Stream now with the PBS app / Watch Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV
Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid slammed into Earth, bringing the dinosaurs' reign to a fiery end. But from this catastrophe, tiny mammal survivors were able to emerge from the shadows and flourish.
Today we live in the age of mammals, with a staggering array of species, from lions to bats to whales, occupying nearly every habitat on Earth. But how did our predecessors evolve so rapidly and diversify into the range of creatures we know today? An astonishing new trove of fossils is finally providing some answers.
On "Rise Of The Mammals," NOVA takes you to Colorado, where fossils hidden inside ordinary-looking rocks provide a dramatic picture of how life rebounded in the first million years after the asteroid impact. They show how plants and animals evolved together, and how rat-sized mammals — safe from dinosaurs’ jaws — ballooned in size at an astounding rate. What the fossils tell us may transform our understanding of our fellow mammals — and how life can recover after a mass extinction.
“This story about the recovery of life reminds us of the incredible tenacity of life on Earth. It also reveals a different kind of tenacity — that of the dogged persistence of the scientists and volunteers who worked so hard to make this discovery,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “Now, thanks to them,we have a vivid picture of how our scorched planet came back to life.”
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Credits: A NOVA production by HHMI Tangled Bank Studios for WGBH Boston. Writer, Director, and Executive Producer is Geoff Luck. Executive Producers for HHMI Tangled Bank Studios are John Rubin and Sean B. Carroll. Executive Producer for NOVA is Chris Schmidt. NOVA Series Co-Executive Producers are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt.
