The Common Descent Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The Common Descent Podcast

Common Descent

Science

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/9d. Total Eps: 382

Join David and Will as they explore the paleontologists’ perspective on various topics in life and earth history. Each episode features a main discussion on a topic requested by the listeners, presented as a lighthearted and educational conversation about fossils, evolution, deep time, and more. Before the main discussion, each episode also includes a news segment, covering recent research related to paleontology and evolution. Each episode ends with the answer to a question submitted by subscribers on Patreon. New episodes with new topics every fortnight!

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - naturalSciences
21/08/2026
#9
🇨🇦 Canada - science
21/08/2026
#74
🇬🇧 Great Britain - naturalSciences
21/08/2026
#11
🇬🇧 Great Britain - science
21/08/2026
#98
🇩🇪 Germany - naturalSciences
21/08/2026
#55
🇺🇸 USA - naturalSciences
21/08/2026
#10
🇺🇸 USA - science
21/08/2026
#71
🇫🇷 France - naturalSciences
21/08/2026
#33
🇨🇦 Canada - naturalSciences
20/08/2026
#9
🇨🇦 Canada - science
20/08/2026
#77

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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http://ocremix.org
629 shares
https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/
496 shares
http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/
382 shares

https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC
506 shares
https://twitter.com/bannelia
2 shares
https://twitter.com/kyrietree
2 shares

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

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RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 41%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

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Episode 199 - Hibernation

Episode 294

Sunday, September 1, 2024 • Duration 02:22:45

Sometimes, an animal just needs to power down and wait. Many animals exhibit some form of torpor, including the long-term dormancy of hibernation. This episode, we explore how these species adjust their body functions, we discuss the pros and cons of this surprisingly common biological strategy, and we’ll take a look at what we know about the evolutionary history and fossil record of hibernation.

In the news: walrus diets, ancient weapons, grape evolution, and fossil tardigrades.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:10:35 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:40 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:31:15 Patron question: 02:13:30

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

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Episode 192 - Tongues

Episode 286

Sunday, May 26, 2024 • Duration 02:11:11

Tongues are a common feature among tetrapod animals, but the evolution of this organ is complex and fascinating. Through time, tongues have evolved a wide variety of functions from feeding to sensing to speech. This episode, we’ll explore the diversity of tongues and their bony counterparts in the hyoid apparatus, we’ll examine what’s known about tongue evolution, and we’ll discuss how fossils – especially hyoids – help us interpret the tongues of extinct species.

In the news: dinosaur temperatures, ancient geomagnetism, Martian lake conditions, and splitting sea stars.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:08:15 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:39:55 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:24:05 Patron question: 02:02:40

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

Episode 130 - Sense of Smell

Episode 191

Sunday, January 9, 2022 • Duration 02:16:56

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

End of the Year Q&A 2021

Episode 190

Friday, December 31, 2021 • Duration 04:04:45

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

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

Episode 129 - Rhinos

Episode 189

Sunday, December 26, 2021 • Duration 02:22:29

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

Episode 128 - The Deep Sea

Episode 188

Sunday, December 12, 2021 • Duration 02:11:04

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

Silver Screen Science – Prologue, Jurassic World: Dominion

Episode 187

Saturday, December 4, 2021 • Duration 33:25

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

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.

Episode 127 - The Hell Creek Formation

Episode 186

Sunday, November 28, 2021 • Duration 01:48:55

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

Episode 126 - Mimicry

Episode 185

Sunday, November 14, 2021 • Duration 02:05:50

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

The Common Descent Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

The Common Descent Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Patreon11

Twitter4

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Patreon11

Twitter4

Apple Podcasts

Spotify