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Vertebrate fossils can help scientists better understand evolutionary timelines. But plant fossils give paleontologists and paleobotanists a more complete story.

Plants can help us understand how life rebounds after a mass extinction.

How Fossilized Plants Tell Us About the Evolution of Animals

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs in a fiery global catastrophe. But we know little about how their successors, the mammals, recovered and took over the world. Now, hidden inside ordinary-looking rocks, an astonishing trove of fossils reveals a dramatic new picture of how rat-sized creatures ballooned in size and began to evolve into the vast array of species.

Amazing fossils reveal how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Rise of the Mammals Preview

At Corral Bluffs, Colorado, paleontologist Tyler Lyson discovers rare mammal fossils that paint a picture of the first million years after an asteroid killed the dinosaurs.

The Denver Basin preserves a pristine record of ecosystem recovery.

Paleontologist Makes "Game-Changing" Fossil Discovery

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Rise of the Mammals

Hidden inside ordinary-looking rocks, an astonishing trove of fossils paints a dramatic picture of how rat-sized creatures ballooned in size and began to evolve into the vast array of species—from cheetahs to bats to whales to humans—that rule our planet today.

Stunning new mammal fossils were hiding in plain sight.

Paleontologists Discover New Mammal Fossils Hidden in Rocks

Paleontologists analyze concretions—hard orbs of minerals that can collect around material like bone—and discover fossils of mammals that lived on Earth just after an asteroid killed the dinosaurs.

This trove of mammal fossils paints a timeline of life after the dinosaurs died.

Mammal Fossils Fill in Missing Piece of the Timeline of Life

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(This program is no longer streaming). Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs in a fiery global catastrophe. But we know little about how their successors, the mammals, recovered and took over the world. Now, hidden inside ordinary-looking rocks, an astonishing trove of fossils reveals a dramatic new picture of how rat-sized creatures ballooned in size and began to evolve into the vast array of species—from cheetahs to bats to whales to humans—that rule our planet today.

Sant Director, National Museum of Natural History

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Paleobotanist

University of Chicago/The Field Museum

Amazing fossils reveal how mammals took over after an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Evolution

Colossal explosions shake a remote corner of the Siberian tundra, leaving behind massive craters. In Alaska, a huge lake erupts with bubbles of inflammable gas. Scientists are discovering that these mystifying phenomena add up to a ticking time bomb, as long-frozen permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. What are the implications of these dramatic developments in the Arctic? Scientists and local communities alike are struggling to grasp the scale of the methane threat and what it means for our climate future. (Premiered February 2, 2022)

In the Arctic, enormous releases of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, threaten the climate.

Arctic Sinkholes

The top half of Jupiter in blue and green against a night sky

A composite image of Jupiter using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt.

Explore the cosmos, delve into ancient history, and follow an extreme rescue with NOVA’s most-watched documentaries released in 2022.

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A transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (orange) replicating from the plasma membrane of an infected H9 T cell. Credit: NIAID, Flickr

Scientists have cured a handful of people of HIV by piggybacking on treatments they received for blood cancer. But does that bring a widespread cure any closer?

Rise of the Mammals

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Poorly Timed Asteroid Was the Worst For Dinosaurs, the Best For Us

New Fossils Might Capture the Moment of Mass Extinction That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs

Paleontologist Makes "Game-Changing" Fossil Discovery

Rise of the Mammals

Day the Dinosaurs Died

New fossils capture million-year timeline of life after the dinosaurs died

Mammal Fossils Fill in Missing Piece of the Timeline of Life

How Fossilized Plants Tell Us About the Evolution of Animals

Stunning Fossil Discovery Could Offer Glimpse into the Day the Dinosaurs Died

Paleontologists Discover New Mammal Fossils Hidden in Rocks

Making North America: Life

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Explore More

Poorly Timed Asteroid Was the Worst For Dinosaurs, the Best For Us

New Fossils Might Capture the Moment of Mass Extinction That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs

Paleontologist Makes "Game-Changing" Fossil Discovery

Rise of the Mammals

Day the Dinosaurs Died

New fossils capture million-year timeline of life after the dinosaurs died

Mammal Fossils Fill in Missing Piece of the Timeline of Life

How Fossilized Plants Tell Us About the Evolution of Animals

Stunning Fossil Discovery Could Offer Glimpse into the Day the Dinosaurs Died

Paleontologists Discover New Mammal Fossils Hidden in Rocks

Making North America: Life