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!
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episode 268: Episode 185 - Cacti
Cacti are famous for their spine-shaped leaves, their water-retaining tissues, their green stems, and especially for being among the most well-adapted organisms on Earth for dry environments. This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Aly Baumgartner to discuss the diversity of cacti, their unique adaptations for an unusual lifestyle, and their mysterious evolutionary past.
In the news: Stone Age jewelry, kelp fossils, long-jawed fish, and early trees.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:00
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:38:25
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:25:00
Patron question: 02:04:00
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
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Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/
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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/