Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. As our cells constantly divide and reproduce and replicate our DNA, errors and inconsistencies develop, leading to the incredible variation of life that drives evolutionary change. This episode, we explore the genetic mechanisms behind mutation and we discuss how scientists study mutations to understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth.In the news: Neanderthal tools, caiman food, dancing dinosaurs, and ancient integument.Time markers: Intro & Announcements: News: Main discussion, Part 1: Main discussion, Part 2: Patron question: Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcastGot a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descentThe Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.orgMusical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0