Becoming a Fossil

This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy could have been fossilized. Footage courtesy of NOVA: "In Search of Human Origins."

Accessibility features: Audio Description, Caption, Transcript

Continental Divide: The Breakup of Pangaea

Examine geological evidence found in fossils, rock deposits, and ancient mountains that supports the theory of continental drift in this interactive activity adapted from the Exploratorium.

Dating Lava Flows on Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaiʻi

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists search for carbonized remains of plants preserved in lava flows to find out how long it has taken rain forests on Hawaiʻi to regenerate after a volcanic eruption.

Accessibility features: Audio Description, Caption

Deep Time

This interactive timeline from Evolution offers a visual representation of the major geological changes, transformations, and extinction episodes in the 4.6-billion-year history of Earth.

Diatoms Measure Climate Change

In this video segment adapted from NOVA: "Becoming Human," learn what the analysis of fossilized microscopic algae in sediment tells us about rapid changes in climate in Africa's past.

Accessibility features: Caption

Evolving Ideas: Did Humans Evolve?

This video from Evolution explores the evolution of humans from a common ancestor of humans, chimpanzees, and other apes.

Accessibility features: Caption

Evolving Ideas: How Do We Know Evolution Happens?

This video from Evolution focuses on one of the several lines of evidence for evolution -- fossils, highlighting the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals to the aquatic creatures we know today.

Accessibility features: Caption, Transcript

Finding Lucy

This Evolution video segment depicts the landmark hominid fossil finds by Don Johanson and his team in Ethiopia.

Accessibility features: Caption

Fish with Fingers

In this video segment from Evolution: "Great Transformations," paleontologist Jenny Clack explains that vertebrates evolved fingers before they invaded land.

Accessibility features: Audio Description, Caption, Transcript

Fossils

Fossils are indicators of past life. This collection of still images produced for Teachers' Domain features examples of fossils from plants, animals, and insects.

The Grand Canyon: Evidence of Earth's Past

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a fossil found among the Grand Canyon's rock layers reveals the existence of a shallow sea that once covered most of western North America.

Accessibility features: Caption

How Did Life Emerge Here?

This video segment adapted from NOVA describes the emergence of life on the islands of Hawaiʻi from a barren volcanic platform under the ocean waves to the rich explosion of life that covers the many climate zones of the islands today.

Accessibility features: Audio Description, Caption

Ingredients for Life: Water

This video segment adapted from NOVA goes on a whimsical journey in search of life forms thriving in extreme conditions on Earth and in outer space. Animations show ice on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and signs that water once existed on Mars.

Accessibility features: Audio Description, Caption

Laetoli Footprints

This Evolution video segment describes how the famous track fossils known as the Laetoli footprints might have been formed and what they can reveal about the creatures who left them.

Accessibility features: Caption, Transcript

Natural Climate Change in Djibouti, Africa

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, animations are used to illustrate how change in the tilt of Earth's axis produces dramatic climate change over thousands of years.

Accessibility features: Caption

Origins of Humankind

In this Evolution feature, examine a six-million-year-long fossil record to learn about the evolution of the human family.

Permian-Triassic Extinction

In this video segment from Evolution: "Extinction!", geologist Peter Ward discusses evidence for a Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

Accessibility features: Caption

Radiometric Dating

In this video segment from A Science Odyssey: "Origins," scientists explain how Earth's age was determined by radiometric dating.

Accessibility features: Caption

Riddle of the Bones

In this Evolution Web feature, piece together clues to how one of our early ancestors looked as you examine images from four significant fossil finds of Australopithecus afarensis.

Ted Daeschler and Neil Shubin: Early Tetrapod Fossils

In this transcript of an interview filmed for Evolution: "Great Transformations," Ted Daeschler and Neil Shubin describe the discovery and significance of some of their key fossil finds.