The Common Descent Podcast

None of us are alone. Like, in the literal, biological sense. Symbiotic relationships – close interactions between unrelated organisms – are a defining feature of life on Earth. Each of our bodies has its own share of parasites, hitchhikers, and tiny helpers, and some of the most prominent ecosystems on Earth function only by virtue of the symbiotic relationships at their foundations. In this episode, we touch on the incredible diversity and impact of symbiosis, and how the deep history of these relationships has created the world we know today. In the news: sick sauropods, puking pterosaurs, jumping genes in snakes, and dino-eating crocs. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:24:30 Patron question: 02:05:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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 132 – Mary and Louis Leakey Happy Darwin Day! Mary and Louis Leakey are two of the biggest names in the history of paleoanthropology and human evolution, and they’re one of history’s most impressive scientific duos. In this episode, our special guest takes us through the tales of the Leakey’s most important scientific work, their personal lives, and the ongoing impact they’ve had on modern science. Our guest this episode is Meredith Johnson, Communications Director at the Leakey Foundation and host of Origin Stories! Learn more here: https://leakeyfoundation.org/category/origin-stories/ Follow the Leakey Foundation at @TheLeakeyFndtn Follow Origin Stories at @OriginsPodcast In the news: artificial intelligence meets fossils, red nectar evolution, arthropod nervous systems, and ancient human diets. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:08:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:27:00 Patron question: 02:08:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Join the Common Descent Discord server! https://discord.gg/CwPBxdh9Ev Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

Volcanoes are fascinating, devastating, and fundamental to Earth systems. Volcanic eruptions can transform ecosystems, landscapes, and even the atmosphere, and at their most extreme, the effects of volcanism can be global and long-lasting. In this overstuffed episode, we discuss the many forms and features of volcanic activity, and we take a look at the complex and dramatic interaction between volcanoes and life on Earth. In the news: ankylosaur brains, an Australian rainforest, donkey hybrids, and the Tonga volcanic eruption. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:44:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:27:30 Patron question: 02:37:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

With every breath you take, you’re collecting information about your surroundings. We humans are actually pretty skilled smellers, as these things go, but olfactory abilities vary widely across the animal kingdom (and beyond). In this episode, we discuss how smelling works, what smelling is good for, and how scientists explore the evolutionary history of smell. In the news: giant ichthyosaurs, giant millipedes, long-tongued birds, and oviraptorid embryos. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:27:30 Patron question: 02:07:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

Happy New Year! Thanks as always to everyone who submitted questions for the Q&A. Thanks to everyone for listening, sharing, and supporting the podcast this year and for our whole run of nearly five years. We make the podcast, but you, our audience, make the podcast possible. More to come. See you in 2022. Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Today, rhinos are famous for their large size and impressive horns (and their distressing conservation status, sadly), but modern rhinos are only a small sample of what rhinos have been over time. Thanks to a surprisingly good rhino fossil record, we have a pretty good picture of how these animals got started and of the surprising forms they’ve taken since, from horse-like runners to hippo-shaped waders to gargantuan behemoths. This episode, we discuss rhinos as we know them, rhinos when they were weird, and a few rhino-y things that aren’t rhinos at all. In the news: ancient croc hunting, dinosaur colors, shrinking orangutans, and ammonite soft tissue. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:13:30 Patron question: 02:12:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

Far below the ocean surface is a vast environment of cold, darkness, very scarce food, and surprisingly diverse life. Deep sea life is quite mysterious, in part because of their unusual adaptations for surviving in such tough habitats, and also because it’s very difficult to study organisms of the deep, modern or fossil. In this episode, we discuss what is known about the adaptations, evolutionary history, and diversity of life in the deep sea. In the news: blade-tailed ankylosaurs, ostrich-like dinosaurs, shrimps in clams, and carnivorous ichthyosaurs. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:25:30 Patron question: 02:01:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ We're now taking questions for our End of the Year Q&A! Submit your question here: https://forms.gle/Q3jHtLSp5CdFuAuL9 Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

Surprise! A special short(ish) episode of Silver Screen Science to discuss the Prologue/Trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion! Time markers: Science Discussion: 00:00 More Thoughts: 25:00 We're now taking questions for our End of the Year Q&A! Submit your question here: https://forms.gle/Q3jHtLSp5CdFuAuL9 Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Located across a wide area of the Upper Great Plains of the United States, the Hell Creek Formation is one of the world’s premier locations for studying the Age of Dinosaurs, especially trends of evolution – and extinction – at the very end of the Mesozoic Era. In this episode, we discuss the ancient history and scientific history of the region, including some famous finds and groundbreaking research. In the news: giant ammonites, extinction beetles, baby pterosaurs, and the controversial Tetrapodophis. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:02:30 Patron question: 01:37:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ We're now taking questions for our End of the Year Q&A! Submit your question here: https://forms.gle/Q3jHtLSp5CdFuAuL9 Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/

Evolution loves to plagiarize. You might be surprised at just how useful it can be for an organism to copy the signals, sights, sounds, and smells of others. Mimicry is all about making use of miscommunication. In this episode we’ll discuss the astounding diversity of modern mimics, the rare examples of fossil mimics, and the complex and confusing evolution patterns of mimicry. In the news: Cambrian bryozoans, early tusks, hermit worms, and parthenogenetic condors. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:30 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:20:30 Patron question: 01:59:00 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ We're now taking questions for our End of the Year Q&A! Submit your question here: https://forms.gle/Q3jHtLSp5CdFuAuL9 Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast  Or make a one-time donation via PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/4c68u4hp Find merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Follow and Support us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 You can email us at commondescentpodcast(at)gmail.com Or send us physical mail at: The Common Descent Podcast 1735 W State of Franklin Rd. Ste 5 #165 Johnson City, TN 37604 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/