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

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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