The Common Descent Podcast Episode 9 - The Cambrian Explosion
May 21, 2017
A lively dive into the Cambrian Explosion and how it reshaped animal life. They spotlight Burgess Shale–type fossils and the sudden appearance of diverse body plans. The conversation covers oxygen shifts, developmental Hox genes, the rise of predation and ecological arms races, and whether preservation bias or real rapid diversification explains the pattern.
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Zul: Ankylosaur With Head And Tail
- David recounts recent ankylosaur discoveries, including Zul, the first ankylosaur preserved with both head and tail.
- He highlights its partial mummification and skin remnants that provide unprecedented anatomical detail.
Baby Louie Returns Home
- Will tells the story of 'Baby Louie', a smuggled, famous fossil egg specimen that returned to China for study.
- It was identified as an oviraptorosaur embryo, revealing which dinosaurs laid giant elongate eggs.
Naming A Winged Vertebra Snake
- Will describes his coauthored paper on snake fossils from the Gray Fossil Site and naming a new small colubrid species.
- He explains the distinctive wing-like vertebral projections and the playful genus name Zilantophis schuberti.
