The Evolutionary Junk Drawer

FromStrange by Nature Podcast

Start listening View podcast show

The Evolutionary Junk Drawer

FromStrange by Nature Podcast

ratings:

Length:

34 minutes

Released:

Sep 1, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Rachel does a deep dive on the evolutionary history of whales, Victoria rummages around the evolutions junk drawer and Kirk talk about meat eating Hippos.

Released:

Sep 1, 2021

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Life is strange, naturally you want to hear about it. Strange by Nature is your guide to the strange, weird and unbelievable side of nature. Professional naturalists present weekly curated stories about just how strange nature can get.

Skip carousel

Preview #2: We're just a week away from the launch of the podcast. Here's a few more tasty excerpts. Be sure to subscribe. by Strange by Nature Podcast
1 min listen
The Horror Frog and other tales: This week brings three awesome stories from around the world. Rachel brings the the tale of the "Horror Frog", Victoria has a mystery plant like no other and Kirk gives us a cool research update on how carnivores affect the plants in an ecosystem. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
The Cat Made Me Do It: The Platypus, Toxoplasmosis and Maple Syrup. Do not combine these three things anywhere else but here. by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Things Go Off the Rails and Victoria’s Head Explodes: Things Older than Dinosaurs, Koalas, and Giant Leaf Insects. by Strange by Nature Podcast
37 min listen
Show Preview: Subscribe now! Season 1 begins March 10th. by Strange by Nature Podcast
1 min listen
Giant phallic death stench flowers: Corpse Flowers, the Mystery of the Channeled Scablands and Biomimicry by Strange by Nature Podcast
35 min listen
More Butts Than You Would Expect in One Episode: Victoria takes on a listener question about Brood X Cicadas, Kirk introduces us to the Many Assed Hydra Worm and Rachel explores (the history of) the anus. by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Loudest Penis in the World & Other Aquatic Stories: The Singing Penis of the Water Boatman, Freshwater Bryozoans and Weird Octopus Facts. An aquatic all-stars episode. by Strange by Nature Podcast
27 min listen
Rachel shows us the Hell Mouth: We're gob-smacked by the horrific mouth of the Gob-faced Squid, then transported deep undersea to study hydrothermal vents and finally we stop to ponder why everything keeps falling unconscious. by Strange by Nature Podcast
35 min listen
Surf, Turf and Outer Space: Naked Mole Rats, Coelacanths and Space fairing lichens. by Strange by Nature Podcast
39 min listen
Does this bird smell like Maple Syrup to you?: Our 40th Episode! Thanks everyone! On today's show Victoria talks about the Wallace Line, an explanation for why Australia is so different than everywhere else. Kirk shares an "ah ha" moment that involves goldfinches smelling like Maple Syrup and Rachel ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
32 min listen
He with the Biggest Mouth is Dominant: Kirk shares some ingenious research on bird migration, Rachel horrifies us with the Sarcastic Fringehead (and learns a geography lesson in the process) and Victoria brings on a plague of locusts. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
A Pigeon Would Have Noticed the Microwave: Legless Lizards, Amazing Pigeon Skills, and Darwin’s Tubercle. by Strange by Nature Podcast
35 min listen
Micro-Epilons & Assorted Nightmare Fuel: Being eaten alive while paralyzed, mites living (and loving) on your face, and being turned into a zombie by a worm. This one has it all. by Strange by Nature Podcast
31 min listen
The Extreme Slime of the Hagfish: Victoria brings us a slimy story of hagfish gone amok, Kirk takes his extremes off planet and Rachel impales our ears on a story of the Loggerhead Shrike. by Strange by Nature Podcast
36 min listen
Silent but Deadly-When Lakes Attack: In this week's episode, Victoria tells us about lakes that will kill you from miles away, Kirk does a sand-striker worm redux and Rachel lays down some facts about an 80,000 year old tree. by Strange by Nature Podcast
30 min listen
Wet Spot on the Savanna: Kirk tries to convince us that humans are actually a chimera of two species, Rachel brings the aquatic nightmare fuel and Victoria shares more than you probably wanted to know about Hyenas. Yikes. by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
Exploding Napalm Bat Bombs: This one gets heavy. Victoria talks about the impact of snakes on an island ecosystem, Kirk tells the story of bats as bombs and Rachel dives into the deep to talk about Butterfly snails. by Strange by Nature Podcast
39 min listen
Let’s all use the Pig Toilet: Rachel introduces us to the oldest shark in the world, Victoria discusses using human waste as fertilizer and Kirk blows our minds with an alternative evolutionary possibility. by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
The Tree of Death, Hot Flowers and Sun Stones: Kirk tells us about the Tree of Death, Rachel shares about the thermogenic Skunk Cabbage and Victoria discusses how Vikings navigated using sun stones. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Is a Tool?: The Tongue-Eating Louse, Super Dense Neutron Stars, and Bees! by Strange by Nature Podcast
35 min listen
The Banana Slasher, Intra-uterine Cannibals and Other Sweet Stories: Not just Cannibals, this one also has a sugar cartel robbed in the largest heist in Canadian history and Kirk denies he is "The Banana Slasher." by Strange by Nature Podcast
36 min listen
The Evolutionary Junk Drawer: Rachel does a deep dive on the evolutionary history of whales, Victoria rummages around the evolutions junk drawer and Kirk talk about meat eating Hippos. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Nightmare Fish, Contagious Cancer and Farting Comets: What can we say. This one has it ALL. If you need proof the universe is a strange place we got it right here. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Your Flamingo Seems to be on Fire: This this episode, Victoria introduces the concept of cryptically extinct animals, Kirks looks are the relationship between mosquitoes and blood type and Rachel talks about the possible real-world historical roots of the mythical Phoenix. by Strange by Nature Podcast
40 min listen
Not a Treatise on Bacon: Victoria tells us that our immune systems make detergent, Kirk reveals the answer to the centuries old mystery of the Zodiacal Light and Rachel tells the tale of the Giant Chinese Salamander! by Strange by Nature Podcast
37 min listen
Glowing Humans, Immortal Humans and Ancient Hidden Life: This episode is really cool. (apologies for all the puns) Victoria illuminates the cool light of bioluminescence, Kirk takes us thousands of feet under the chilly Antarctic ice for a change scientific discovery and Rachel fills us in on immortal human ce... by Strange by Nature Podcast
39 min listen
Urine Trouble for that Pun: Female only fish, Urine, and Lightening. Three completely random and fascinating topics. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Bulletproof Armadillos, Metamorphic Goo, and Superfetation: The title says it all on this one. Two stories of bulletproof armadillos in one year. The mystery of Metamorphic Goo and strange cases of superfetation in humans. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Spiders can fly?: Rachel talks ghost flowers, Victoria chats about spiders flying with electricity and Kirk brings weather extremes on Earth. by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen

More Episodes from Strange by Nature Podcast

Skip carousel

When Sharks Walk on Land: This week Rachel brings nightmares to life with a land shark. That's right, a shark that walks on land. Listen to this week's show to learn more about epaulette sharks! Not to be outdone, Kirk tells us about the new discovery of a beetle that can be ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
32 min listen
Everything's Bigger Than We Expected: This week we ended up with the accidental theme of things being bigger than we expected. Kirk tells us the tale of coming face to face with enormous coastal manta rays while swimming in the ocean at night and Rachel blows Kirk's mind with the world's... by Strange by Nature Podcast
37 min listen
The Dinosaurs Died in the Spring: This week Victoria tells us all about the strange bird, the Pelican. Did you know they can fit 5 gallons of water in their mouth? Kirk is up next and blows our minds when it comes to a new find that teaches us about the very last minute dinosaurs spe... by Strange by Nature Podcast
58 min listen
Unbelievable Honey Guides: This week Rachel brings the amazing story of the relationship between humans and birds called Honeyguides. Victoria looks into the strange story of bird respiration and Kirk discusses the process of how volcanic islands become lush and green. Join u... by Strange by Nature Podcast
45 min listen
Can Tapeworms Double Your Life?: This week, Kirk talks about how scientists found a way to double or even triple your lifespan. The catch? You have to be an ant and you have to be infected with tapeworms. Keeping with the gross topics. Rachel serves up a disgusting bouquet of Amber... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
Parachuting Beavers: Rachel's up first this week with a deep dive on the largest toothed whale in the world, the Sperm whale. How did they get that weird name? You'll have to listen to find out. Kirk shares the bizarre story of the time Idaho parachuted 76 beavers into... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
Land Shrimp and a Leech in Your Eye: This week, Kirk starts us off with an unbelievable story about a recent science expedition to one of the most remote jungles in the world where scientists bizarrely discovered a terrestrial shrimp. That's right a shrimp that lives on land. Rachel ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
37 min listen
When The Ocean Attacks Swimmers: This week, Victoria spins a tale of a mystery creature inflicting terrible pain swimmers and the strange unorthodox researcher who solved the mystery. Kirk then tells us about strange obelisks living in our mouths. Rachel rounds out the week by divi... by Strange by Nature Podcast
43 min listen
3rd Annual Bizarre Quiz Show feat. Brett Sieberer: It's that time again, the end of another year of Strange by Nature. So, as usual, we're joined by professional naturalist Brett Sieberer and he takes over the show to quiz us about the past year of shows and other bizarre nature knowledge. Yes, we pl... by Strange by Nature Podcast
48 min listen
The Most Painful Plant in the World: This week Rachel kicks of the show talking about the bizarre theoretical phenomenon of Spaghettification, the process of your body being stretched out into a line of sub-atomic particles inside a black hole. Victoria then takes us to the ocean whe... by Strange by Nature Podcast
43 min listen
The Missing Continent of Zealandia: This week Kirk kicks us off with a discussion of Samurai Crabs and realizes they sound familiar because of a strange childhood connection involving a cartoon rabbit. Rachel then dives into prions and Chronic Wasting Disease. Fear not, she has go... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
The North American Plant with Caffeine: Victoria kicks off this week with a charged up salute to caffeine. Sure, you can find it in Coffee and Tea but there are other plants from around the world with caffeine including a Holly from North America. Kirk is up next and he shares multipl... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Ninety-five Foot High Rogue Waves: This week we Rachel and Kirk both head to the ocean but or very different reasons. Rachel tells us all about the Portuguese Man-O-War, one of the strangest creatures in the sea. Upon hearing the story, Kirk decides he may never swim in the ocean... by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Cologne for Cats?: This week Kirk kicks things off with details of a fascinating study that determined which perfume tigers find most alluring. The implications for research are surprisingly useful. Rachel takes on a listener suggestion and covers new research i... by Strange by Nature Podcast
36 min listen
A T-Rex with Lips: This week Victoria starts us off by having us think about dinosaurs and why we haven't updated our portrayals of them based on new science. It turns out, T-Rex probably had lips. Kirk then tells the tale of a time in the far distant past when bi... by Strange by Nature Podcast
44 min listen
Why Are There So Many Deadly Animals in Australia?: Rachel kicks off this week with a bizarre tale of an expected tale of a parasite that invades the nests of red ants, pretends to be their queen, works the ants to death, and eats their young all in a quest to become a beautiful butterfly. Victoria t... by Strange by Nature Podcast
41 min listen
Beer Saved Our Lives: This week on the show, Kirk talks about how Beer saved his life (and yours.) Rachel then has a mystery animal that isn't anything like you would suspect from the name. The Mountain Chicken doesn't live in mountains, and isn't a chicken. It isn't even... by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Where Did Tongues Come From?: Two great topics this week. Rachel tells us about mysterious rivers that flow under the ocean and Kirk tracks the history and evolution of the tongue! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Suppo... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
Inducing Torpor with Ultrasound: This week, Kirk kicks things off by sharing some incredible research that shows it may be possible to induce a torpor/hibernation state in mammals with ultrasound. Rachel lets us know all about the Gopher Tortoise, and Victoria tell us all about the ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Echidnas Have a Four-headed Pecker: Hello Dear Listeners. Here's what we have for you this week. Victoria kicks things off by telling the tale of her recent encounter with one of the world's few venomous mammals and you'll never guess where she found it...her basement! Kirk invents a w... by Strange by Nature Podcast
46 min listen
Bull Sharks on the Golf Course: We had an absolute blast this week with the full crew. Rachel kicks us off by telling us exactly how strange Scallops really are. Are those eyes? Yup. Next up, Victoria tells us the story of the golf course with bull sharks in the water traps. Kirk t... by Strange by Nature Podcast
43 min listen
Excuse Me, Is That the Anal Secretion of a Beaver You’re Wearing?: Kirk takes us on a journey to learn about where the smell of Musk comes from and along the way we find out about a problem with the synthetic versions that took our nostrils by storm starting in the 1990s. Rachel then tells the amazing story about ho... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
The Dumbest Looking Spider in the World: Rachel kicks things off this week with the most ridiculous looking spider ever. Seriously. This thing is bizarre and cool and completely stupid looking. Listen as we learn about the Pelican Spider. Kirk takes us on a real-life Hero's Journey to the b... by Strange by Nature Podcast
28 min listen
Humans are Slowing Getting Colder: This week Kirk kirk kicks things off by talking about a fungus showing up somewhere unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, Rachel shares a story about two species that were accidentally cross-bred in a lab when it shouldn't have been possible. Victori... by Strange by Nature Podcast
58 min listen
Spring Nocturnal Wanderings is my Band Name: Victoria brings us the amazing story of the world's first ever known fruit eating frog. Yeah, it pollinates flowers too. Kirk delves into the Salt Cedar and tries to puzzle out whether or not invasive species really are to blame for being the way th... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
40 Million Pounds of Beer Yeast: This week, Rachel ask the question, "Can you tell if something is wet?" the answer may surprise you. Kirk talks about a new surprising use for waste beer yeast, it just might be the key to clean drinking water. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynatu... by Strange by Nature Podcast
27 min listen
Maybe Don’t Eat the Snails: Kirk just can't help himself and goes with another episode about a parasite. Ladies and Germs, we present, the Rat Lung Worm. Rachel keeps the infection theme going by talking about the first ever case of a cross-kingdom infection when a man was fou... by Strange by Nature Podcast
28 min listen
The Halloween Episode 2023: Welcome to the Halloween Episode. This week we have three spooky stories. Rachel talks about the terrifying Black Swallower Fish, Victoria bring us the story of Pirate Spiders and Kirk examines the smell of fear. Happy Halloween! Support us: patreon... by Strange by Nature Podcast
31 min listen
A Parasitic Turduckin: As we ramp up toward Halloween things really start to get weird. Kirk makes us all queasy by talking about Bot flies that prey on humans. Rachel brings us the bizarre looking Monkey Slug Caterpillar and Victoria tells us all about Cockroaches. We had... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Let’s All Fly Into the Fire!: Victoria kicks things off with a bizarre story about Fire Beetles, a strange animals that actually goes TOWARD fire instead of away from it. Kirk then shares some disturbing news about powerful solar storms that could disable society and Rachel round... by Strange by Nature Podcast
49 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

It’s Poop from Here on Out: We really step into it this week. Rachel starts things off all innocent with a story about Sea Stars and then Victoria and Kirk both somehow end up doing stories about fecal material. Victoria talks about a strange effect that makes people have to poop i... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Faking Death to Avoid Sex by Strange by Nature Podcast
40 min listen
Victorian science and seance: The Victorian era is defined by great leaps in cultural, technological and scientific innovations. In this series compiled from our archive we explore the fast moving world of Queen Victoria. This talk from historian Dr Chris Renwick delves into the... by Historic Royal Palaces Podcast
45 min listen
S3E5: Urban Metabolism with Catherine Oliver by The Animal Turn
79 min listen
The Genital Arms Race: We almost called this one, I'm Going to Eat My Siblings when Rachel started off talking about Frilled Sharks. Victoria then upped the ante by making reference to The Genital Arms Race in her story about duck sex. We pretty much had to go with that right?... by Strange by Nature Podcast
32 min listen
Talking Catacomb Saints, Cats and Desert Dwelling | Dr Paul Koudounaris: Episode 236 by Rune Soup
73 min listen
Alien blobs in the Earth’s mantle, and much more: Hummingbirds sidle sideways to slip through tiny gaps; Do you speak fish? A new online dictionary of fish sounds debuts; When girls are in the audience, all-boy choirs change their tune; Ancient whales - tiny and titanic - from 40 million years ago; Alien blobs lurk inside our planet, and could be feeding supervolcanoes; Quirks & Quarks Listener Question. by Quirks and Quarks
54 min listen
The Liquid Rainbow River: This week Victoria tells us about the strange armored spiny mouse. Kirk talks about real life dragons in the sea and Rachel rounds out the week with tales of the most colorful river in the world. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: con... by Strange by Nature Podcast
35 min listen
Hugh Newman & Jim Vieira: The Giants of Stonehenge and Ancient Britain: Stories of giants being involved in the construction of megalithic sites, earthworks and other ancient monuments have been alive in the consciousness of the British for millennia. Legends and creation stories hark back to an earlier age of elemental... by Earth Ancients
136 min listen
EPISODE 114 - 9 Strange Uses for Ancient Egyptian Mummies: EPISODE 114 - 9 Strange Uses for Ancient Egyptian Mummies by Mysteries Abound
1 min listen
16. Fossils | A Window to God's Creation: Fossils open a window deep into the history of the earth. Through that window we learn about how whales evolved from four-legged creatures to the aquatic animals we know today, we learn about our own species and where we came from, and we learn more abou... by Language of God
47 min listen
A T-Rex with Lips: This week Victoria starts us off by having us think about dinosaurs and why we haven't updated our portrayals of them based on new science. It turns out, T-Rex probably had lips. Kirk then tells the tale of a time in the far distant past when bi... by Strange by Nature Podcast
44 min listen
This Loaf of Bread will Make Your Limbs Fall Off: This week, Victoria brings us the horrific story of Ergotism that ranges all the way from limbs falling off bodies to LSD. Kirk tackles the question of the Biggest Earthquake in the World and Rachel unwraps the mystery of the disappearing Devils Kettle w... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Why Does Nature Keep Making Crabs?: This week, Kirk talks about how Carl Linnaeus thought there were species of Wild humans and Monster humans. Rachel then tells us about carcinization, the evolutionary process that keeps turning species into crabs. Support us: patreon.com/strangebyna... by Strange by Nature Podcast
36 min listen
Case File 112-Mermaids: Support The Alien Theorists on Patreon Patreon supporters get access to 50+ hours of Bonus content, exclusive access to the Alien Theorists Theorizing discord server and more! alientheorists.com The human race’s maritime history stretches far back into a... by Alien Theorists Theorizing
62 min listen
The Hoatzin has a Pretty Metal Hairdoo: This week, Kirk kicks things off with cows, farts, burps and global warming, Rachel then tells us about Bone-house wasps using dead ants for camouflage and finally Victoria presents her case for the Hoatzin being declared the weirdest bird on Earth. ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
33 min listen
Ants on Stilts: Rachel details bizarre research that gave ants stilts, Victoria talks about planet-wide magnetic field reversal and Kirk does a deep dive on Sea Monkeys. This one's got it all! This episode was made possible though the support of the Society of Strange... by Strange by Nature Podcast
34 min listen
Ross and Carrie Unearth Creationism: Eye Muscles Don't Think: Carrie and Ross show up at a creationist meeting and learn that evolution is bunk and beavers were made for fur coats. Then they proceed to a creationist museum, abounding with misspelled dinosaur names and fake fossils. As close to goat sperm as it gets! by Oh No, Ross and Carrie
48 min listen
Are There Aliens Living Inside of the Earth? | Hollow Earth Theory: For millennia, there have been tales of what lies beneath our feet; inside our very planet. Ranging from hidden wildlife, to UFO origins, to ancient civilizations these stories have carried on through the ages. Today we’re going to discuss the legends and stories surrounding Hollow Earth Theory. by Red Web
68 min listen
Spring Nocturnal Wanderings is my Band Name: Victoria brings us the amazing story of the world's first ever known fruit eating frog. Yeah, it pollinates flowers too. Kirk delves into the Salt Cedar and tries to puzzle out whether or not invasive species really are to blame for being the way th... by Strange by Nature Podcast
38 min listen
16. Fossils | A Window to God’s Creation: Fossils open a window deep into the history of the earth. Through that window we learn about how whales evolved from four-legged creatures to the aquatic animals we know today, we learn about our own species and where we came from, and we learn more abou... by Language of God
46 min listen
EPISODE 45 - The Colourful History of the Bikini: EPISODE 45 - The Colourful History of the Bikini by Originz
1 min listen
SHARK TOOTH SEA WARRIOR + THE GHOSTS OF DEAD HORSE HOLLOW | Fossil Hunter | Paul Murdoch by Our Numinous Nature
124 min listen
TLS02 BONUS DINOSAUR! ANKYLOSAURUS and friends.: with Victoria Arbour by Terrible Lizards
62 min listen
458a Adventure Divas; Norse Mythology; Acropolis by Travel with Rick Steves
52 min listen
#18: Kerry Knudsen - The Magic of Lichen by Nature's Archive
55 min listen
Episode 87 - A marvellous menagerie: The animals that made history: Here on the podcast we spend most of our time dis… by The English Heritage Podcast
43 min listen
A Story With Strings Attached by The TLS Podcast
52 min listen
458 Adventure Divas; Norse Mythology; Acropolis by Travel with Rick Steves
52 min listen
Crows know what you did last summer: This week Rachel tackles different pupil shapes in nature, Victoria brings us the shocking story of the spot on Earth with non-stop lightening, and Kirk talks about the amazing memories of crows. This episode was made possible by the generous support ... by Strange by Nature Podcast
36 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

The Evolutionary Junk Drawer

The Evolutionary Junk Drawer

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Strange by Nature Podcast

Related podcast episodes