Chinese Fossils Reveal the Evolution of Mammals | SLICE SCIENCE | FULL DOCUMENTARY

For a long time, paleontologists believed that mammals had won the battle of evolution by default, expanding unheeded after the demise of the dinosaurs. But discoveries in China at the beginning of the 21st century prove that our ancestors prepared their weapons long before that. But exactly when did mammals first appear? For the last decade, the debate has raged between geneticists and paleontologists.
Until the end of the 20th century, ancient mammals were known only through fragments of teeth but Jurassic deposits in Liaoning, China finally delivered remarkably well-preserved complete fossils: Eomaia scansoria (2002), the ancestor of placental mammals, Repenomamus giganticus (2005) the size of a dog and Volaticotherium antiquus (2006), a kind of flying squirrel. By using innovative technology such as 3D scanners scientists are able to trace the origins of their evolutionary advantages: lactation, hair, teeth and hearing. But despite these discoveries, the scientific community continued to argue over the family tree of our Mesozoic ancestors. For ten years, the debate raged between two opposing teams in the pages of the scientific publication, Nature. To understand our origins one crucial question remained unanswered: when did the now-dominant placental mammals separate from marsupials? Then in 2011, Juramaia sinensis meaning “Jurassic Mother from China” was discovered. This fossil pushed our family tree back another 35 million years, proving that our ancestors were around almost 160 million years ago…
Documentary : A New Prehistory EP3 : The Dawn of Mammals
Directed by : Emma Baus & Bertrand Loyer
Production : Saint Thomas Productions
#freedocumentary #documentary #sciencedocumentary #mammals #dinosaurs #evolution #fossils #mesozoic

[@asthemoonturns]

The minute they called a Triassic animal a ´mammal-like-reptile´, I wondered: Why do people still use that phrase? They were never reptiles to begin with. Synapsids (or proto mammals) diverged from other Amniotes at least 318 million years ago, in the Carboniferous. Even before the oldest fossils of true reptiles. And yes, the first ones did look like early reptiles. Because they did share a common ancestor. But by the mid-Permian, they were all very diverse and more mammalian than reptilian.

[@Leptospirosi]

True: early pritomamalian, like the Dimetrodon, and even more with Gorgonopsids already had differentiated teeth's and the Cynignatids almost a complete mammalian structured mouth, including cartilagineous nose.

[@kryts27]

Yes, but these mammalian-like synapsids were not prevalent until the Triassic, not the Permian.

[@SteveWarlee]

At least 318 hey, U sure it wasn't 293 or 345 or or....

[@asthemoonturns]

@@SteveWarlee Haha, oldest definite Synapsid fossils are from 318 million years ago. They could be older, but older ones aren´t found (yet). So yes, at least 318

[@prototropo]

@@asthemoonturns Yes, I posted a similar remark. That "mammal-like" descriptor is like a sloppy, 1950's vintage "Mutual of Omaha" text. It was never accurate, for anyone familiar with the grand phenotypic sequence of complex life. From the early years of paleontology, it was understood in broad terms that a gilled, fully aquatic ancestor became-- ~ a lung-lobed, contingently pond-loping pioneer, ~ then an opportunistic amphibian tetrapod, ~ one of which continued evolving the first amnion, permitting a fully terrestrial, amniotic tetrapod. That moment represents a substantial cladistic departure in vertebrate potential, as well as a very poetic pivot and a quite literal watershed in our evolutionary archive. Far more momentous than slow, incremental features of classic selective change, the acquisition of an amniotic membrane in an architecturally sturdy, gas-permeable shell was a genuine phase transition, fostering synergistic features as momentous as ~ ~ the earlier emergence of the nucleus in eukaryotes, and ~ subsequent pioneers in cell massing, fostering colony-obligate cell families and structures, and then, ~ another phase transition: the stunning powers of cell differentiation & migration potentiated a full "conceptus-to-birth" embryogenesis within a rent-free placental "island," with a uterine communication as sophisticated as the blood-brain barrier: in with the fresh, out with the stale, and voila! Look, Ma! The metazoans are efflorescing! Of course, Ma knew that before anyone did, and eventually, viviparity displayed many benefits over ovoparity, but also introduced new problems, like squeezing a big brain through the narrow canal and mandated by bipedality, As mammalian gestation addressed those new challenges, the solutions began to look like good fortune rather than bad luck: neoteny, or extended childhood, soon permitted even bigger brains by stretching out the time they needed to grow, which vastly enlarged the window of learning from grandparents, tribal leaders, experiential skills and older siblings. Evolution often looks less like a linear trail of advances and more like a spiraling compromise, an Hegelian see-saw, letting a delinquent dialectic apply for new jobs that reapply old skills. Such flexible winnings begin to resemble: * self-reflexive consciousness, * self-reflective intentionality, * syntactical language, * abstract ideation, * extra-somatic information storage, * technological innovation, * competent urbanism, * empathic, pluralist societies of deep equanimity, * the extensive, intensive education of a scholarly sector, the set of industrial innovators, a class of skilled political and diplomatic agents who establish both internal and international equilibrium for the maintenance of economically vigorous, intellectually generative, socially diverse and tolerant civilizations. Hmmm! Not bad for a recently brachiating knuckle-nose who couldn't even fry an egg, let alone trade one for a waterbed.

[@sforza209]

I wish more paleontology docs would put scientific names of the animals with text on the screen. It would allow for better understanding of the names.

[@harperwelch5147]

Natural World Facts is great at posting captions, species names. Also Astrum.

[@woodsplitter3274]

Yes. I also like timelines and cladograms. Leave them a little longer.

[@ericastier1646]

There is no doubt that with greater computer and graphical power, presentation skills have degraded. If you watch the militrary training on flying instruments in the mid 20th century, the clarity and methods of presentation and animations were incredibly stunning and efficient at teaching. An art lost by now.

[@Jon-BEDM]

Good stuff, my fellow mammals. Not all shoulders we stand on are big. Credit to the these first mammals for surviving in various challenging environments and still finding time to take naps.

[@cliftongaither6642]

and naps are most important throughout the day.

[@crypton_8l87]

😄👍🏻

[@JessicaLynch-pb2lv]

I thought all mammals living among dinosaurs were small. I would never have imagined a wolf sized mammals at that time. Wolves are pretty big.

[@chichomancho1791]

every little lizard wants to become big crocodile.

[@Unit8200-rl8ev]

The thing I love about Paleontology is, there's no definite answer to the question of when we "became human".

[@LeicaM11]

The „when“ may not be exactly answered, but the „if“ can be answered! 🎉

[@igorpro8462]

For that you have to go to anthropology. They will give you the answer, with all proper explanations

[@janetchennault4385]

Great documentary - love the 3D mammals running around the labs and entertaining the paleontologists. I am certainly betting on the molecular clock presenting the more accurate paradigm.

[@ericastier1646]

I had a mixed response to the 3D animations. in itself good but I wished the paleontologists didn't have to play fake that they could see the animation, i found that a wrong note because it is deception, they could not see them and were pretending. I guess 3D holographic animation is still not in existence yet. In the 1990's we had static holograms that used monochromatic laser to give stunning real 3 dimensional view over a limit angle using photo lithography. We are still waiting for the 3D animated holography that will replace our computer monitors. It's not happening yet.

[@jazzrossy930]

Well there are the 3d video goggles you wear with strap around your head used with play stations or plugged into computer's that have 3d video displays.Older version's with trick stereo photographs and basic lenses that you hold up to a window provide impressive high definition 3D from 150 year old photographs.Just Victorian parlour tricks150 years ago. Sure the hdwr has been updated but the science has been known since Isaac Newton's time in the 16 th century 😮

[@ericastier1646]

@@jazzrossy930 No that is all stereographical images or videos not 3D real hographic objects projection . including google glasses it's not the real thing.

[@jazzrossy930]

My comment was not about the cartune. It was about your comment (unedited original) that 3d stuff wasn't even valid and it doesn't even exist. I beg your pardon if I misinterpreted your response.

[@RobertGotschall-y2f]

I was told in class that they sifted through ant hills to find the teeth. They were described as either hairy lizards or scaley rats in the 70s. Egg-laying proto mammals.

[@prototropo]

There are NO mammalian reptiles! That is preposterously inaccurate. Mammals derive from synapsids, reptiles from sauropsids, both of which descended from the amniotes, not from each other.

[@latheofheaven1017]

Agreed. I gave up on this video at that point. It's so disheartening to hear these scripts confusing things so badly. Whydo that? It's not much more complicated to get it right. It's more interesting to get it right, and doesn't require people unlearn things later on.

[@ericastier1646]

So we have egg making mammals before placental mammals ? Imagine women making eggs like chickens. lol.

[@Unit8200-rl8ev]

​​​​@@ericastier1646Then instead of having to choose between having a baby or having an abortion, a woman could make an omelette. Call it an Ove Maria.

[@ericastier1646]

@@Unit8200-rl8ev That's vile and repulsive evil thinking.

[@neepsmcfly4176]

​@@ericastier1646... And f'in hilarious!

[@billsmart2532]

Brilliant series! So much new information. Animations are fantastic! One problem with the script: predators are silent when stalking or they would never catch prey. You're portraying them breathing heavy, roaring loudly and making a spectacle of themselves. All too Hollywooden.

[@chichomancho1791]

this is not Hollywood, this is science.

[@nyahanan]

Mammals coexists a long time with dinosaurs. But it is interesting that a German zoologist pointed out that there are still more species of reptiles than of mammals! So he doubted that so-called success of mammals above reptiles!

[@jimgraham6722]

Great doco, thanks.

[@SLICE_Science]

Thank you for watching !

[@andrewstrongman305]

I found this very interesting, but I was a little disappointed when the otherwise realistic looking therapod was depicted with pronated wrists. We understood that therapods could not turn their wrists well before we found evidence of proto-feathers on them.

[@kryts27]

The synapid mammals appeared probably in the late Triassic from (cyanodont pre-mammal reptiles). This makes them an older class of amneotic vertibrates than birds (Aves), which probably evolved in the Jurassic. They are the only surviving synapids to modern times.

[@stevensibbet5869]

Gliding isn't exactly the same as flying.

[@Dr.Yalex103]

what is absolutely brilliantly exciting to me is that soon these x-ray devices will be taken to the locations of archaeological finds… soon there will be no more digging blindly through millions of years of petrified deposits

[@catha.j.stuart2200]

Great summary of our knowledge of early mammals

[@vikingskuld]

Not really fossilized soft tissue protiens ruins all of this. Proves not much of this is remotely true

[@imwelshjesus]

Don't tell me, liar for the baby jesus? ​@@vikingskuld

[@vikingskuld]

@@imwelshjesus your the one lying or just ignorant of modern finds. Either way your criminally ignorant.

[@ericastier1646]

@@imwelshjesus Was that an evolutionist refusing to admit that we were once like rats climbing trees and eating crunchy insects ? lol.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks for posting

[@SLICE_Science]

Welcome !

[@erndogee]

Wonderful documentary

[@SLICE_Science]

Thank you !

[@tristanwilliams4180]

i really Love Mammal like Reptiles, Such Amazing Proto Mammals

[@cyirvine6300]

This was GEAT! The animation was awesome. Kudos to prof. Zhe-Xi Luo on his meticulous pronunciation, especially the r!

[@zollen123]

I have eaten enough fried chicken to not feel sorry for dinosaurs.

[@nigelworters3667]

29 minutes in the landscape is Kerosene Creek. A thermal river and waterfall west of Rotorua in New Zealand. Very popular with backpacking tourists and us locals😅

[@paulford9120]

Excellent video. 👍

[@SLICE_Science]

Thank you ! 😍

[@Tuishimi]

At 9:18 that thrinaxodon had its legs underneath, not splayed.

[@Tuishimi]

The claim that "other animals only have one kind of tooth" is pretty bogus. Take tyrannosaurus rex, for example, they had differently shaped teeth in the front of their jaws compared to the sides. Pretty sure there are other examples of reptiles, fish and other animals with varied teeth.

[@Tuishimi]

Finally, basing our theories of the ancient fauna on fossils is a big mistake. The fossil record is seriously lacking. We have NO idea of how many types and how many of each type actually existed. Fossil bias is a thorn.

[@PetroicaRodinogaster264]

250 million years ago and it probably took longer than that to reach the stage they did. wrap your brain around that! hurts!

[@kryts27]

Many mammals have an advanced sense of smell. This is a powerful sense for hunting and defensive sensing. Dinosaurs (including birds) hunt by sight. They are not known trackers by smell.

[@brianvernon7754]

tell that to turkey vultures

[@robertharris683]

Please no back ground music..very distracting.

[@hertzer2000]

"We should have moved to Ohio, like I said years ago!" - The First Mammals

[@robertm3730]

Still blown away mammals were alive and running underneath T. Rex back then. 😂

[@ericastier1646]

It makes sense that they survived the cataclysm and the dinosaur didn't victim of their own success that lead to gigantism and dependancy on large regular food intakes to support themselves. Size matters. Being satisfied with insects and fruits is an advantage.

[@wendydomino]

8:33 is pretty sad :(

[@lumiosecitys]

Was repenomamus a size of a wolf? I thought it was smaller, more like a badger.

[@prschuster]

The AI reconstructions really make these vids so much more interesting to watch.

[@ericastier1646]

Another millenial using the falsehoold "A.I." at every sauce. This is no AI, there is no AI. The whole fraud is just marketers and IT journalists who are fraudulously using sci fi denomination for something that does not exist in science. It's just computer algorithms, yes i know it does not Jive and swings like using false words but i dislike frauds.

[@gyanrahashya6416]

6:26 did I hear it correctly...100 billion times more powerful x ray then common hospital x ray 😂😂 a hundred billion.....???? Impossible

[@anarchorepublican5954]

𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: ...🦎🔍🧐...and were exactly, is the evidence that "Tritylodon" is either fur covered or warm blooded?

[@calamityjane5698]

How on earth can that still be SAND after all that time?!?

[@brewswillis9783]

Damn, lived in Beijing several years and didn't think to visit the NH Museum. Sad.

[@ericastier1646]

You probably didn't miss much. The Chinese are not as curious about archeology as us. You'd probably would not have seen much if anything.

[@seanys]

Is that Jeremy Irons?

[@anarchorepublican5954]

𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: ...🍁🔍🧐...maybe that soft leaf, just isn't 100 million years old?....

[@andrewmole745]

Generally well narrated, but the pronunciation of the Chinese names has some problems. Yuanqing is not pronounced “Yonking”. Yoo-en ching would be closer.

[@willcarroll8438]

The guy with the microscope has a ganglion cyst on his wrist. Should get that seen to!

[@thorium222]

0:47 Foxglove, really? Were there even flowering plants at all at that time yet?

[@Witchfoot.Incorporated]

Amazing! Animals of different species still share burrows today

[@billquinn6224]

I think that we started climbing the tree of evolution when we lost our tails.

[@Unit8200-rl8ev]

Perhaps the dinosaurs went extinct because the mammals ate all their eggs.

[@Shaw.77]

It’s probably a river otter

[@ericastier1646]

hahaha or rather its ancestor.

[@klokangeorge4005]

Best animation of A MAN preceders are the Otters. Our *1 origin! Before we were Platypus-like. We are definitly bound with clear watter! We are all STONE-past/redy to new alive. But billions of US were more eaten, each other, then preserve....in horrible amount of earth crust mass. The earth alone is only ONE big mammal-egg, yolk with tiny dot: you will be WILL BE (x-ray manage the shape)

[@Witchfoot.Incorporated]

39:29 OOOOOH THARS WHY WE CAN HEAR MUSIV THRU OUR JAWBONE

[@russd6150]

GFY for your choice of putting commercials in the video 👎

[@ElphaB]

Ma'am Al"s

[@secularsunshine9036]

*Join the Enlightenment, support Secular Humanism.* thanks

[@Witchfoot.Incorporated]

45:26 Soooo we just gonna ignore the 2 obvious pyramids in the background

[@JohnKSedor]

Another cartoon about evolution. Any word on the fossil record showing a sudden appearance of complex and fully formed life, which is locked in by DNA preventing migration of it's form?

[@JohnKSedor]

I.e. Termed the Cambrian Period and referred to as the "explosion of fully formed life"?

[@liennitram9291]

​@@JohnKSedorthere's a period before the Cambrian...but he means complex life from inert matter. Watch the video from the channel: Hoover Institution *Mathematical problems with Darwin. It's pretty eye opening.....if you're curious.

[@18dot7]

Do you have any evidence for some magical being talking life into existence?

[@Duhble07]

@@liennitram9291I’ve seen it. Hoover Institution is a conservative think tank that uses fake science to drive its Ayn Rand economic agenda. The last place you can expect independent scientific investigations. It’s so stupid to politicize science. Galileo Galilei had to endure the same nonsense, and was forced into house arrest for the last part of his life. Why? He had the temerity to state that the earth rotated around the Sun, and that the stars were suns like our own.

[@KAZVorpal]

The claims of the molecular clock people are fraudulent. Any competent statistician can tell you that these mutations do not happen like precise clockwork. These differences only add up to a vague estimate, that could be wrong by a factor of 2 to 1, easily.

[@Unit8200-rl8ev]

We should all be very proud that our earliest ancestors were rats.

[@Witchfoot.Incorporated]

They go back further. We just have to find the fossils & we know the odds of that. It’s only a matter of time before we find fossils that prove humans have been here over a million years

[@gandolforaimondo3192]

THATS is only theory, the Story is wery Differential.

[@drips1030]

For one thing, i do not believe any of the timelines put to us about any prehistory. We just don't know. Nobody can guess how many millions, not even roughly. It's just not possible. It could all be younger than we are told, or older of course.

[@giannapple]

Don’t project your ignorance on other people.

[@cathyw9049]

​@giannapple I was typing the scientific explanation but deleted it after reading your reply. 😅

[@ramiroequipilag1316]

the first mammal? how you going to brain wash people that you know the first mammal? it's while you was walking and founs a penny on the ground and claiming that penny was first created in that local area. geesh

[@vikingskuld]

Sp wrong all of ots just wrong

[@Dr.Yalex103]

slice science… why are you making this video political? American scientists, with Chinese background????? Really /😂😮

[@WR3ND]

6:25 Did dude just say, "A hundred billion times more powerful than hospital x-rays..."? What does power in this statement mean? Surely not watts!

[@matthewdolan5831]

Mammals are funny kinds of reptile... and then there is platypus.