Best Devonian Podcasts (2025)

1
Hawai'i: Islands Born of Fire 6:44

Play Pause

3M ago6:44

6:44

Long, long ago—millions of years before you or me, before the canoes of the Polynesian voyagers, before the first birds ever touched these shores—there was only ocean. A vast blue desert stretching farther than the eye could see. But beneath that endless water, far below the waves, the Earth was stirring. Deep inside our planet lies a restless hear…

1
The Evolution of Lungs 48:24

6M ago48:24

48:24

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the evolution of lungs and of the first breaths, which can be traced back 400 million years to when animal life spread from rock pools and swamps onto land, as some fish found an evolutionary advantage in getting their oxygen from air rather than water. Breathing with lungs may have started with fish filling their mo…

1
Lise Meitner 57:22

7M ago57:22

57:22

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the decisive role of one of the great 20th Century physicists in solving the question of nuclear fission. It is said that Meitner (1878-1968) made this breakthrough over Christmas 1938 while she was sitting on a log in Sweden during a snowy walk with her nephew Otto Frisch (1904-79). Both were Jewish-Austrian refugee…

1
Dinosaurs, Ammonites, Trilobites: What is Paleontology 6:22

8M ago6:22

6:22

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of paleontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs.

1
Stone, Bone & Water: Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip 7:17

9M ago7:17

7:17

Cretaceous Capilano Fossil Field Trip — From downtown Vancouver, drive north through Stanley Park and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Take the North Vancouver exit toward the ferries. Turn right onto Taylor Way and then right again at Clyde Avenue. Look for the Park Royal Hotel. Park anywhere along Clyde Avenue. From Clyde Avenue walk down the path to…

1
Woolly Mammoths: Trumpeting Through the Tundra 11:10

9M ago11:10

11:10

Woolly Mammoths – Picture a towering, shaggy titan lumbering across a frozen expanse, as winds howl through its dense, draping fur. This is the Woolly Mammoth—an Ice Age icon that could stand up to 11 feet tall, placing it nose-to-nose with a modern African elephant and utterly dwarfing most other terrestrial creatures of its time. Just imagining t…

1
Pollination 50:10

9M ago50:10

50:10

Since plants have to mate and produce offspring while rooted to the spot, they have to be pollinated – by wind, water, or animals – most commonly insects. They use a surprising array of tricks to attract pollinators: striking colours, iridescent light effects, and enticing scents, to name but a few. Insects, on the other hand, do not seek to pollin…

1
Theropods of a Feather: Living Dinosaurs, the Birds 8:12

9M ago8:12

8:12

Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today on the show we’re talking about living dinosaurs—our avian friends, the birds. From the tiniest hummingbird to the towering ostrich, these feathered creatures carry the legacy of the mighty theropods, bridging millions of years of evolution in their lightweight skeletons and high-powered hearts. So join…

1
Devonian Fossils from Miguasha on the Gaspé Peninsula 18:28

9M ago18:28

18:28

Today on the show, we'll explore the first fossil finds from Miguasha Provincial Park, a protected area near Carleton-sur-Mer on the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec in Canada, from the mid-1800s. Miguasha is known for its exceptional preservation of Late Devonian (370 million years ago) fossil fish, including lobe-finned fish that played a crucial role i…

1
The Burgess Shale – A Window into Deep Time 8:18

9M ago8:18

8:18

Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast. Today, we're taking a journey half a billion years back in time to one of the most extraordinary fossil sites on the planet — the Burgess Shale — nestled high in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. So close your eyes and fly with me up to the top of North America, find Canada’s far western shores…

1
King of the Trilobites: The Discovery of Isotelus rex 9:42

9M ago9:42

9:42

Today we’re setting sail—back in time—to meet the king of the trilobites: Isotelus rex, the largest complete trilobite ever discovered. Now, I know trilobites are often tiny—beautiful, delicate little creatures. But this one? This one was a behemoth. Over 70 centimeters long, with a thick armored body and wide paddle-shaped tail, Isotelus rex was t…

1
Time Travelers in Stone: What Are Trilobites? 11:00

9M ago11:00

11:00

Welcome to The Fossil Huntress Podcast—your window into the deep time of ancient oceans, lost worlds, and beautiful traces left behind. I'm your host, Heidi Henderson, coming to you from the rain-kissed coastline of British Columbia on Canada's far western shores. Today on the show, we’re diving into one of the most iconic fossils of all time: tril…

1
The Bone Wars: Cope & Marsh 5:13

9M ago5:13

5:13

Welcome back to the Fossil Huntress Podcast, the show where we dig into the dirt—literally—to uncover the most fascinating stories from Earth’s deep past. Here you'll find ammonites, trilobites, dinosaurs and more! I’m Heidi Henderson, the Fossil Huntress, your host, and today… we’re diving into one of the most epic rivalries in science history. It…

1
What is Paleontology & What is a Fossil? 4:40

9M ago4:40

4:40

Welcome to the Fossil Huntress Podcast, the podcast where we dig into the past—literally! Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of palaeontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs. Learn about the interwoven disciplines of natural history, ecology, g…

1
Slime Moulds 51:30

11M ago51:30

51:30

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss slime mould, a basic organism that grows on logs, cowpats and compost heaps. Scientists have found difficult to categorise slime mould: in 1868, the biologist Thomas Huxley asked: ‘Is this a plant, or is it an animal? Is it both or is it neither?’ and there is a great deal scientists still don’t know about it. But de…

1
The Habitability of Planets 52:50

12M ago52:50

52:50

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the great unanswered questions in science: how and where did life on Earth begin, what did it need to thrive and could it be found elsewhere? Charles Darwin speculated that we might look for the cradle of life here in 'some warm little pond'; more recently the focus moved to ocean depths, while new observatio…

1
Sclater, Wallace & Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution 30:41

12M ago30:41

30:41

On today's show, you'll hear about a paper delivered on a chilly December evening in 1857 by Philip Sclater that hugely inspired Alfred Wallace and eventually led to the publication of the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Both Sclater and Wallace were extraordinary in their own right. Both were passionate about natural history, keen observers o…

1
The Antikythera Mechanism 50:35

1y ago50:35

50:35

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 2000-year-old device which transformed our understanding of astronomy in ancient Greece. In 1900 a group of sponge divers found the wreck of a ship off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the items salvaged was a corroded bronze object, the purpose of which was not at first clear. It turned out to…

1
Wormholes 1:00:56

1y ago1:00:56

1:00:56

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the tantalising idea that there are shortcuts between distant galaxies, somewhere out there in the universe. The idea emerged in the context of Einstein's theories and the challenge has been not so much to prove their unlikely existence as to show why they ought to be impossible. The universe would have to folded bac…

1
Bacteriophages 50:43

1+ y ago50:43

50:43

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most abundant lifeform on Earth: the viruses that 'eat' bacteria. Early in the 20th century, scientists noticed that something in their Petri dishes was making bacteria disappear and they called these bacteriophages, things that eat bacteria. From studying these phages, it soon became clear that they offered coun…

1
Mercury 53:49

1+ y ago53:49

53:49

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the planet which is closest to our Sun. We see it as an evening or a morning star, close to where the Sun has just set or is about to rise, and observations of Mercury helped Copernicus understand that Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun, so displacing Earth from the centre of our system. In the 20th century, f…

1
15th BCPA Symposium with Kirk Johnson 8:09

1+ y ago8:09

8:09

In this episode you’ll learn the dates, location and exciting line up of speakers at the 15th BCPA Symposium

1
Nikola Tesla 52:50

1+ y ago52:50

52:50

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) and his role in the development of electrical systems towards the end of the nineteenth century. He made his name in New York in the contest over which current should flow into homes and factories in America. Some such as Edison backed direct current or DC while …

1
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle 58:02

2y ago58:02

58:02

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the German physicist who, at the age of 23 and while still a student, effectively created quantum mechanics for which he later won the Nobel Prize. Werner Heisenberg made this breakthrough in a paper in 1925 when, rather than starting with an idea of where atomic particles were at any one time, he worked backwards fr…

1
2024 Fossil Lecture Series & British Columbia’s New Provincial Fossil 7:42

2y ago7:42

7:42

In this episode, you'll hear about some wonderful free Zoom Fossil Talks in March and May 2024. There is no need to register. You can head on over to www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com and note the talk dates and times. The link will be shared live on the site on the day of the talk. Upcoming Free Fossil Lectures via Zoom: Sun, March 24, 2024, 2PM PS…

1
Hormones 50:13

2y ago50:13

50:13

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the chemical signals coursing through our bodies throughout our lives, produced in separate areas and spreading via the bloodstream. We call these 'hormones' and we produce more than 80 of them of which the best known are arguably oestrogen, testosterone, adrenalin, insulin and cortisol. On the whole hormones…

1
Dr. Victoria Arbour — Royal BC Museum Fieldwork at the Carbon Creek Basin Dinosaur Tracksite 36:40

2y ago36:40

36:40

Victoria is a vertebrate palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist and is the leading expert on the palaeobiology of the armoured dinosaurs known as ankylosaurs. She has named several new species of ankylosaurs, studied how they used and evolved their charismatic armour and weaponry, and investigated how their biogeography was shaped by dispersals…

1
Plankton 48:41

2y ago48:41

48:41

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the tiny drifting organisms in the oceans that sustain the food chain for all the lifeforms in the water and so for the billions of people who, in turn, depend on the seas for their diet. In Earth's development, the plant-like ones among them, the phytoplankton, produced so much oxygen through photosynthesis that aro…

1
Albert Einstein 49:29

2y ago49:29

49:29

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the man who, in 1905, produced several papers that were to change the world of physics and whose name went on to become a byword for genius. This was Albert Einstein, then still a technical expert at a Swiss patent office, and that year of 1905 became known as his annus mirabilis ('miraculous year'). While Einstein c…

1
Jupiter 53:10

2+ y ago53:10

53:10

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and it’s hard to imagine a world more alien and different from Earth. It’s known as a Gas Giant, and its diameter is eleven times the size of Earth’s: our planet would fit inside it one thousand three hundred times. But its mass is only three hundred and twenty times greater, suggesting that althou…

1
Mitochondria 52:29

2+ y ago52:29

52:29

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the power-packs within cells in all complex life on Earth. Inside each cell of every complex organism there are structures known as mitochondria. The 19th century scientists who first observed them thought they were bacteria which had somehow invaded the cells they were studying. We now understand that mitochondria t…

1
Vancouver Island Mosasaur 11:53

2+ y ago11:53

11:53

Vancouver Island holds many wonderful fossils and incredible folk excited to explore them. The Dove Creek Mosasaur, which includes the teeth and lower jawbone of a large marine reptile was discovered by Rick Ross of the Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society, during the construction of the Inland Highway, near the Dove Creek intersection on Vanc…

1
Linnaeus 50:19

2+ y ago50:19

50:19

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life, ideas and legacy of the pioneering Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778). The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once wrote: "Tell him I know no greater man on earth". The son of a parson, Linnaeus grew up in an impoverished part of Sweden but managed to gain a place at university. He went on to trans…

1
A Taste for Studies: Tortoise Urine, Armadillos, Fried Tarantula & Goat Eyeballs 6:53

3y ago6:53

6:53

A Taste for Studies: Tortoise Urine, Armadillos, Fried Tarantula & Goat EyeballsWhile eating study specimens is not in vogue today, it was once common practice for researchers in the 1700-1880s. Charles Darwin belonged to a club dedicated to tasting exotic meats, and in his first book wrote almost three times as much about dishes like armadillo and…

3+ y ago6:27

6:27

Welcome to Season Seven of the Fossil Huntress Podcast. In this episode you’ll hear about the many yummy fossil projects and field trips over the past few months including a trip to Vancouver Island’s Wild West Coast, great talks & a TV project.