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Science & Medicine

The Common Descent Podcast

Common Descent

Two paleontologists-turned-science-communicators chatting about the diversity of life: past and present!

The Common Descent Podcast Podcast Guide

Listen to The Common Descent Podcast, a Science & Medicine podcast by Common Descent. Stream 382 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.

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Browse this show under Science & Medicine podcasts.

Episodes

20 episodes are loaded now from a catalog of 382. More episodes can be opened from this page.

Episodes

20 of 382 episodes

Episode 250 - Camels

Large, herbivorous mammals come in many shapes and sizes, but few are as famously unusual as camels. This episode, we explore the surprising...

141:47Aug 15, 2026

Episode 249 - Sexual Dimorphism

In most animal species, there are differences in the anatomy, behavior, and lifestyle of male and female individuals. In this episode, we ex...

177:24Aug 1, 2026

Episode 248 - Big Cats

Felines come in all shapes and sizes, but only a handful of them are large enough and in charge enough to have earned the title of “Big Cats...

176:22Jul 18, 2026

Snake Stuff with Ali Ashraf

Happy Snake Month! In this bonus episode, we're joined by friend of the podcast Ali Ashraf to talk about his research on the distribution an...

57:22Jul 16, 2026

Episode 247 – Vipers

Happy Snake Month! Some of the most fascinating, famous, and dangerous snakes on the planet belong to the family Viperidae. Vipers include s...

196:19Jul 4, 2026

Episode 246 - Gharials

Happy Croc Month! Most living crocodilian species look pretty similar overall – that’s why there are so many tips for telling alligators fro...

144:23Jun 20, 2026

Croc Chat with Maddie Turala

Happy Croc Month! In this bonus episode, we're joined by friend of the podcast Maddie Turala to talk about her research on estimating body s...

57:14Jun 17, 2026

Episode 245 - Cycads

Cycads are cousins of conifers, and although they can be found throughout the modern tropics, they are often considered a visual indicator o...

134:56Jun 6, 2026

Episode 244 - Sea Turtles

Most modern turtles are pretty good in the water, but only some are truly ocean-dwellers. This episode, we explore the unique and diverse li...

147:46May 23, 2026

Episode 243 - Burrowers

A lot of life on Earth happens underground. This episode, we sample the species that have taken to a life of digging in the dirt – and elsew...

142:54May 9, 2026

Leaf it to Us Season 2 Trailer

Leaf it to Us Season 2 is coming! Episode 1 drops on May 7th! You can find Leaf it to Us on any podcast platform! Consider supporting Leaf i...

2:05May 1, 2026

Episode 242 - Fire

Earth is a very flammable world. The combination of heat, oxygen, and burnable plants makes fire a constant feature of our planet. Many mode...

149:45Apr 26, 2026

Episode 241 - Digestion

The world is full of food, but in order to make the most of it, living organisms need to be able to break it down and extract the useful nut...

139:30Apr 12, 2026

Episode 240 - Terror Birds

For most of the Cenozoic Era, South America was home to an incredible group of predatory birds called phorusrhacids, which included some of...

162:26Mar 29, 2026

Episode 239 - Nocturnality

Creatures of the night! The world is a different place in the dark, and a whole array of organisms have adapted to being most active outside...

134:13Mar 15, 2026

Pok-É – Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza

Welcome ... to Pok-É! This year is the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, so we’re picking some of our favorite Legendary Pokémon an...

67:11Mar 7, 2026