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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Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 20 days 3 hours 33 minutes
episode 90: Episode 63 - Sexual Selection
The history of animal life on Earth has been shaped by sex. The struggle to reproduce puts unique evolutionary pressures on species which affect their behavior and even their physical form. Sexual selection is immensely important but trying to sort o...
episode 89: Silver Screen Science – Kaiju Concepts
Part 3 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King K...
episode 88: Silver Screen Science - Gojira (1954)
Part 2 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, specifically looking at two of the most famous examples of all time: King K...
episode 87: Episode 62 – Amber
When it comes to exceptional forms of preservation, it’s hard to beat amber. These fossilized chunks of tree resin have provided some of the most incredible ancient remains ever found. In this episode, we’ll discuss how amber forms and where the most...
episode 86: Silver Screen Science - King Kong (1933)
Part 1 of 5 in this month’s series: KaiJune! There’s a new Godzilla movie, and that means it’s time for more movie science! All June, we’ll be exploring giant monster movies, centering around two of the most famous examples of all time: King Kong and...
episode 85: Episode 61 - Behavior in the Fossil Record
It’s easy to see how fossils can teach us what ancient animals looked like, or how they evolved. But what about the ways they moved, ate, socialized, reproduced? In this episode, we explore the innovative ways paleontologists have devised to interpre...
episode 84: Episode 60 - Turtles
Turtles are so weird and wonderful. They're unlike any other living reptiles, mostly because they've turned their entire torso skeleton into an armor-home. A glimpse into the fossil record reveals that they've been this way for more than 200 million ...
episode 83: Episode 59 - Bats
Many groups of life have conquered the land and water, but only four times in evolutionary history has life taken to the air. The most recent group to achieve flight are bats. Their combination of flight and advanced echolocation have earned them an ...
episode 82: Episode 58 - The Bone Wars
It was the late 1800s, and paleontology was just getting started in the Americas. Two prolific and passionate scientists, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, among the earliest prominent fossil researchers on the continent, struck up a leg...
episode 81: Episode 57 - Evolution of Flowering Plants (Angiosperms)
Look who's back - our favorite paleobotanist, Aly Baumgartner! And that means it’s time for more plants! As you may have noticed, the world around you is absolutely full of flowers. Angiosperms have dominated nearly every terrestrial ecosystem on the...