Evolution textbook timelines tell you when specific adaptations appeared. You learned herbivores developed complex plant-shredding teeth at a specific point in history. That's the fact. Except there's a skull sitting in a lab in Ottawa right now with those exact teeth, and it's millions of years older than the date your textbook says they're supposed to exist. One of those things has to be wrong.

The problem? This skull millions of years before herbivore teeth like this were supposed to evolve. The skull is smaller than your fist. It came from inside a hollow tree trunk in Nova Scotia where the animal either lived, denned, or fell in 310 million years ago. They named the species Tyrannorode, meaning Tyrant Digger, because it's ironically giant for something called a "microsaur."

The timeline you were taught as settled science just got updated by a fossil that wasn't supposed to be possible yet.

Topics: evolution textbook wrong, fossil discovery, evolutionary timeline, Nova Scotia paleontology, herbivore teeth

GUEST: Dr. Hillary Madden | Carleton University

Originally aired on 2026-02-24

Evolution textbook timelines tell you when specific adaptations appeared. You learned herbivores developed complex plant-shredding teeth at a specific point in history. That's the fact. Except there's a skull sitting in a lab in Ottawa right now with those exact teeth, and it's millions of years older than the date your textbook says they're supposed to exist. One of those things has to be wrong.
The problem? This skull millions of years before herbivore teeth like this were supposed to evolve. The skull is smaller than your fist. It came from inside a hollow tree trunk in Nova Scotia where the animal either lived, denned, or fell in 310 million years ago. They named the species Tyrannorode, meaning Tyrant Digger, because it's ironically giant for something called a "microsaur."
The timeline you were taught as settled science just got updated by a fossil that wasn't supposed to be possible yet.
Topics: evolution textbook wrong, fossil discovery, evolutionary timeline, Nova Scotia paleontology, herbivore teeth
GUEST: Dr. Hillary Madden | Carleton University
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-24

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

NEW - How to Train Your Dino: The Fossil That Appeared Millions of Years Too Early

Robots and AI technology just solved two problems you didn't know had the same answer. After an ice storm in China, a quadricopter drone flies out, finds the loaded power lines, and repels down a tiny robot that latches on and rides the line like a zip line, spinning blades chopping ice the whole way, operating in fog, low visibility, and active snowstorms without sending a single person up in a helicopter.

 

The robot restaurant in China was built for a community of senior citizens. Bowls come with printed instructions. Tables have handholds. A robot at the entrance scans your face and your tongue, assesses your health conditions, factors in your horoscope, and recommends your meal. The tech expert covering this story was born a super taster, meaning coffee tastes like body odor to him, and he's the first to admit he's not sure about the science of tongue scanning while being his own best argument for it.

 

Pokemon turns 30 this Friday in Japan, where 10 hotels are running full Pokemon room immersions and piloting a rental clothing concept: arrive with one bag, wear rented clothes the whole trip, leave the same way. It's either the future of travel packing or a bowling shoe situation. Kris Abel has thoughts.

 

Topics: robots and AI technology, power line ice clearing drone, robot restaurant China, Pokemon 30th anniversary, rental clothing Japan

 

GUEST: Kris Abel | realkrisabel.com | @realkrisabel


Originally aired on 2026-02-24

Robots and AI technology just solved two problems you didn't know had the same answer. After an ice storm in China, a quadricopter drone flies out, finds the loaded power lines, and repels down a tiny robot that latches on and rides the line like a zip line, spinning blades chopping ice the whole way, operating in fog, low visibility, and active snowstorms without sending a single person up in a helicopter.
&nbsp;
The robot restaurant in China was built for a community of senior citizens. Bowls come with printed instructions. Tables have handholds. A robot at the entrance scans your face and your tongue, assesses your health conditions, factors in your horoscope, and recommends your meal. The tech expert covering this story was born a super taster, meaning coffee tastes like body odor to him, and he's the first to admit he's not sure about the science of tongue scanning while being his own best argument for it.
&nbsp;
Pokemon turns 30 this Friday in Japan, where 10 hotels are running full Pokemon room immersions and piloting a rental clothing concept: arrive with one bag, wear rented clothes the whole trip, leave the same way. It's either the future of travel packing or a bowling shoe situation. Kris Abel has thoughts.
&nbsp;
Topics: robots and AI technology, power line ice clearing drone, robot restaurant China, Pokemon 30th anniversary, rental clothing Japan
&nbsp;
GUEST: Kris Abel | realkrisabel.com | @realkrisabel
 Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-24

The Little Robot Rides the Power Line Like a Zip Line

Your next chance to see Saturn is tonight, low in the western sky just after sunset, and you don't need a telescope. But while the rings are what everyone pictures, the real story is a moon that's larger than Mercury, has an atmosphere almost as thick as Earth's, and is considered more habitable in some senses than Mars.

Scientists have been arguing for years about how Saturn's rings and moons actually formed. The new theory: a collision so massive it created both Titan and Hyperion at once, two moons still tidally locked to each other billions of years later. Titan's atmosphere resembles what Earth looked like in its earliest history, which is why the Dragonfly mission is expected to launch within the next few years. The rings are tilted thin right now, making moons easier to spot than usual.

What makes this moment specific: the rings are at their thinnest, and the window closes as February ends. The moon worth looking for is bigger than a planet, has weather, and is possibly the most scientifically interesting object in the solar system that most people can't name.

Topics: Saturn planet parade, Titan moon atmosphere, Dragonfly mission, Saturn rings, space science Canada

GUEST: Elaina Hyde | Director, Alan I. Carswell Observatory, York University

Originally aired on 2026-02-24

Your next chance to see Saturn is tonight, low in the western sky just after sunset, and you don't need a telescope. But while the rings are what everyone pictures, the real story is a moon that's larger than Mercury, has an atmosphere almost as thick as Earth's, and is considered more habitable in some senses than Mars.
Scientists have been arguing for years about how Saturn's rings and moons actually formed. The new theory: a collision so massive it created both Titan and Hyperion at once, two moons still tidally locked to each other billions of years later. Titan's atmosphere resembles what Earth looked like in its earliest history, which is why the Dragonfly mission is expected to launch within the next few years. The rings are tilted thin right now, making moons easier to spot than usual.
What makes this moment specific: the rings are at their thinnest, and the window closes as February ends. The moon worth looking for is bigger than a planet, has weather, and is possibly the most scientifically interesting object in the solar system that most people can't name.
Topics: Saturn planet parade, Titan moon atmosphere, Dragonfly mission, Saturn rings, space science Canada
GUEST: Elaina Hyde | Director, Alan I. Carswell Observatory, York University
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-24

Saturn Is Visible Tonight and the Rings Aren't the Story

Money and relationships break down together and the timing of that break is more predictable than you'd think. You wait. The bill arrives. Your partner is still on a work call. You hold up the statement and something that was a financial problem becomes a relationship one. That sequence is not random and it's not inevitable.

The neighbors of lottery winners are statistically more likely to go bankrupt than the average person, because financial behavior is social before it's rational. The scripts you absorbed watching your parents, money is the root of all evil, that person has so much they must be a jerk, those are still running in the background when you split a check or avoid telling your kids the account is tight. Debt correlates with divorce at a higher rate than almost any other relationship stressor, and 2026 is adding pressure to couples that were already stretched.

The dream sandwich changes the sequence: shared goal first, hard number in the middle, shared goal again at the end. It's a framework, but what it's really doing is making the money conversation something you want to have instead of something you've been avoiding.

Topics: money and relationships, financial stress couples, talking about money with partner, family money conversations, financial anxiety 2026

GUEST: Melissa Leong | @‌lisleong

Originally aired on 2026-02-24

Money and relationships break down together and the timing of that break is more predictable than you'd think. You wait. The bill arrives. Your partner is still on a work call. You hold up the statement and something that was a financial problem becomes a relationship one. That sequence is not random and it's not inevitable.
The neighbors of lottery winners are statistically more likely to go bankrupt than the average person, because financial behavior is social before it's rational. The scripts you absorbed watching your parents, money is the root of all evil, that person has so much they must be a jerk, those are still running in the background when you split a check or avoid telling your kids the account is tight. Debt correlates with divorce at a higher rate than almost any other relationship stressor, and 2026 is adding pressure to couples that were already stretched.
The dream sandwich changes the sequence: shared goal first, hard number in the middle, shared goal again at the end. It's a framework, but what it's really doing is making the money conversation something you want to have instead of something you've been avoiding.
Topics: money and relationships, financial stress couples, talking about money with partner, family money conversations, financial anxiety 2026
GUEST: Melissa Leong | @&zwnj;lisleong
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-24

NEW - How to Train Your Dino: The Fossil That Appeared Millions of Years Too Early

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