Ep #71 From Fins to Fingers and the Triumph of Our Fishapod Ancestors with Ted Daeschler

Ep 71 Paleo Nerds with Ted Daeschler

LINKS

Ted Daeschler on Colbert
A fun clip of paleontologist Ted Daeschler appearing on *The Colbert Report*, bringing science and humor together while highlighting his fossil work.

Famed 20th Century Paleontologist Alfred Romer
Alfred Sherwood Romer was a pioneering vertebrate paleontologist whose research on early tetrapods helped shape our understanding of vertebrate evolution.

Hynerpeton shoulder blade from the Red Hill
A key fossil from Pennsylvania’s Red Hill site, Hynerpeton represents one of the earliest known tetrapods, with fossil shoulder bones showing adaptations for life on land.

A “Stem” Tetrapod… not quite an amphibian yet
Stem tetrapods are transitional vertebrates bridging lobe-finned fishes and true amphibians, highlighting the evolutionary steps toward life on land.

Those old Agnathans, 530 million year jawless fish
The earliest vertebrates, agnathans are jawless fishes that first appeared in the Cambrian and provide insight into the origins of modern vertebrates.

Tiktaalik, the find of the century!
Discovered in the Canadian Arctic, Tiktaalik is a 375-million-year-old “fishapod” fossil with both fish and tetrapod features, famously co-described by Ted Daeschler.

Another amphibious lobe-finned fish, Laccognathus
A large Devonian lobe-finned fish with crushing jaws and adaptations for shallow-water ambush hunting, showing traits parallel to early tetrapods.

Bottom-dwelling predator fish, the Monkfish or Frogfish
Living today, monkfish are bizarre bottom-dwellers with huge mouths and angler-like lures, often compared to ancient predatory fishes in their ambush style.

A huge 7’ bottom predator, Eusthenopteron
A Devonian lobe-finned fish about 2 meters long, Eusthenopteron has long been considered a classic model for studying the fish-to-tetrapod transition.

Neil Shubin, a past Paleo Nerds Guest
Co-discoverer of Tiktaalik and author of *Your Inner Fish*, Neil Shubin’s research illuminates the evolutionary links between fish and humans.

John Long, another past Paleo Nerds Guest
John Long’s work on early vertebrate reproduction and armored fishes has expanded knowledge of the origins of sex and internal fertilization in vertebrates.

Two “Not so smart” guys climbing an iceberg
A humorous YouTube clip showing the perils of icy landscapes, included in the discussion for levity alongside serious paleontological topics.

The Academy of Natural Sciences
Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, where Daeschler is based, houses world-class fossil collections and research programs.

The Megalonyx claw gift to Thomas Jefferson
Fossil bones of the extinct giant ground sloth, Megalonyx, were sent to President Jefferson, sparking one of the earliest scientific studies of American fossils.

MUSIC
Slipstream by Don Kenoyer
Trilobite/Ammonite by the Amish Robots
Ready 2 Grow by Whiskey Class
Ray Gun by Russell Wodehouse
Colugo by Ray Troll
Drippy by Patrick Troll