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From deep-sea trenches to your home garden, gastropods are among the most diverse and successful animals in Earth history. This episode, we explore the incredible evolutionary story of Snails and Slugs.

Happy New Year! Please enjoy our annual question-answering marathon, now longer than ever! Thank you so much to everyone who listens, shares, and supports the podcast.

I did a thing! I am extremely grateful to David and Will for having me on an episode of their podcast to do a primer on Diptera. One of the highlights of the year for sure. #entomology

With special guest @punkentomology.bsky.social!

Of all the highly successful and capable flying insects in the world, few are as successful or capable as those in the order Diptera.

Hey I'm one of those fish and I think we're quite normal.

News from Episode 231: How some dung beetles evolved to eat meat

News from Episode 231: Spine injuries maybe caused by dinosaurs climbing atop each other

News from Episode 231: The oldest known fossil croc eggs, from Australia

News from Episode 231: Rapid ocean recovery after the Permian Extinction

Nearly 400 million years ago, an unusual group of fish gave rise to the first land-dwelling vertebrates. Since then, their descendants have repeatedly moved back into the water.

Next week, on Episode 231...

We're thrilled to be an informative influence! Also everyone go read Stealing From Wizards!

This year's Spook-E theme was Monsters of Nintendo, but a certain franchise was missing... Join us in February for a special Speculative Evolution series called Pok-É!

Our End of the Year Q&A is coming up! Submit your question and tune in for the answers at the end of the year!

The latest episode of Briks with Bask is a LEGO tribute to one of our favorite Spook-E creations!

News from Episode 230: Incredible preservation reveals hooves and spines of Edmontosaurus, and some clues about how such fossils form.

News from Episode 230: Our friends at I Know Dino wrote a kids' book!

News from Episode 230: A close look at alligator locomotion and insights into how history's largest reptiles moved around.

The dome-headed dinosaurs are some of the most iconic ancient reptiles, but they’re surprisingly unexplored compared to other dinos.

Our Spook-E Livestream is THIS WEEKEND! Join us for a discussion of this year's Nintendo Monsters and future plans! November 8th at 3pm US Eastern Time!

Next week, on Episode 230...

Our End of the Year Q&A form is officially open! Submit your question and keep your ears out for the answer at the end of the year! forms.gle/GEpoqmuX18VD...

Loyal, curious, and ready to go! Spook-E Season wraps up today with Cute-E! This episode, we pluck precious partners from the soil. What could be the evolutionary background of tiny and colorful workers that blend the features of plants and animals? Our creatures to create this time: Pikmin.

News from Episode 229: The incredible shrinking genomes of Canary Island spiders

News from Episode 229: These might be the first known fossil footprints of a hyrax ... and also the first known fossil butt-drag-print of anything.

News from Episode 229: A group of Neanderthal footprints on the Portugal coast reinforce the idea that these ancient humans went after marine resources.

News from Episode 229: The oldest known fossil leeches had marine habits and were missing some essential leech-parts.

Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to mess with ants, but some animals have made a whole lifestyle out of it.

The galaxy is not at peace! And neither is the Spook-E-Verse with these around! This episode, we take the hunt across the stars. What biological explanation can we find for jellyfish-shaped parasites with a complex and terrifying life cycle? Our creatures to create this time: Metroids.

So they're finally here! Episode 3 of Spook-E is out now! This time, we’re sailing with the scourges of DK Isle. What circumstances might lead to the evolution of crocodile-faced humanoid pirates? Our creatures to create this time: Kremlings.

News from Episode 228: The early evolution of lizards is famously confusing, and this new species - among the earliest known lizards - raises even more questions.

News from Episode 228: New species of megaraptorid was among the largest predators in its environment. Also it maybe ate crocs.

News from Episode 228: A new species and an expanded view of croc diversity during the Late Cretaceous of North America.

News from Episode 228: Wing injuries on baby pterosaurs provide clues as to how they died, with big implications for how flying reptiles ended up fossilized in the famous Solnhofen deposits of Germany.

This episode, we explore how Dinosaur Provincial Park earned its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we list off some of the famous dinosaurs who once lived there, and we discuss a fraction of the many fossil discoveries that have been made at the Park since the late 1800s.

It's dangerous to go alone! There are new monsters afoot! This episode, we take a trip to the Kingdom of Hyrule. How might nature develop an octopus-like monster with a penchant for projectiles? Our creatures to create this time: Ocotoroks.

Next weekend, we're gonna be back in Georgia! Friday, October 17th, 7pm, we're presenting at the Athens Science Cafe at Terrapin Brewery in Athens, GA. Saturday, October 18th starting at 1pm, we'll be hanging out at the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta for a last Museum Meet-up! Come say hi!

Next week, on Episode 228...

Let's-a go! Our first monster of 2025 is here! This episode, we begin with a baddie from the Mushroom Kingdom. What evolutionary path might generate a pipe-dwelling plant-like predator? Our creatures to create this time: Piranha Plants.

IT'S SPOOK-E SEASON! Four episodes! Every Saturday! Monsters of Nintendo! Then Cute-E! Then a Livestream! Follow us all Spook-E Season long on social media, in our Discord, and of course on the episodes themselves!

Learn about BEAKS! Bird beaks, turtle beaks, dinosaur beaks, beaks, beaks, beaks!!!

News from Episode 227: A review of mammal evolution highlights the many times that lineages have evolved into specialized ant-eaters.

News from Episode 227: Ancient DNA reveals several types of bacteria that lived in and on mammoths as far back as one million years ago.

News from Episode 227: A look into the deep history of sharks reveals patterns in which body shapes were most successful at different time periods.

Birds, turtles, and many more groups have developed toothless snouts covered in a tough sheath. This episode, we’ll explore the defining features of beaks and their various functions.

How do you spend part of your Friday night? I had a lovely time in the @commondescentpod.bsky.social’s love Q&A chat about mimicry. And now? Borderlands 4

Next week, on Episode 227...

What if the Geologic Time Scale was based on the evolution and extinction of PLANTS?? 🌱🌿🌴🌲🌳🌻