United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

US & Territories

(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.

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

Rise of the Mammals

Canada

US, US Territories, Canada

Explore the intimate connections between the landscape, the colonizing of the continent, and the emergence of our industrial world. Beginning with Native American ancestors who crafted hunting weapons from stone traded across hundreds of miles, the program shows how pre-Columbian civilizations developed an expert knowledge of the landscape and its resources. With the arrival of Europeans, North America’s hidden riches became to key to prosperity, from the gold rush to today’s oil and gas boom. As a result, human activity has transformed the continent on a scale that rivals the geological forces that gave birth to it billions of years before. Yet, scientists warn of sleeping giants like the Cascadia fault, and the earthquake/tsunami one-two punch it could unleash on the Pacific Northwest. Even as we re-mold the continent to suit our needs, geologic processes inexorably continue, and they raise potential risks of catastrophe to our human civilization.

How has the land shaped our lives, from the arrival of the first Americans to today?

Making North America: Human

(This program is no longer available for online streaming.) A seven-mile-wide asteroid collided with Earth 66 million years ago, triggering a chain of events that coincide with the end of the dinosaurs. But experts have long debated exactly what happened when the asteroid struck and how the giant beasts met their end. Now, scientists have uncovered compelling new clues about the catastrophe—from New Jersey to the wilds of Patagonia—and an international expedition of scientists has drilled into the impact crater off the coast of Mexico, recovering crucial direct evidence of the searing energy and giant tsunami unleashed by the asteroid. Join NOVA as scientists piece together a chillingly precise unfolding of the Earth’s biggest cataclysm, moment by moment, and discover how our early mammalian ancestors managed to survive and repopulate the Earth. (Premiered December 27, 2017)

Experts drill into the impact crater of an asteroid that created a worldwide cataclysm.

Day the Dinosaurs Died

Close-up of neanderthal with sun in the background

Human: Neanderthal Encounters

Discover how Homo sapiens outlasted Neanderthals – and how they helped make us who we are today.
For hundreds of thousands of years, Neanderthals thrived across Europe. Then, Homo sapiens arrived. Explore the surprising encounters between these two human species, including evidence of interbreeding that has reshaped our understanding of early human history. As a brutal ice age descended, both groups were pushed to their limits. Uncover the latest archaeological and genetic breakthroughs revealing the surprising truth behind the Neanderthals&#x27; mysterious disappearance. How did Homo sapiens manage to survive and outlast our remaining human cousins? And how did our time together – written in our DNA – leave a lasting impact on us? (Premiering October 1, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Discover how Homo sapiens outlasted Neanderthals – and how they helped make us who we are today.

Human: Origins

Trace the remarkable origin story of Homo sapiens and the crucial moments that shaped our species.
Where do we come from? To find out, journey back to a time when multiple human species walked the earth. Discover how radical fossil finds in Morocco rewrote the history of our origins – suggesting we did not have a single birthplace, but that modern Homo sapiens emerged from a mosaic of prehistoric, early human communities. Explore the tools, language, and rituals that bound us together, and the setbacks that nearly destroyed us. (A 5-part series premiering September 17, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Trace the remarkable origin story of Homo sapiens and the crucial moments that shaped our species.

Human: Into the Americas

Follow ancient humans’ journey into an icy and perilous new land.
Journey back to when humans first ventured into the Americas, a world teeming with colossal megafauna and dramatic climate shifts. Witness their ingenious survival tactics against formidable predators, and uncover the mystery of ancient footprints in the desert of White Sands. See how these pioneers transformed from nomads to living in rooted communities, forever altering our world. (Premiering October 8, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Follow ancient humans’ journey into an icy and perilous new land.

Human: Journeys

Follow Homo sapiens as they venture out of Africa and spread farther than any other human species.
From the time humans arose in Africa, they have been on the move – but one species, Homo sapiens, has journeyed farther than any other. Follow in our ancestors’ footsteps as they travel the globe, and meet the mysterious hobbit-like humans they may have encountered along the way. How did Homo sapiens manage to thrive across the planet? And how did our drive to explore shape us and the world as we know it today? (Premiering September 24, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Follow Homo sapiens as they venture out of Africa and spread farther than any other human species.

Human: Building Empires

Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.
What caused humans to stop roaming and start building? How did we transform from a tiny, fragile population of Homo sapiens into the 8 billion strong, globally interconnected species we are today? Discover pivotal moments that set humanity on a new path – toward cities and modern civilizations. What role did the domestication of plants and animals play in this transformation? And how did the invention of writing begin to reshape how we shared knowledge and organized society? From ancient temples like Göbekli Tepe in Turkey to the Egyptian Empire that built the Pyramids along the banks of the Nile, witness the birth of cities, the dawn of communication, and the inherent human drive to build, connect, and thrive against all odds. (Premiering October 15, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)

Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.

Silhouette of people walking towards camera with setting sun behind them

Human

Follow the epic story of Homo sapiens as they outlast other human species and spread across the globe.
Around 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens emerged in Africa – one of at least seven human species alive at the time. Now, we are the only remaining human line, and our impact on the planet is undeniable. In this stunningly cinematic five-part series, paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi traces the surprising story of human origins. Remarkable new fossil evidence, modern DNA sequencing, and other cutting-edge scientific tools are shedding new light on the lives and journeys of long-vanished human species, and how our encounters with them helped make us who we are today. (A five-part series premiering on September 17, 2025)

Follow the epic story of Homo sapiens as they outlast other human species and spread across the globe.

This Massive Skeleton Belongs to an Ancient Whale

At first, scientists thought it was a gigantic marine reptile.
Egypt’s Sahara desert is home to around 600 Basilosaurus fossils. Basilosaurus means “king lizard,” but this creature was actually ancient whale.
This Massive Skeleton Belongs to an Ancient WhalePublished: May 20, 2025HESHAM SALLAM: This is one of the most complete skeletons that we find in Wadi al Hitan. In the middle of nowhere, you find a lot of really huge vertebrae lying up. The skull would be over there in that rock and the ribs on both sides. This is really a spectacular, huge animal that lived here in Wadi al Hitan 40 million years ago, the Basilosaurus.NARRATOR: Basilosaurus fossils have been discovered in many parts of the world, including around 600 here at Wadi al Hitan. This one has been laid out in the place it was found. When the first Basilosaurus was studied in 1834, experts were baffled.HESHAM SALLAM: When the early scientists found this, they thought it&#x27;s belonged to a kind of gigantic marine reptile, and this is why they give it name Basilosaurus, which means king lizard.NARRATOR: But the skull contains a clue to Basilosaurus&#x27;s true identity.HESHAM SALLAM: This is the skull upside down, and you can see all the teeth is sticking up. And actually, they have incisors, canine, premolars, and molar. Really like our teeth, which is actually a really good indication for this is not a marine reptile. This is actually mammal. So, Basilosaurus, the King Lizard, it&#x27;s actually ancient whale.NARRATOR: 40 million years ago, Basilosaurus was the apex predator of its day. It could grow up to 60 feet long, the length of a bowling alley, and weigh more than seven tons. Powerful jaws filled with sharp teeth made it a killing machine. Scientists estimate its bite had a force of nearly two tons, enough to crush the bones of other whales. Basilosaurus was a prehistoric king of beasts.

At first, scientists thought it was a gigantic marine reptile.

Topic: Evolution

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