The Common Descent Podcast

Most vertebrate animals on land get around on all fours, but some of us have committed to two-legged locomotion. This episode, we explore the various ways animals have evolved bipedalism and the many benefits that come with it. We’ll also take a look at how we identify bipedal animals in the fossil record, and we’ll zoom in on the evolutionary story behind Earth history’s most successful bipeds. In the news: potato origins, trilobite legs, bone worm burrows, and australopithecine sexes. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:07:35 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:15 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:10:50 Patron question: 02:05:55 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 [https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast] Subscribe to Curiosity Box using our Affiliate Link: https://www.curiositybox.com/CommonDescent And get 25% off the first box with code descent25 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

Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. As our cells constantly divide and reproduce and replicate our DNA, errors and inconsistencies develop, leading to the incredible variation of life that drives evolutionary change. This episode, we explore the genetic mechanisms behind mutation and we discuss how scientists study mutations to understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth. In the news: Neanderthal tools, caiman food, dancing dinosaurs, and ancient integument. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:09:25 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:50 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:35:00 Patron question: 02:28:55 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

On the outside, shrews might seem like standard tiny mammals, but their anatomy and lifestyle are highly specialized. This episode, with help from special guest Derek den Ouden, we explore the diverse habits of shrews, the anatomical features that set them apart, and how they thrive worldwide despite being perpetually on the brink of starvation. Then, we consider the extinct diversity of shrews in the fossil record. In the news: stubborn bass, choking fish, tomato defenses, and some really old rocks. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:09:35 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:45:25 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:40:50 Patron question: 02:12:35 Find Derek online at @DenoudenDerek 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 Check out our friends’ new data management app, Cnidarity: https://cnidarity.com/ 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

Lizards are extremely good at becoming snake-shaped. A long body with small or absent limbs is a shape that has evolved dozens of times across nearly every major lineage of lizards. This episode, we explore the diversity of leglessness in lizards, we discuss which groups have done it and which groups have done it best, and we examine what’s known about the repeated evolution of this unexpected body shape. In the news: giant dusky salamander, very early footprints, a Denisovan skull, a mammoth tusk boomerang, and night lizards. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:25 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:41:50 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:33:55 Patron question: 02:16:35 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/ [http://commondescentpodcast.com/] Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast [https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast] Happy Disability Pride Month! AmeriDisability https://www.ameridisability.com/ [https://www.ameridisability.com/] National Disability Rights Network https://www.ndrn.org/ [https://www.ndrn.org/] Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/ [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 [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 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0]

Today’s crocs are iconic semi-aquatic predators, but their extended family tree features lots of land-dwelling cousins. This episode, we take a tour through croc evolutionary history and explore the many times these reptiles have taken to life on dry land. We’ll examine what features these terrestrial crocs shared, which ones they didn’t, and what their fossils tell us about how the shape of crocs has changed over time. In the news: sauropod guts, Australian biomarkers, butterfly scales, and tropical archosaurs. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:07:25 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:44:20 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:23:20 Patron question: 02:17:25 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/ [http://commondescentpodcast.com/] Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast [https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast] Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/ [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 [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 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0]