If you're enjoying this podcast, we would love to tell you about Common Descent.

Common Descent is a podcast about paleontology, evolution, and the history of life on Earth,

hosted by two paleontologists with an unending enthusiasm for the wonders of the world.

Each episode cover science news, followed by a deep dive into a main topic requested by the audience.

Recent episodes of feature topics like eels, hibernation, and fungi.

In addition to the main series, Common Descent also features side projects that explore science and pop culture,

where the host examined the science and movies or speculate on the hypothetical evolution of fictional monsters.

Listen to Common Descent on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Picture yourself in downtown Los Angeles.

Today it's a sprawling landscape of concrete and asphalt with a population of 12.5 million people.

But 30,000 years ago, things were really different.

Back then, L.A. was home to Ice Age beasts, like mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and dire wolves.

Instead of on a sidewalk, you're standing in a wilderness of sagebrush.

The trees around you are juniper, Monterey Pine, and Cyprus.

Nearby, there's a river lined with sycamore and a royal willow.

Now, these plants may be familiar to Californians today,

but the animals that lived among them, well, it used to

be pretty wild around here.

Off to your left, a Shasta ground sloth rears up on its hind legs.

It stands over 10 feet tall as it bends down the branches of trees to munch on their leaves.

And the air around you is cool,

cooler than modern day L.A.

...