Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Up Next
Back to Show
Watch Preview
Changing Seas
Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea?
Season 8
Episode 801
Recent DNA research has cast doubt on the theory that sponges were the first animals to branch off the “Animal Tree of Life,” a kind of family tree for all living and extinct animals on earth. Recently, some scientists are suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
New research sheds light on the lives of mysterious creatures of the deep.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:45
Divers from around the country learn how to map shipwrecks.
26:45
Follow one scientist studying coral in Belize.
Unlock with PBS Passport
27:14
Scientists studying the coastal Everglades make some perplexing discoveries.
Unlock with PBS Passport
27:01
The Cayman Islands are home to the last great reproductive population of grouper.
Unlock with PBS Passport
29:33
Scientists work to identify and link a devastating coral disease to a human pathogen.
Unlock with PBS Passport
27:16
Scientists use satellite tags and DNA forensic tools to track tiger sharks.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:47
Oceanographers continue to study the long term effects of an oil spill.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
A group of scientists tests sea sponges for potential anti-cancer properties.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the emerging science of coral reef restoration.
26:49
The invasive lionfish is a major threat to biodiversity and a stressed coral reef.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:48
Examine the important role seagrasses and mangroves play in the ocean’s web of life.