Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Eons

Our Most Mysterious Extinct Cousins

Season 6 Episode 12

There was a group of hominins, those creatures more closely related to us than to chimpanzees, that did take a different, parallel journey from our ancestors. Our paths ran beside each other - and potentially even crossed at times - but while ours led us here, theirs led to extinction. What happened to Paranthropus and what can their fate tell us about our past?

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Season
When a Billion Years Disappeared
11:09
Some rocks below the Great Unconformity are 1.2 billion years older than those above it.
How Dogs (Eventually) Became Our Best Friends
9:21
It took thousands of years of interactions to develop our deep bond with dogs.
How the Egg Came First
8:44
We’re here to tell you: The egg came first.
When We Took Over the World
11:47
When We Took Over the World
The Ghostly Origins of the Big Cats
7:32
Scientists have recently discovered a major clue about the origins of the big cats.
Were These Monsters Inspired by Fossils?  (ASL)
12:18
Is it possible that monsters that populate our legends were influenced by the fossil record?
When Giant Lemurs Ruled Madagascar (ASL)
10:09
Just a few thousand years ago, Madagascar was inhabited by giant lemurs.
When Penguins Went From The Sky To The Sea
10:33
They evolved from a flying ancestor.
When the Sahara Was Green
7:50
The climate of the Sahara was completely different thousands of years ago.
How a Hot Planet Created the World's Biggest Snake
7:45
The greatest snake that the world ever saw was made possible by a warming planet.
When the Rainforests Collapsed
7:40
If it weren't for the collapse, our ancestors might never have made it out of the swamps.
A Short Tale About Diplodocus' Long Neck
9:18
Long necks gave sauropods an advantage when it came to food, but not in the way you think.
Active loading indicator