The Common Descent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 256 - Predatory Lures Nov 07, 2026

Show notes

Why spend all that effort chasing after prey when you could just convince them to come to you? This episode, we explore the many and varied ways that predators lure their prey, from dangling lights to strategically-placed bait. And we’ll discuss the evolutionary pros and cons of this life strategy, and how all sorts of animals – and plants – make the most of it.

In the news: big Jurassic bugs, big Jurassic belemnites, ocean amphibians, and aquatic anatomy.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:35
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:38:50
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:29:25
Patron question: 01:55:20

Submit your question for the End of the Year Q&A!
https://forms.gle/3UTrTy1R34QZPEDN9

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

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 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Cute-E - Tribbles Oct 31, 2026

Show notes

Welcome … to Cute-E!

During our Spook-E series, we speculate on the evolution of monsters from myth and popular media, but we leave out fiction’s more adorable creatures. In Cute-E, we choose cuddlier critters and discuss how they – or something like them – could evolve here on Earth, pulling inspiration from real-world species across our planet’s history. This year’s theme is Aliens!

This episode, we’re overrun with cuteness! What evolutionary history could lead to pesky swarms of irresistibly adorable fuzzballs? Our creatures to create this time: Tribbles.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Episode 255 - Plant Origins Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

Here on our blue-and-green planet, the green is plants. This episode, Aly joins us again to explore the beginnings of this all-important group of life. We’ll discuss which ancestors gave rise to true plants, what the fossil record tells us about the timing of this momentous event, and the array of key adaptations that allowed plants to join their fungus and animal cousins up on dry land.

In the news: mosasaurs, more mosasaurs, Jurassic mammals, and horned dinosaurs.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:25
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:47:35
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:05
Patron question: 02:05:35

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

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 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Spook-E - Andalites Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

It’s Spook-E Season! All throughout October, we pick monsters from myth and media and speculate how they – or something like them – could evolve here on Earth, pulling inspiration from real-world species across our planet’s history. This year’s theme is Aliens!

Our final Spook-E creature for this season comes from sci-fi young adult fiction! How in the world (Earth, specifically) could evolution explain furry, centaur-shaped telepaths? Our creatures to create this time: Andalites.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Spook-E - Headcrabs Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

This time, we pull an extra-dimensional horror from the world of video games. What might lead natural processes to develop creepy-crawly parasite-hats? Our creates to create this time: Headcrabs.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Episode 254 - Abelisaurs Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

During the Cretaceous Period, while tyrannosaurs stomped around the northern continents, the less famous abelisaurs were the top predatory dinosaurs of the south. This episode, we piece together the history and diversity of these predators, and we explore what they were doing with their bulldog faces, tiny arms, and in some cases, horned faces.

In the news: plesiosaur vomit, seaweed snacks, bat evolution, and flying dinosaurs.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:07:10
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:42:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:14:40
Patron question: 02:03:10

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

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 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Spook-E - Greys Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

This episode, we explore the mysterious beings (supposedly) in our own backyard! What evolutionary path can we devise for round-headed, eerie beings lurking just beyond our understanding? Our creatures to create this time: Greys.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Spook-E - Xenomorphs Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution.

Spook-E Season is back! All throughout October, we pick monsters from myth and media and speculate how they – or something like them – could evolve here on Earth, pulling inspiration from real-world species across our planet’s history. This year’s theme is Aliens!

Where better to begin than with the quintessential big screen terrors from beyond the stars? How might Earth-based evolution produce a human-hunting monster that’s equal parts predator and parasitoid? Our creatures to create this time: Xenomorphs.

Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Spook-E discussion! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

More ways to connect with us: https://commondescentpodcast.com/

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Episode 253 - Kangaroos Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

Kangaroos – and their wallaroo and wallaby cousins – are some of the most recognizable, charismatic, and impressively strange mammals on the planet. This episode, we explore the surprising diversity of this group, we discuss how they manage to be world’s pre-eminent hoppers, and we delve into some of their unexpected fossil relatives.

In the news: warm tyrannosaurs, sea star ancestors, traveling dinosaurs, and new cats.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:35
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:50:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:36:40
Patron question: 02:32:45

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

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 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Episode 252 - The Ice Age Sep 12, 2026

Show notes

About 10% of the Earth’s land surface is currently covered in persistent glacial ice, but for most of Earth history, that number was much closer to zero. This episode, we explore what happens when ice overtakes our planet and how we investigate icy conditions of the distant past, and we’ll take a close look at the most recent (and ongoing) global climate event that we commonly call the Ice Age.

In the news: distant space objects, snake embryos, Jurassic chirps, and polar dinosaur nests.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:35
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:35
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:45
Patron question: 02:02:10

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

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 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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