Skip to main content

Up Next

When Fish Wore Armor

When Fish Wore Armor

Season 1 Episode 51
9:37
When Birds Had Teeth

When Birds Had Teeth

Season 1 Episode 52
11:29
When We First Walked

When We First Walked

Season 1 Episode 57
10:56
Did Raptorex Really Exist?

Did Raptorex Really Exist?

Season 1 Episode 58
12:27
Can We Get DNA From Fossils?

Can We Get DNA From Fossils?

Season 1 Episode 59
11:22
When Giant Amphibians Reigned

When Giant Amphibians Reigned

Season 1 Episode 60
9:51
Your Place in the Primate Family Tree

Your Place in the Primate Family Tree

Season 1 Episode 61
11:35
The Two People We're All Related To

The Two People We're All Related To

Season 1 Episode 62
8:44
Back to Show
Eons

The Mystery of the Eocene’s Lethal Lake

Season 1 Episode 50

In 1800s, miners began working in exposed deposits of mud near the town of Messel, Germany. They were extracting oil from the rock and along with the oil, they found beautifully preserved fossils of animals from the Eocene. What happened to these Eocene animals? And why were their remains so exquisitely preserved?

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