//podcastplus.net/feed/class~8e565642 From the creators of The Wild Life comes Class. Why class? Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.Each season focuses in on a new Phylum, with each episode exploring a new Class of animal. Season One: Mollusca, just wrapped up production and is on its way!Each episode also comes with educational resources like images, diagrams, and worksheets for free use by students and enthusiasts everywhere. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 10:43:27 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/903af86f-4eb8-4d69-864d-85da926d35f5/DemoSponges-mixdown.mp3 The basic idea behind the theory of evolution behind natural selection is this: if you get eaten or otherwise die before you’ve had the chance to reproduce then your genes, or traits, don’t get passed on. It’s a dead end. But if you survive… some of your traits get passed down to a new generation. Maybe you were just a bit faster than the other wildebeest. Maybe your coloration gave you better camouflage than some of the rest. Who knows? It could be a ton of things. The point is, over time, these little changes in the proportion of traits will add up to big changes, maybe even entirely new species!   There’s a misconception out there though related to this idea called Survival of the Fittest. That evolution works through the survival of the strongest, fastest, toughest, meanest of the bunch and that things get stronger, faster, tougher, and meaner over time. Thing is, that’s just not true. Problematic associations aside, that idea doesn’t explain the persistence of seemingly usele... Fri, 26 Aug 2022 15:43:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/903af86f-4eb8-4d69-864d-85da926d35f5/DemoSponges-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/0dae5ead-0706-4089-857c-bd33468b888f/class2-mixdown.mp3 In October 2020, Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus crew discovered something extraordinary—vast clusters of glass sponges Glass sponges in general are a rare sight, but what made this discovery even more surprising is where they were found. Beginning just 25 miles off the coast of California, The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a 1,470 square mile refuge for wildlife as well as a human heritage site.  Regions where the ocean floor can be found just 1,000 feet or so below, like Footprint Ridge and the Piggy Bank, have been pretty thoroughly explored. But between those two sites lies a valley, plunging another thousand feet below. This time, in late 2020, the scientific team famous for their live-streaming of footage captured by ROV’s, decided to give that valley a closer look. That’s when the NOAA experts, on Nautilus Live, stumbled upon a vast underwater field of glass. Finds like these are becoming increasingly important as potential habitats for diverse lif... Fri, 26 Aug 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/0dae5ead-0706-4089-857c-bd33468b888f/class2-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/b4eb37fd-98bb-4a33-9e2f-83d9f687f7b8/classep1-mixdown.mp3 This season on Class, a deep dive into the amazing life history of sponges. starting with getting to the bottom of what exactly a sponge is!https://thewildlife.blog/2022/06/17/spong-plunge/ (Transcript)https://my.captivate.fm/www.patreon.com/devonbowker (Support) Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/b4eb37fd-98bb-4a33-9e2f-83d9f687f7b8/classep1-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/f7a1f74b-d33a-4fcc-9c8d-33289ca6fac9/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-20part-203-mixdown.mp3 There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed. To truly understand, we have to go to the very beginning. Check out Part 3 of my pre-kick-off series to my new zoology series, Class, and get oriented with the development of animal life.https://youtu.be/SEejivHRIbE (Link to the amazingly spectacular video I mentioned)https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/15/how-to-build-an-animal-part-two/ (Transcript)Support at https://my.captivate.fm/www.patreon.com/devonbowker (www.patreon.com/devonbowker) Mon, 23 May 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/f7a1f74b-d33a-4fcc-9c8d-33289ca6fac9/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-20part-203-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/e5a37790-d6b6-48ac-ae0b-0478f67e1ee1/coelom-mixdown.mp3 So far in the How to Build an Animal series, we’ve been taking a look at the very things that make an animal, well, an animal. In https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/11/how-to-build-an-animal-part-one/ (Part One) we explored types of symmetry and got oriented with the directions of cephalization. In https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/15/how-to-build-an-animal-part-two/ (Part Two) we dove into the early development of animals, from fertilization to the gastrula. We also defined the early layers called the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm and hinted at their future by revealing what tissues they are responsible for developing into.Each of these things has been a branching point on the tree of animal life. Now it’s time for another.https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/17/how-to-build-an-animal-part-three/ (Transcript) Mon, 23 May 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/e5a37790-d6b6-48ac-ae0b-0478f67e1ee1/coelom-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/fb31add6-8360-4894-83c3-f06ae9cdfe6d/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-20part-202-mixdown.mp3 There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed—rules with deep roots. Check out Part 2 of my pre-kick-off series to my new zoology series, Class, and get oriented with the basic body patterns of animal life.https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/11/how-to-build-an-animal-part-one/ (Transcript)Support at https://my.captivate.fm/www.patreon.com/devonbowker (www.patreon.com/devonbowker) Sat, 30 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/fb31add6-8360-4894-83c3-f06ae9cdfe6d/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-20part-202-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/ed0c8eba-1cc4-46ab-9f35-23534ec045d0/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-201-mixdown.mp3 From the biggest elephant to the littlest fly. From every fish in the sea, to all the birds in the sky. Animals are all around us.Dolphins are animals. Just like owls, salamanders, and the anoles in the tree. A salamander may not look like an owl, and an owl definitely doesn’t look like an elephant. Yet, even still, you can tell they are animals just by looking at them.But why? What could all of these things possibly have in common? What makes an animal an animal?What is an animal?https://thewildlife.blog/2022/04/07/what-are-animals/ (Transcript)https://my.captivate.fm/www.patreon.com/devonbowker (Support the Show) Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/ed0c8eba-1cc4-46ab-9f35-23534ec045d0/how-20to-20build-20an-20animal-201-mixdown.mp3 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/3c14c96f-ef91-40b3-bb2e-3987f4466bae/class2-mixdown.mp3 Welcome to our new series.Chitons belong to the Phylum Mollusca, along with bivalves, gastropods, and cephalopods.They may seem simple, but there is a beautiful complexity in their story and existence if you know where to look.Welcome to Class. Support this podcast Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000 https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/3c14c96f-ef91-40b3-bb2e-3987f4466bae/class2-mixdown.mp3