Up Next
Back to Show
Eons
Can We Get DNA From Fossils?
Season 1
Episode 59
In 1993, scientists cracked open a piece of amber, took out the body of an ancient weevil, and sampled its DNA. Or, at least, so we thought. It took another few decades of research, and a lot of take-backs, before scientists could figure out how we could truly unlock the genetic secrets of the past.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
This is Lizards' Fascinating And Competitive History.
11:27
This small change in our appearance has helped shape the evolution of our entire lineage.
7:53
It arose from rhino ancestors, but Paraceratherium took a different evolutionary path.
8:48
Aegirocassis may have been the biggest animal in the Early Ordovician.
6:46
What is it about the crab’s form that makes it so evolutionarily successful?
7:52
We’ve only started to get to the bottom of how clubs worked and how it developed.
9:48
How and why does botanical carnivory keep evolving?
8:54
Our primate family tree actually originated here!
8:23
The horns probably had a purpose - one that rodents would likely benefit from today.
6:27
How did this giant marine reptile end up high in the Andes Mountains?
9:43
What if the rock art drawings of strange animals really existed?
8:48
How did Thrinaxodon and Broomistega become entombed together?