Author: commondescentpc

  • Episode 184 – Richard Owen

    Episode 184 – Richard Owen

    Listen to Episode 184 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    A pioneering figure in the fields of paleontology and comparative anatomy, founder of the Natural History Museum in London, namer of Dinosauria, and antagonistic contemporary of Darwin, this episode we explore the life and legacy of Richard Owen.

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  • Episode 183 – Feathers

    Episode 183 – Feathers

    Listen to Episode 183 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    They are among the most diverse and complex forms of integument, occurring in a huge variety of forms and functions on living and extinct dinosaurs. This episode, we discuss the diversity and exciting unfolding evolutionary story of Feathers.

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  • Episode 182 – Camouflage

    Episode 182 – Camouflage

    Listen to Episode 182 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    Blending in with the environment is an incredibly useful skill, so it’s no surprise so many animals have evolved so many methods of doing it. This episode, we discuss the diversity and evolution of Camouflage.

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  • Episode 181 – Dragonflies

    Episode 181 – Dragonflies

    Listen to Episode 181 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    They’re among the world’s most skilled fliers, most efficient predators, and most ancient lineages. This episode, we discuss the evolution and lifestyles of the living and extinct members and cousins of Dragonflies.

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  • Episode 180 – Filter Feeding

    Episode 180 – Filter Feeding

    Listen to Episode 180 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    In the oceans and waterways of the world, it is one of the most common and successful feeding strategies, and it has been for hundreds of millions of years. This episode, we discuss the details and diversity of Filter Feeding.

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  • Episode 179 – Thermoregulation

    Episode 179 – Thermoregulation

    Listen to Episode 179 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    In order for living cells and tissues to operate properly, they require certain temperatures, so organisms spend lots of time and energy balancing heat and cold. In this episode, we discuss diversity, adaptations, and ancient history regarding the important process of Thermoregulation.

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  • Episode 178 – Ears

    Episode 178 – Ears

    Listen to Episode 178 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    The world is full of sounds, and life has evolved numerous strategies for detecting and interpreting them. This episode, we discuss the deep history and varying forms (and uses) of Ears.

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  • Episode 177 – Neanderthals

    Episode 177 – Neanderthals

    Listen to Episode 177 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    Thousands of years ago, our ancestors weren’t the only humans around. This episode, we discuss the deep history and culture of some of our closest extinct relatives, Neanderthals.

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  • Episode 176 – Hadrosaurs

    Episode 176 – Hadrosaurs

    Listen to Episode 176 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    They’re sometimes called “duckbills” or the “cows of the Cretaceous,” and they were among the most successful and social of dinosaurs. This episode, we discuss the evolution, diversity, and unique features of Hadrosaurs.

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  • Episode 175 – Plant Defenses

    Episode 175 – Plant Defenses

    Listen to Episode 175 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    Herbivores, pathogens, and parasites all present problems for plants, but the plants aren’t just sitting there passively. This episode, we discuss the incredible (and sometimes terrifying) diversity of Plant Defenses.

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  • Episode 174 – The Mesozoic Marine Revolution

    Episode 174 – The Mesozoic Marine Revolution

    Listen to Episode 174 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    The seas of the Paleozoic Era were quite different from today, and between them, there was a great ecological transition. This episode, we discuss the complexities, mysteries, and lasting impacts of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution.

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  • Episode 173 – Herbivores (Plant-Eaters)

    Episode 173 – Herbivores (Plant-Eaters)

    Listen to Episode 173 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!

    Devouring and digesting plants is no easy task, so it’s amazing how many groups of animal life have evolved that very habit, and even more amazing how integral these organisms are to ecosystems on Earth. This episode, we discuss the history and evolution of Herbivores (Plant-Eaters).

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