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 modern ecosystems thrive in the presence of fire, and lots of plant and animal species have adapted to avoid or take advantage of the flames. This episode, we explore the diverse topic of fire ecology, and we take a tour through the deep history of fire on Earth. In the news: Triassic crocs, anglerfish lures, behavior and evolution, and synapsid babies. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:06:30 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:48:25 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:35:05 Patron question: 02:17:55 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: Lots more ways to connect with us: The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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Episode 242 - Fire is an episode from The Common Descent Podcast by Common Descent.

This episode is 149:45 long.

This episode was published on Apr 26, 2026.

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