From NOVA PBS Official.

Explore mammals’ surprising origins, long before the age of dinosaurs.

Official website: https://to.pbs.org/4kpiJTw | #novapbs

Uncover the surprising ancient origins of mammals, a story that began long before the dinosaurs’ reign. Surveying Earth’s tumultuous past reveals how some of our earliest ancestors, the therapsids – creatures that looked like reptiles but were starting to develop mammalian traits – survived multiple global catastrophes. Through remarkable adaptations like burrowing and the emergence of warm-bloodedness, they forged a lineage that persevered against all odds. Fascinating fossil clues and cutting-edge science reveal how a small, resilient group of animals faced extinction events, outlived giants, and ultimately gave rise to the diverse world of mammals we know today, including us.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:19 Therapsid Group Evolution
21:27 How Therapsid Groups Survived “The Great Dying”
39:55 The Emergence of Warm-Blooded Animals
49:00 Conclusion

© 2026 WGBH Educational Foundation

All rights reserved

This program was produced by GBH, which is solely responsible for its content.

This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate/

Enjoy full episodes of your favorite PBS shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR

📰 Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA’s newsletter here: https://to.pbs.org/4brCC7Y

🛍️ Shop official NOVA 50th anniversary merch: https://nova-shop.org/

🎙️ Watch our podcast, Particles of Thought: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtiOgIRVt404UGx2NBvPum4DgT5Gs-Tts
Or listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Evolution documentary, mammals, fossil discovery, archaeology, dinocephalians, permian-triassic extinction event, the karoo, carnian pluvial episode, cynodonts, dicynodonts, whiskers, lactation

Follow on social for more NOVA content
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novapbs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novapbs
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@novapbs

PBS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBS/
X: https://twitter.com/PBS/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PBS/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/PBS/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbs