Hand a kitchen appliance to a child and they’re likely to find a whole new way to use it. This happens in evolution, too – traits adapted for one purpose turn out to be beneficial for a whole other reason, and so the trajectory of natural selection changes. The term for this is exaptation, but it’s a complicated concept, and not everyone even likes using the word. Let’s discuss what this word means, why it exists, and what some people find wrong with it.
In the news: the oldest forest, an ancient parent, young T. rex, and fossil lungfish.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:30
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:35:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:00:00
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The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome.
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Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Episode 93 - Cats
Episode 92 - Eggs
Episode 91 - Frogs
Episode 90 - "Living Fossils"
Episode 89 - The Burgess Shale
Live Chat - Conservation Paleontology
Live Chat - Paleopathology
Episode 88 - Evolution of Teeth
Live Chat - Turtles
Episode 87 - Ceratopsians, the Horned Dinosaurs
Live Chat - Ancient DNA
Episode 86 - New Zealand
Episode 85 – The Ordovician Mass Extinction
Silver Screen Science - Animals of the James Bond Franchise
Silver Screen Science - Godzilla (1998)
Episode 84 - Paleopathology
Silver Screen Science - Evolution (2001)
Patron Mini-Episode Compilation
Silver Screen Science - Tremors
Episode 83 - Coelacanths
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