Eons
Season 2020
TV-Y7
Join hosts Hank Green, Kallie Moore, and Blake de Pastino as they take you on a journey through the history of life on Earth. From the dawn of life in the Archaean Eon through the Mesozoic Era — the so-called “Age of Dinosaurs” -- right up to the end of the most recent Ice Age. The evolutionary history of mammals including humans and other modern species is explored with these amazing paleontology experts.
Kde se dívat na Eons • Season 2020
39 dílů
- That Time the Mediterranean Sea DisappearedD1
That Time the Mediterranean Sea DisappearedHow could a body of water as big as the Mediterranean just...disappear? It would take decades and more than 1,000 research studies to even start to figure out the cause -- or causes -- of one of the greatest vanishing acts in Earth’s history. - The Neanderthals That Taught Us About HumanityD2
The Neanderthals That Taught Us About HumanityThroughout the first half of the 20th century, Neandertals were thought to have been…primitive. Unintelligent, hunched-over cavemen, for lack of a better word. But the discoveries made in that Iraqi cave provided some of the earliest clues that Neanderthals actually behaved -- and likely thought and felt -- a lot like we do. - The Giant Dinosaur That Was Missing a BodyD3
The Giant Dinosaur That Was Missing a BodyFrom end to end, its forelimbs alone measured an incredible 2.4 meters long and were tipped with big, comma-shaped claws. But other than its bizarre arms, very little material from this dinosaur had been found: no skull, no feet, almost nothing that could give experts a fuller picture of what this dinosaur actually was. - How South America Made the MarsupialsD4
How South America Made the MarsupialsThroughout the Cenozoic Era -- the era we’re in now -- marsupials and their metatherian relatives flourished all over South America, filling all kinds of ecological niches and radiating into forms that still thrive on other continents. - When the Rainforests CollapsedD6
When the Rainforests CollapsedThe Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse set the stage for a takeover that would be a crucial turning point in the history of terrestrial animal life. If it weren’t for that time when the rainforests collapsed - in an extinction event that you probably haven’t heard of - our ancestors might never have made it out of the swamps. - How a Hot Planet Created the World's Biggest SnakeD7
How a Hot Planet Created the World's Biggest SnakeAbout 59 million years ago, the largest animal lurking in the ancient forests of Colombia by far was Titanoboa - the largest snake ever known. It’s only been in the past few years that we’ve put together the many pieces of this puzzling creature, but it turns out that the greatest snake that the world ever saw was made possible by a warming planet. - When the Sahara Was GreenD8
When the Sahara Was GreenThe climate of the Sahara was completely different thousands of years ago. And we’re not talking about just a few years of extra rain. We’re talking about a climate that was so wet for so long that animals and humans alike made themselves at home in the middle of the Sahara. - How Dogs (Eventually) Became Our Best FriendsD11
How Dogs (Eventually) Became Our Best FriendsWe’re still figuring out the details, but most scientists agree that it took thousands of years of interactions to develop our deep bond with dogs. When did they first become domesticated? Where did this happen? And what did the process look like, in terms of genetics and anatomy? - When a Billion Years DisappearedD12
When a Billion Years DisappearedIn some places, the rocks below the Great Unconformity are about 1.2 billion years older than those above it. This missing chapter in Earth’s history might be linked to a fracturing supercontinent, out-of-control glaciers, and maybe the diversification of life itself. - The Risky Paleo Diets of Our AncestorsD13
The Risky Paleo Diets of Our AncestorsWe can track our history of eating just about anything back through the fossil record and see the impact it’s had on our evolution. Throughout time, part of the secret to our success as a species has been our early - and sometimes fatal - experimentation with food. - How the Andes Mountains Might Have Killed a Bunch of WhalesD14
How the Andes Mountains Might Have Killed a Bunch of WhalesAt a site known as Cerro Ballena or Whale Hill, there are more than 40 skeletons of marine mammals -- a graveyard of ocean life dating back 6.5 million to 9 million years ago, in the Late Miocene Epoch. But the identity of the killer that they finally settled on might surprise you. - How Plants Caused the First Mass ExtinctionD15
How Plants Caused the First Mass ExtinctionIn the middle of the Cambrian, life on land was about to get a little more crowded. And those newcomers would end up changing the world. The arrival of plants on land would make the world colder, drain much of the oxygen out of the oceans and eventually, it would help cause a massive extinction event. - The Two Viruses That We’ve Had For Millions of YearsD16
The Two Viruses That We’ve Had For Millions of YearsThere’s one kind of herpesvirus that’s specific to one species of primate, and each virus split off from the herpesvirus family tree when the primate split off from its own tree. But of course, humans are a special kind of primate. - How We Identified One of Earth’s Earliest AnimalsD17
How We Identified One of Earth’s Earliest AnimalsScientists had no idea what type of organisms the life forms of the Ediacaran were—lichen, colonies of bacteria, fungi or something else. It turns out, the key to solving the puzzle of Precambrian life was a tiny bit of fossilized fat. - When Dinosaur Look-Alikes Ruled the EarthD18
When Dinosaur Look-Alikes Ruled the EarthThere were a huge number of croc-like animals that flourished during the Triassic Period. Dinosaurs had just arrived on the scene but it was these animals that truly ruled the Earth, becoming both abundant and diverse. - The World Before Plate TectonicsD19
The World Before Plate TectonicsThere was a time in Earth’s history that was so stable, geologists once called it the Boring Billion. But the fact is, this period was anything but boring. In fact, it set the stage for our modern version of plate tectonics - and probably for the rise of life as we know it. - When Dinosaurs Chilled in the ArcticD20
When Dinosaurs Chilled in the ArcticAll told, the Arctic in the Cretaceous Period was a rough place to live, especially in winter. And yet, the fossils of many kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered there. So how were they able to survive in this harsh environment? - How the Walrus Got Its TusksD21
How the Walrus Got Its TusksThe rise and fall of ancient walruses, and how modern ones got their tusks, is a story that spans almost 20 million years. And while there are parts of the story that we’re still trying to figure out, it looks like tusks didn’t have anything to do with how or what these animals ate. - The Story of the Dino StampedeD22
The Story of the Dino StampedeTo try to solve the puzzle of Lark Quarry, experts have turned to a special subfield of paleontology -- paleoichnology, or the study of trace fossils -- to reconstruct exactly what happened on that spot, on that day, nearly 100,000 millennia ago. - The Dinosaur Who Was Buried at SeaD24
The Dinosaur Who Was Buried at SeaPaleontologists have been studying these dinosaurs since the 1830s, but nobody had ever found a specimen like Borealopelta before. The key to all of this exceptional preservation was where ended up after it died and how it got there. - How We Figured Out FermentationD25
How We Figured Out FermentationThanks to a recent adaptation, instead of getting sick from the boozy, fermented fruits, one of our primate ancestors could digest them safely, and get more calories at the same time. This new superpower would open up a whole new nutritional landscape for us: fermented foods. - The Oddest Couple in the Fossil RecordD26
The Oddest Couple in the Fossil RecordTo figure out how Thrinaxodon and Broomistega became entombed together, scientists looked at the burrow itself, along with their fossilized bones. And it looks like their luck ran out, when a behavior that usually would’ve helped them survive just didn’t work. - Why Do Things Keep Evolving Into Crabs?D33
Why Do Things Keep Evolving Into Crabs?For some reason, animals keep evolving into things that look like crabs, independently, over and over again. What is it about the crab’s form that makes it so evolutionarily successful that non-crabs are apparently jealous of it? - How Plankton Created A Bizarre Giant of the SeasD34
How Plankton Created A Bizarre Giant of the SeasAt more than 2 meters long, Aegirocassis was not only the biggest radiodont ever, but it also may have been the biggest animal in the Early Ordovician. This bizarre marine giant may have only been possible, thanks to a major revolution among some of the tiniest organisms in the world. - The Rise and Fall of the Tallest Mammal to Walk the EarthD35
The Rise and Fall of the Tallest Mammal to Walk the EarthIt arose from rhino ancestors that were a lot smaller, but Paraceratherium would take a different evolutionary path. Believe it or not, it actually became so big that it probably got close to what scientists think might be the actual upper limit for a land mammal. - How Humans Lost Their FurD36
How Humans Lost Their FurWe’re the only primate without a coat of thick fur. It turns out that this small change in our appearance has had huge consequences for our ability to regulate our body temperature, and ultimately, it helped shape the evolution of our entire lineage. - When the Earth Suddenly Stopped WarmingD38
When the Earth Suddenly Stopped WarmingFor decades, scientists have been studying the cause of the Younger Dryas, and trying to figure out if something like it could happen again. And it turns out that what caused this event is the subject of a heated debate. - The Triassic Reptile With "Two Faces"D39
The Triassic Reptile With "Two Faces"Figuring out what this creature’s face actually looked like would take paleontologists years. But understanding this weird animal can help us shine a light on at least one way for ecosystems to bounce back from even the worst mass extinction.
