The Common Descent Podcast

Cycads are cousins of conifers, and although they can be found throughout the modern tropics, they are often considered a visual indicator of prehistory. This episode, Aly joins us to explore what sets cycads apart from other plants, what we know of their deep history, and whether they truly deserve their reputation as dinosaur food. In the news: toothless crocs, Arctic mammals, turtle relations, and crater life. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:10:35Main discussion, Part 1: 00:41:00Main discussion, Part 2: 01:25:55Patron question: 02:00:45 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: 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 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

A lot of life on Earth happens underground. This episode, we sample the species that have taken to a life of digging in the dirt – and elsewhere – why they do it and what physical adaptations help them along the way. Then, we’ll take a tour of burrows in the fossil record and explore what clues paleontologists can use to determine which ancient critter constructed a given burrow. In the news: malaria history, false octopus, pterosaur tracks, and giant octopus. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:05:55Main discussion, Part 1: 00:45:05Main discussion, Part 2: 01:17:55Patron question: 02:12:45 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: 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 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

Welcome ... to Pok-É! This year is the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, so we’re picking some of our favorite Legendary Pokémon and speculating upon how they – or something like them – might evolve in real life, pulling inspiration from species throughout our planet’s history! This episode, we grapple with the Order Pokémon. What biological explanations can we find for an ecological guardian of many, many faces? Our creature to create this time: Zygarde. Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Pok-É 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://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.

Welcome ... to Pok-É! This year is the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, so we’re picking some of our favorite Legendary Pokémon and speculating upon how they – or something like them – might evolve in real life, pulling inspiration from species throughout our planet’s history! This episode, we confront the Renegade Pokémon. From what ancestors might we get a many-limbed monster from a parallel world? Our creature to create this time: Giratina. Join the Common Descent Discord server for more Pok-É 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://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.

The Cenozoic Era was home to many unusual ancient mammals, but few so strange as the “gorilla-horses,” the ungulates that swapped their hooves for claws, chalicotheres. This episode, we discuss the features that make these animals distinct and which confused paleontologists for decades, and we go over what is known – and still unknown – about their evolution and lifestyles. In the news: Let’s Botanize, Prototaxites identity, and giant kangaroos. Find Let’s Botanize here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ben-goulet-scott/lets-botanize/9781635869040/Book preorder promo: https://www.letsbotanize.org/preorder-promo. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:07:30Main discussion, Part 1: 00:50:20Main discussion, Part 2: 01:28:50 Patron question: 01:53:20 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: 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 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

From deep-sea trenches to your home garden, gastropods (snails and slugs) are among the most diverse and successful groups of animal life in Earth history. This episode, we’ll explore what makes these animals distinctive, we’ll touch on their extraordinary fossil record, and we’ll investigate the many evolutionary experiments gastropods have undergone in their anatomy and lifestyle. In the news: squishable ants, false saber-tooths, bee burrows, and baby ankylosaurs Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:06:30Main discussion, Part 1: 00:43:55Main discussion, Part 2: 01:40:10Patron question: 02:10:25 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: 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 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

Of all the highly successful and capable flying insects in the world, few are as successful or capable as those in the order Diptera. This episode, we’re joined by special guest Brandon Strauss to discuss the distinctive anatomy and varied habits of flies, mosquitoes, and their many two-winged relatives. Then, we’ll peer into the past for a glimpse at the fossil record and dynamic evolutionary history of the group. In the news: long-nosed crocs, river mosasaurs, stampeding sea turtles, and giant snakes Find Brandon at punk_entomology on Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitch! Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:05:35Main discussion, Part 1: 00:38:30Main discussion, Part 2: 01:38:35Patron question: 02:25:55 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: 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 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