E. D. Cope is one of the most recognizable and notorious names in paleontology history. He did some of the most important early work in vertebrate paleontology, he was one half of the dueling duo in the infamous Bone Wars, he named some of the most famous fossil animals, and he was profoundly irresponsible and unethical with his science. This episode, we’re joined by Astrid Lundberg to explore the life and legacy of Edward Cope, investigating such questions as: How did he get his start? What lasting contributions did he make to paleontology? And what was wrong with this guy?

In the news: giant small pterosaurs, plesiosaur skin, bat teeth, and African isotopes.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:50 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:44:15 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:36:10 Patron question: 02:26:30

Find Astrid as OddPride on TikTok and BlueSky and Astrid_Lundberg on Instagram and YouTube. And you can support her at www.patreon.com/OddPride

Resources: California Fire Foundation: https://www.cafirefoundation.org/ TransLifeline: https://translifeline.org/

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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

The evolution of mineralized tissues is responsible not only for the incredible success and diversity of vertebrate animals, but also for their extraordinarily informative fossil record. This episode, we explore the detailed anatomy of bones and their deep evolutionary history, we touch on some of the ways they’re important for paleontology, and we take some time to discuss the secrets that can be found inside of ancient bones.

In the news: croc vs pterosaur, hominin diets, ears and gills, and reptile food.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:08:45 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:41:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:26:00 Patron question: 02:12:45

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

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Check out our new series, Briks with Bask! https://youtu.be/5JQEDeNwVS0

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Rewatch our 8-Year Anniversary Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/N7ZJFNazP6E

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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

You might know them as ghost sharks, rat fish, or spook fish. Chimaeras are close cousins of sharks and rays, equipped with distinctive and unusual features in their fins, teeth, and reproductive structures. In today’s oceans, chimaeras are rare and easy to miss, but their extended family includes some of the most diverse and iconic fish of the Paleozoic seas. In this episode, we’ll explore the traits that set chimaeras apart, we’ll take a tour through their ancient relatives, and we’ll investigate what their most famous cousins were doing with their strange spiral rows of teeth.

In the news: Baltic herrings, Cambrian arms race, pterosaur tails, and early dinosaurs.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:35 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:25 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:16:45 Patron question: 02:20:00

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

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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

Southern Africa is home to an incredible sequence of geologic formations that span more than 100 million years of Earth history. These rocks, collectively called the Karoo Supergroup, are an extraordinary resource for studying evolution and extinction across the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic Eras. This episode, we’ll explore the deep history of this vast geologic resource, and we’ll sample some of the discoveries that have been made there.

In the news: dormancy evolution, Pangaean amphibians, regeneration genes, and Neanderthal fossil collectors.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:03:55 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:04:30 Patron question: 01:33:30

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

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to our annual, traditional question-answering marathon!

As always, a big thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this Q&A, everyone who has listened and shared and engaged with us throughout the year, and especially to our Patrons, who make this podcast possible.

See you in 2025!

Check out our website for our blog posts 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

Most theropod dinosaurs are sleek predators built for speedy movement and efficient hunting. Therizinosaurs are unusual. They’re slow and stocky and, in many ways, more like the famous plant-eating dinosaurs. This episode, we’ll explore the diversity of therizinosaurs, the winding path that paleontologists took to understand them, the many ways they became specialized for a diet of plants, and what was going on with those claws.

In the news: Parasaurolophus crests, Scottish bears, anglerfish evolution, and Clovis diets.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:07:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:45 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:14:20 Patron question: 02:00:30

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/

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

Evolution involves the innovation of new features, but even more reduction of old features. Those reduced features might disappear, develop in a new direction, or just linger as a functionless evidence of deep ancestry. This episode, we explore how we identify vestigial traits, how they help us understand evolutionary history, and the various evolutionary paths vestigial structures can take.

In the news: giant worm lizards, drumstick evolution, dinosaur poop, and pterosaur transitions.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:36:45 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:22:30 Patron question: 01:56:50

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/

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

Welcome to Spotlight 2024! In this series, we’re sitting down with our fellow paleo-podcasters to discuss Science Communication.

It’s the final episode! And we’re thrilled to be joined by Kallie, Gabriel, and Blake from PBS Eons and their podcast, Eons: Surviving Deep Time!

Find Eons here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eons-surviving-deep-time/id1610360633 https://www.youtube.com/@eons

Find Kallie online at @fossil_librarian and www.kallielmoore.com Kallie’s book, Tales of the Prehistoric World: https://neonsquidbooks.com/books/tales-of-the-prehistoric-world/ Why Dinosaurs? https://www.whydinosaurs.com/ Find Gabriel online at @PaleoParadox and @CosplayForScience Find Cosplay for Science at www.cosplayforscience.com Find Blake online as @WesternDigs

Connect with Common Descent: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

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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.