49 min listen
Episode 110: The Fin-Limb Transition and Early Tetrapod Biodiversity
FromPalaeocast
ratings:
Length:
71 minutes
Released:
May 31, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
One of the great themes in palaeobiology is the water-land transition, or how and when the ancestors of today’s four-legged terrestrial animals moved to land. Lines of questioning have included understanding the anatomy and biomechanics of the axial skeleton- head and vertebrae (focusing on biting and swallowing) and the appendicular skeleton (focusing on how the earliest tetrapods walked or swam). Our picture of this story has drastically changed in the last three decades, as new fossils have filled in crucial gaps in the tetrapod evolutionary tree. This changing picture really came to the fore with the work of the late Professor Jenny clack, who’s work at Cambridge in early tetrapods from Greenland and elsewhere brought the water land question back in fashion. Joining us to discuss Jenny Clack's Legacy in this episode are Prof. Mike Coates and Ben Otoo both of the University of Chicago.
Released:
May 31, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Episode 6: Early vertebrate evolution and extinction: Dr Lauren Sallan discusses the early evolution of vertebrates and their recovery following the Late Devonian mass extinction event by Palaeocast