The Common Descent Podcast

Join David and Will as they explore the paleontologists’ perspective on various topics in life and e

Episodes

Total: 317

Episode 176 - Hadrosaurs

2023/10/15

Hadrosaurs (the so-called “duckbill” dinosaurs) and their fellow ornithopods were among the most abu

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again!

Spook-E - European Dragons

2023/10/7

Welcome ... to Spookulative Evolution. It’s October, and that means it’s Spook-E Season once again!

Episode 175 - Plant Defenses

2023/10/1

Plants are delicious, nutritious, and full of energy, so they’re prime targets for all sorts o

Earth’s oceans change over time, not just in their size and shape, but also in the very dynamics of

Eating plants isn’t easy, and yet the habit has evolved many times over the history of life on Earth

There’s a new paleontology-adjacent movie out there, and as usual, it’s a great opportunity to exami

Episode 172 - Toothed Whales

2023/8/20

For much of their evolutionary history, whales have been divided into two main lineages: baleen

Episode 171 - The Tethys Sea

2023/8/6

Throughout Earth history, tectonic forces have changed the shape of the continents – and the oceans!

Episode 170 - Milk

2023/7/23

Mammals are famous for their ability to produce milk, a special substance that is essential for prov

Snake Stuff with David

2023/7/16

Happy Snake Month! In this special episode, it’s all about snakes with our very own snake-enthusiast

Episode 169 - Sea Snakes

2023/7/9

Snakes are surprisingly good at adapting to life in saltwater. Today’s seafaring serpents include a

Episode 168 – Marine Crocs

2023/6/25

Most crocodilians today can handle saltwater to some degree, but many of their ancient cousins were

Croc Chat with Will

2023/6/17

Happy Croc Month! In this special episode, we talk about crocs with the croc-fanatic himself: our ve

When scientists find a new rock formation or fossil assemblage, how do they determine how old it is?

Episode 166 - Monotremes

2023/5/28

In our modern world, there are three major groups of mammals: placentals (that’s most of us), marsup

Episode 165 - Fruit

2023/5/14

One of the hallmarks of angiosperms (flowering plants) is the formation of a container to hold their

From roughly 1.8 – 0.8 billion years ago, things on Earth seemingly slowed down. The geologic record

As you might know by now, our high-level supporters on Patreon get to request a topic for their own

Episode 163 - Claws

2023/4/16

Check the fingers and toes of your favorite vertebrate animals and you’re likely to find claws or so