Eons

How Ancient Microbes Rode Bug Bits Out to Sea

Between 535 and 520 million years ago, a new kind of biological litter began collecting in the ancient oceans of the Cambrian period. Exoskeletons helped early arthropods expand in huge numbers throughout the world’s oceans. And tiny exoskeleton fragments may have allowed some of the most important microbes in the planet’s history to set sail out into the open ocean and change the world forever.

How Ancient Microbes Rode Bug Bits Out to Sea

8m 42s

  • Why Paleontologists Can’t Stop Fighting About Spinosaurus: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Why Paleontologists Can’t Stop Fighting About Spinosaurus

    8m 37s

    What does it mean to be a “semi-aquatic” dinosaur? Was it wading in the shallows, or could it have been a skilled swimmer? Each scenario paints a very different picture of Spinosaurus, and the discovery of new fossils has paleontologists rethinking just how weird and watery this dinosaur was all over again.

  • The Dinosaurs Too Big To Be Dinosaurs: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Dinosaurs Too Big To Be Dinosaurs

    12m 22s

    How did sauropods, uniquely large land animals, actually live, with their anatomy and physiology pushed to such extremes? Well, their unprecedented gigantism came with some equally massive costs…

  • Darwin's Unexpected Final Obsession: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Darwin's Unexpected Final Obsession

    S7 E21 - 12m 12s

    After having solved the small matter of evolution by natural selection - becoming one of the most famous scientists in the world in the process - Charles Darwin turned his focus to a different personal obsession…

PBS PASSPORT

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA+ and PBS Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.