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: 19 days 20 hours 58 minutes
episode 56: Episode 43 - The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI)
For tens of millions of years, North and South America were separate sisters across the sea, each with their own unique ecosystems. But around 3 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama brought the landmasses together and kicked off an incredible mas...
episode 55: Spotlight - Adriane Lam (2/5)
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! In this 5-part series, we’ve interviewed 5 different invertebrate paleontologists about their research and other work. It’s Episode 2, and we’re chatting with Adria...
episode 54: Spotlight - Dave Marshall (1/5)
Welcome to our Spotlight Series! We’re talking paleo-science with some paleo-people! Across this 5-part series, you’ll get to know some paleontologists as we interview them about their research and their lives as scientists. Our theme for this serie...
episode 53: Episode 42 - Spinosaurs
It's a dinosaur episode! With their croc-like faces, their weird ornamentation, and their curious fondness for water, the spinosaurs are among the most bizarre and fascinating of all dinosaurs. In this episode, we introduce Spinosaurus and the gang a...
episode 52: Episode 41 - Evolution of Whales
There have been several times in evolutionary history where a land-dwelling group has transitioned to life in the water, but few have done it so successfully as the cetaceans. Not only are modern whales diverse and fascinating, but their ancestors ha...
episode 51: Episode 40 - Madagascar
The island of Madagascar, isolated from all other landmasses on Earth, hosts one of the planet’s most unique ecosystems. But it’s not just an interesting place today – the geologic and fossil history of this land is equally fascinating! In this episo...
episode 50: ...But We Digress - Mermaids
We just talked last episode about Speculative Evolution, so now is a great time to tackle another request we received: to talk about mermaids! In this digression, we discuss these famous mythical marine creatures and do some speculating of our own. C...
episode 49: Episode 39 - Speculative Evolution
This episode, we’re discussing the fun and fascinating “What If” thought experiments of evolution. From fantastical fictional stories to unusual scientific hypotheses to just-for-fun artistic creations, speculative evolution is all about exploring th...
episode 48: Episode 38 - Grass
At long last, a plant episode! Our friend Aly Baumgartner joins the podcast to teach us all about grass - it's not just part of the background! From humble beginnings during the Age of Reptiles, grasses have gone on to dominate global ecosystems (as ...
episode 47: Silver Screen Science - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (5/5)
Part 5 of 5! This is it – the end of our series! We’ve now re-watched all the old movies and finally turned to the newest one for our “science reviews.” How do these movies handle such subjects as prehistoric creatures, the science of paleontology, a...