Back to Show
Changing Seas
Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea? - Trailer
Until recently there was scientific consensus 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. But recent DNA research has cast doubt on that theory, with some scientists suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:48
Examine the important role seagrasses and mangroves play in the ocean’s web of life.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:51
The Changing Seas crew shadows a team of research divers in Dry Tortugas National Park.
26:45
Scientists develop sustainable aquaculture methods to take the pressure off wild fish.
26:46
Scientists scan the ocean floor to find deep sea corals threatened by bottom trawling.
26:49
Scientists at the world’s only underwater lab study the impacts of ocean acidification.
26:54
After being fished to near extinction, Goliath Groupers are making a comeback in Florida.