The Common Descent Podcast

Author: Common Descent

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!
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en

Genres: Earth Sciences, Natural Sciences, Science

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

Episode 235 - Aquatic Plants
Episode 356
Saturday, 17 January, 2026

All plants need water, but some take it to the extreme. This episode, Dr. Aly Baumgartner joins us to explore the many life strategies of plants that live in the water. We’ll discuss the adaptations that allow them to lead an aquatic lifestyle, their evolutionary history as seen through genes and fossils, and the benefits that keep leading plants back to water. In the news: fish diversity, ammonite survivors, gut microbes, and hiding dinosaurs. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:07:55 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:51:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:47:00 Patron question: 02:29:20 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