Skip to main content

Up Next

When the Synapsids Struck Back

When the Synapsids Struck Back

Season 2 Episode 26
10:10
When We Met Other Human Species

When We Met Other Human Species

Season 2 Episode 28
12:56
How Volcanoes Froze the Earth...Twice

How Volcanoes Froze the Earth...Twice

Season 2 Episode 29
10:29
When Giant Deer Roamed Eurasia

When Giant Deer Roamed Eurasia

Season 2 Episode 31
6:53
Was This Dinosaur a Cannibal?

Was This Dinosaur a Cannibal?

Season 2 Episode 32
10:37
The Missing Link That Wasn’t

The Missing Link That Wasn’t

Season 2 Episode 33
9:54
When Bats Took Flight

When Bats Took Flight

Season 2 Episode 35
11:09
How Pterosaurs Got Their Wings

How Pterosaurs Got Their Wings

Season 2 Episode 36
8:33
When Giant Lemurs Ruled Madagascar

When Giant Lemurs Ruled Madagascar

Season 2 Episode 37
10:09
Back to Show
Eons

How Evolution Works (And How We Figured It Out)

Season 2 Episode 25

As a scientific concept, evolution was revolutionary when it was first introduced. With the help of all three of our hosts and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s new Deep Time Hall, we’ll try to explain how evolution actually works and how we came to understand it.

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Season
What Will Earth Be Like 300 Million Years From Now?
9:34
We’re taking a look towards the deep future. After all, the story is far from over.
What Was The Earliest Surgery?
7:59
When did we start practicing medicine in its varied, complex forms?
How Snake Venom Sparked An Evolutionary Arms Race
9:11
For some, the rise of venomous elapid snakes was an almost apocalyptic catastrophe.
Why Is It So Hard to Tell the Sex of a Dinosaur?
12:07
When you only have fossils, how do you know if a dinosaur is female or male?
Animals Are Older Than We Thought
11:57
What are animal-like fossils doing in rocks a billion years old?
Our Most Mysterious Extinct Cousins
9:41
Paranthropus lived alongside our ancestors. If we are still here, why aren’t they?
How Ancient Microbes Rode Bug Bits Out to Sea
8:42
Exoskeleton fragments may have allowed microbes to sail the ocean and change the world.
Why Only Earth Has Fire
10:45
Fire only exists only on Earth because fire can’t exist without life.
Beans & Bees (Not Bats) Gave Us Butterflies
7:09
Turns out bats didn’t give us butterflies and we should be thanking bees and beans.
The Huge Extinctions We Are Just Now Discovering
8:58
Graptolites show us how unpredictable the Silurian period really could be.
When Did We Stop Being Naked?
9:05
How can we figure out when we first started wearing clothes?
Do Thunderbeasts Prove Giant Animals Are Inevitable?
7:50
From an evolutionary perspective, is bigger always better?
Active loading indicator