and sometimes contentious research into this crucial period. In the news: early...

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 discuss the adaptations animals use to get around the challenges of plant-eating, as well as the incredible history of the repeated origins of herbivory. In the news: vampire squids, death by ammonite, early archosaurs, and dinosaur tracks. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News:...

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 out our website for more stuff:http://commondescentpodcast.com/ 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...

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, belugas, porpoises, and so, so many dolphins (among others). This episode, we explore what makes toothed whales distinct – besides the obvious – and what the whale fossil record tells us about how they came to be among the most successful marine animals in Earth history. In the news: leaf-eating...

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 marine reptiles and more, but there’s actually a whole series of ancient bodies of water that bear this name. In this episode, we explore the various iterations of the Tethys, discuss how geologists study them, and examine how these ancient oceans shaped the world as we know it today. In the news:...

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 aren’t the only ones. Milk-like substances have evolved in many groups of animals which nourish their developing young. In this episode, we discuss what milk is, what it does, how it seems to have evolved, and the surprisingly long list of times animals have evolved the habit of providing nutritious...

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 on Patreon to support the podcast our scaly friends! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:http://commondescentpodcast.com/ We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible:...

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, and this is a tradition that extends well into the past, with numerous radiations of ancient sea snakes. This episode, we explore the repeated evolution of marine lifestyles in snakes, and the array of adaptations that have allowed them to take to the sea. Happy Snake Month! In the news: dinosaur...

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 history. In this episode, we’ll explore the many lineages of marine crocs that have evolved over the last 150 million years, and we’ll dive into the special adaptations that allowed them to take to the seas over and over again. Happy Croc Month! In the news: a dinosaur transition, tusked dolphins,...

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! Join us on Patreon to support the podcast our scaly friends! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:http://commondescentpodcast.com/ We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible:...

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 we can sort the events in Earth history, how we calculate specific ages for ancient materials – including a deep-dive into radiometric dating! – and most importantly, how these many techniques support and complement each other. In the news: gaze following, polar pterosaurs, pachycephalosaur heads,...

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 – are famous for their seemingly “un-mammalian” features: they lack external ears, they deliver milk without nipples, and they even lay eggs! This episode, we discuss what makes monotremes unique, the many questions still unanswered about their ancient history, and whether or not they are truly good...

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, far beyond the typical line up of fruits, nuts, and berries we see at the grocery store. Join us and our favorite paleobotanist Dr. Aly Baumgartner as we explore what fruits are, what fruits do, and how fruits came to be so ubiquitous and important in modern ecosystems. In the news: big...

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 dramatic contrast to the tumultuous times before and after. In this episode, we explore this so-called “Boring Billion” and discuss what made it so unusual. Along the way, we’ll examine claims that there might have been more going on than we think, that this time might have been a critical step toward...

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 into a compilation for everyone to hear. This is our third one! A huge thanks as always to our Patrons for their kind contributions to our education efforts. 00:00:00 Intro00:02:15 Stegosaurs for Sean00:16:30 Tarantulas for Rebecca00:35:00 Dilophosaurus for Hobart00:52:15 Turtles for...

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 hooves – for a variety of functions. In this episode, we discuss the close relationship between claw form and function, how we study claws in the fossil record, and the intriguing questions of how claws came to be as we know them today. In the news: swimming temnospondyls, ants and plants, Troodon...

You’re probably familiar with frogs and salamanders, but there is a third group of modern amphibians, the strangest of them all: the worm-like caecilians. In this episode, we’ll explore the many bizarre anatomical features of caecilians, from their tentacled faces to their abrupt hind ends. Then we’ll explore the entire caecilian fossil record (it won’t take long) and tackle the much-discussed mystery of how this fascinating lineage of amphibians got started. In the news: weird marsupial...

We spend a huge portion of our lives sleeping. For us and other animals, it’s clearly a very important behavior. And yet, despite how familiar and commonplace it is, there’s plenty we still don’t understand about sleep: its origins, evolution, and even how to define it in the first place. In this episode, we explore some of the remarkable variation in animal sleeping habits, we discuss some of the ways we study and understand sleep, and we touch upon the crucial – and much debated – question...

Once, it was a volcanic crater. Then, it was a lake, perhaps equal parts lush and deadly. Much later, it was a mining site. And finally, today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most famous and heavily studied fossil sites in the world. In this episode, we discuss the history and formation of the Messel Pit, and we ooh and aah over a small sampling of the many thousands of incredible fossils that have been found there. In the news: lacewing larvae, folding leaves, dinosaur...

Giraffes are so famous and familiar to most of us that it can be easy to forget how utterly strange they are. This episode, we explore modern giraffes, their living cousins (okapis!), and their ancient relatives to understand how these monumental mammals came to be how they are. Along the way, we’ll meet a whole variety of wacky-horned fossil species, and we’ll tackle the questions of how and why the giraffe got its long neck. In the news: dinosaur feet, marine crocs, hunted giant elephants,...