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Eons
Beans & Bees (Not Bats) Gave Us Butterflies
Season 6
Episode 9
For a few years we thought bats were to thank for the existence of butterflies. The idea was that the evolution of bats drove one group of moths to abandon the night entirely, becoming active during the day to escape, giving rise to butterflies. But it turns out the groups we should actually be thanking for the beautiful bugs are bees and beans.
9:34
We’re taking a look towards the deep future. After all, the story is far from over.
7:59
When did we start practicing medicine in its varied, complex forms?
9:11
For some, the rise of venomous elapid snakes was an almost apocalyptic catastrophe.
12:07
When you only have fossils, how do you know if a dinosaur is female or male?
11:57
What are animal-like fossils doing in rocks a billion years old?
9:41
Paranthropus lived alongside our ancestors. If we are still here, why aren’t they?
8:42
Exoskeleton fragments may have allowed microbes to sail the ocean and change the world.
10:45
Fire only exists only on Earth because fire can’t exist without life.
8:58
Graptolites show us how unpredictable the Silurian period really could be.
9:05
How can we figure out when we first started wearing clothes?
7:50
From an evolutionary perspective, is bigger always better?
9:14
How did ants take over the world?