The Common Descent Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 67 - The La Brea Tar Pits Aug 10, 2019

Show notes

How odd that one of the world’s richest and most famous fossil sites isn’t on a mountain or in a desert, but in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. In this episode, we’ll dive into the history of the La Brea Tar Pits, explore how the site came to be, and give just a taste of the staggering diversity of fossil finds that fuel research into the latest chapters of the Ice Age. Also, we’ll explain why “tar pits” isn’t really a great name for them.

In the news: a Cambrian Millennium Falcon, turtle bones, mammal ancestors, and a whale with a twist.

Don’t miss our Bonus Episode: Voices of La Brea, including interviews with a bunch of the crew!

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:09:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:00:00
Patron question: 01:33:30

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

We're going to be at DragonCon 2019!

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

Muscial 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 66 - Elephants Jul 27, 2019

Show notes

This episode, we take a deep dive into the evolutionary story of Earth’s largest land mammals. Extinction has left us with only three elephant species today, but for tens of millions of years their extended family, the proboscideans, came in many weird and wondrous forms, from mammoths to mastodons to shovel-tuskers and more.

In the news: clam secrets, weird bird feet, surprise Greek humans, and early hominin breastfeeding.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:05:00
Patron question: 01:56:00

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

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

Muscial 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 65 - The Late Devonian Extinction(s) Jul 13, 2019

Show notes

It’s Episode 65, and you know what that means … extinction! This time, we address the ancient and confusing Late Devonian extinction. This is traditionally considered one of the “Big 5,” but it doesn’t seem to be “one” extinction at all. Geologists and paleontologists continue to work at piecing together the various causes and consequences that create an extended series – several millions years long – of very unfortunate events that altogether comprise one of the worst biological crises in Earth history.

In the news: tyrannosaur smells, peccary behavior, and a talk (by us) about our podcast!

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:33:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 00:59:30
Patron question: 01:37:30

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

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

Muscial 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 64 - Paleoart Jun 29, 2019

Show notes

Featuring paleoartist and herpetologist Gabriel Ugueto!
Follow Gabriel on Twitter (@SerpenIllus) or at his website, gabrielugueto.com, and listen to his herpetology podcast: squamatespod.com

Can you picture paleontology without … pictures? For about as long as people have been digging up fossils, some have tried to recreate ancient organisms through art. Paleoartists combine artistic talents with detailed knowledge of life past and present to create their best hypotheses about the appearance of ancient species and ecosystems. Their work shows in the many images, animations, and sculptures that accompany research, museum displays, books, documentaries, and more. Paleoart is an inextricable piece of paleontology, and it’s all around us!

In the news: Arctic hyenas, dinosaur bone bacteria, a croc climate clock, and a big trilobite.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:31:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:08:00

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Silver Screen Science – Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Jun 29, 2019

Show notes

Part 5 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune!

There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and Godzilla. How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, and the portrayal of scientists?

This episode, the latest installments: Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

Silver Screen Science – King Kong (2005) and Kong: Skull Island (2017) Jun 22, 2019

Show notes

Part 4 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune!

This episode, Kong in the 21st century: King Kong (2005) and Kong: Skull Island (2017)

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

Episode 63 - Sexual Selection Jun 15, 2019

Show notes

The history of animal life on Earth has been shaped by sex. The struggle to reproduce puts unique evolutionary pressures on species which affect their behavior and even their physical form. Sexual selection is immensely important but trying to sort out the side effects of sex in the fossil record is notoriously tricky.

In the news: giant beavers, croc metabolism, schooling fish, and another new croc.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:10:30
Patron question: 01:46:00

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

Muscial Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Silver Screen Science – Kaiju Concepts Jun 15, 2019

Show notes

Part 3 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune!

This episode, we’re talking about kaiju in general, with special focus on Cloverfield (2008) and Pacific Rim (2013).

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

Silver Screen Science - Gojira (1954) Jun 08, 2019

Show notes

Part 2 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune!

This episode, a new monster is born: Gojira (1954)

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

Episode 62 – Amber Jun 01, 2019

Show notes

When it comes to exceptional forms of preservation, it’s hard to beat amber. These fossilized chunks of tree resin have provided some of the most incredible ancient remains ever found. In this episode, we’ll discuss how amber forms and where the most famous amber deposits are, and we'll just scratch the surface of the astonishing diversity of amber-enclosed treasures that teach us so much about ancient ecosystems.

In the news: dinosaur baby steps, ancient red mice, tip-toeing sauropods, and really old fungus.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:27:00
Main discussion, Part 2: 00:57:00
Patron question: 01:27:30

The Common Descent Store is open! Get merch! http://zazzle.com/common_descent

Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures:
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/

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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