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
How Our Deadliest Parasite Turned To The Dark Side
8:06
Around 10,000 years ago, a parasite made a huge leap and found its way to a new host: Us.
When Pterosaurs Walked
9:38
Here's how pterosaurs went from being airborne to pedestrian.
The 40 Million-Year-Old Ecosystem In Your Mouth
8:14
Dental calculus is the only part of your body that actually fossilizes while you're alive!
Why The Paleo Diet Couldn't Save The Neanderthals
9:17
Here's why these skilled toolmakers, hunters, and foragers' population disappeared.
When It Was Too Hot for Leaves
10:11
For the first 80 million years of plants' existence, leaves didn't exist. Here's why.
How Dinosaurs Coupled Up
7:49
We learn about Dinosaur mating behavior from fossil records.
How Ancient Whales May Have Changed the Deep Ocean
10:05
Here's how the evolution of ocean-going whales affected deep-ocean communities.
When Mammals Only Went Out At Night
11:09
Scientists discover dinosaurs and tiny mammals' sleep habits are different than thought.
How a Mass Extinction Event Created the Amazon
7:55
The history of how the Amazon's revolution began in just one day.
How a Supervolcano Ignited an Evolutionary Debate
9:59
Discover the effects of the Toba supervolcano.
How Pollination Got Going Twice
9:32
Pollination by insects actually got going twice.
The Creature That Stumped Darwin
6:46
The Toxodon fossils help reveal the mystery surrounding evolution.
Active loading indicator