NOVA

Rise of the Mammals

Season 46 Episode 17 | 53m 27s

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.

Aired: 10/30/19 | Expired: 10/29/22 | Rating: TV-PG

Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

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Extras From This Episode

• How Fossilized Plants Tell Us About the Evolution of Animals

  Clip: S46 Ep17 | 1m 34s

• Mammal Fossils Fill in Missing Piece of the Timeline of Life

  Clip: S46 Ep17 | 3m 35s

• Paleontologist Makes "Game-Changing" Fossil Discovery

  Clip: S46 Ep17 | 1m 34s

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