The Huge Extinctions We Are Just Now Discovering

Take the PBS Digital Studios Audience Survey: to.pbs.org/pbssurvey2023u
The Eons Calendar: store.dftba.com/collections/eons
What graptolites tell us is a story of incredible changes in the ocean, of periods where the oceans became poisonous and suffocating before eventually clearing up again. They unlock extinctions and recoveries that scientists didn't see. And, most of all, they show us how unpredictable the Silurian period really could be.
*****
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to to.pbs.org/DonateEons
*****
Produced by Complexly for PBS Digital Studios
Super special thanks to the following Patreon patrons for helping make Eons possible:
Collin Dutrow, Pope John XII, Steven Kern, Aaditya Mehta, AllPizzasArePersonal, John H. Austin, Jr., Alex Hackman, Amanda Ward, Stephen Patterson, Karen Farrell, Trevor Long, Jason Rostoker, Jonathan Rust, Mary Tevington, Bart & Elke van Iersel - De Jong, Irene Wood, Derek Helling, Mark Talbott-Williams, Nomi Alchin, Duane Westhoff, Hillary Ryde-Collins, Swad Swadlo, Yu Mei, Albert Folsom, Oscar Amoros Huguet, Heathe Kyle Yeakley, Dan Caffee, Nick Ryhajlo, Sean Dennis, Jeff Graham
If you'd like to support the channel, head over to / eons and pledge for some cool rewards!
Want to follow Eons elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook - / eonsshow
Twitter - / eonsshow
Instagram - / eonsshow
#Eons #graptolites #fossils
References: docs.google.com/document/d/1O...

[@feratgoogle]

Trained as a geologist in the 1980's we prepared for field works in Spain at the museum of Natural History in Leiden, NL. In Spain there would be Silurian outcrops so we were told to look for graptolites. What kind of animal was it, we asked. The answer: "we have no idea". Knowledge has emancipated the graptolites.

[@DavidBapst]

Technically, plenty of people (who study graptolites) thought it was solved in the 1940's, but there were some hold-outs who disagreed for a long time.

[@feiryfella]

@@DavidBapst My Uncle did a lot of work on them in the 1970s.

[@ericherrmann4355]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😊🎉🎉😊😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😊😢😊😢😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😢😢😢🎉🎉🎉😢🎉🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉🎉😊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😢🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊😊🎉😊😊🎉😊🎉😊😢😢😢🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉😊😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊😊🎉🎉😊🎉😊

[@tonytaskforce3465]

🤓🖖👍@@feiryfella

[@secularmonk5176]

The free-floating graptolites are flippin' Dr. Who villians! lol

[@theobozikis8225]

Great video! Can you make one telling the story of the Multituberculates please? I don't think it was ever established exactly how they went extinct after sticking around for 130 million years. These were the longest lasting mammals of all time!

[@susannahdrazin220]

I think the monotremes have them beat for longevity.

[@everettduncan7543]

It is thought that songbirds outcompeted them for seeds

[@WolfieDawn]

I would like to see this too!!

[@antoniohorta5656]

Mammals? Wtf are u talking about?

[@jamesredmond7001]

​@@antoniohorta5656 Multituberculates are usually classified as crown group mammals, i.e. those groups descended from the last common ancestor of all living mammal groups (granted that's not as high of a bar to fill as you might think due to monotremes being a thing but still), and are actually usually placed closer to Theria (so marsupials and placental mammals) than to the monotremes (platypuses and the like). So they're true mammals, as opposed to more basal synapsis like the cynodonts.

[@Merennulli]

I was a fan of paleontology as a child in the 80s and found fossils in the gravel fill between parking lots around my hometown. After all this time I finally learn what one was that always bugged me that I couldn't find it. 0:57 "B" looks almost exactly like what I couldn't identify back then. This is my first time hearing about graptolites and I'm really excited to finally know. :)

[@tonytaskforce3465]

So pleased. 🤩🤓👍

[@AngryKittens]

This is the first time I found out that graptolites have living relatives. That's so cool.

[@nicolasbekkouche7153]

I'd argue that they are indeed still graptolithes ;)

[@Entety303]

According to Wikipedia one genus of graptolites still survives, Rhabdopleura

[@CommunistNY]

​@Entety303 and even better it's a genus that is that they live all the way back to the Middle Cambrian. Imagine living for 500 million years

[@Entety303]

@@CommunistNY yeah neat stuff.

[@ef1876]

Could we get a video on the evolution of the placenta/live birth and how it evolved convergently in both certain reptiles, amphibians and mammals? I've always been interested in how that came about but it's pretty hard to find information on (that doesn't require several years of study to understand 😅)

[@AndrewTBP]

They did that video already. It’s called _How the Egg Came First_ and it’s about amniotic eggs

[@ef1876]

@AndrewTBP I've watched that one but it only really covers eggs

[@jeffreybright6354]

​@@AndrewTBPthink ef1876 is referring to vivpary popping up in species that don't have much relation at all. I'd also be interested to learn how/when/why some snakes give live birth. Kinda like how bioluminescence has popped up independently dozens of times across various species.

[@coppersandsprite]

I believe the Scishow covered this.

[@frankheilingbrunner7852]

For a deep dive into the human placenta, I recommend "Life's Vital Link: The Astonishing Role of the Placenat" by Y.W. Loke.

[@BatteredWalrus]

It's amazing that Graptolites are still around today, 10 years ago, a paper came out concluding that Rhabdopleura is an extant Graptolite.

[@MaureenLycaon]

Just double-checked that. OMG, you're right. *Two* papers, in fact! Thank you for my mind-blowing paleontology fact of the morning.

[@BatteredWalrus]

@@MaureenLycaon aye they're not doing too bad for a 500 million year old lineage

[@gabormolnar2208]

By studiing geology and paleontology in Czechia, you hear a lot about graptolites, but noone ever explained to us what type of animals they really were

[@jessicabull6177]

I love that you folks provide so many pictures in your videos. It really helps me imagine what things might have been like back then.

[@edweinb]

Trying to learn as much as possible about the Paleozoic Era. Fascinating underrated time. So much going on. This is really our origin story.

[@veggieboyultimate]

Secret extinctions until PBS Eons revealed them! What an amazing video!

[@Tsotha]

I've either never heard of graptolites or only fleetingly until now, let alone had any idea they were so central to understanding all the drastic environmental changes that took place during the Silurian era that were hidden in plain sight for palaeontologists. There are so many weird things in Earth's prehistory I would never ever have heard of were it not for PBS Eons, and today I can add yet more to my list. By the way Michelle Barbosa Ramirez continues to be the world's best dressed palaeontologist, from the modern goth take on the 1920's/1930's vamp/flapper look to those cat skull earrings. How often do you see someone who makes their living educating people about weird extinct animals put this much work into having an instantly recogniseable fashion sensibility?

[@MassimoAngotzi]

Fashion sensibilty ? Just another flamboyante Latina with stupid tattoos and tacky earrings. There are literally millions in south California.

[@kyrab7914]

Iconic tbh. Idk about fashion sensibility but I love the style. And the fact that many many ppl tried to tell me I wouldn't get jobs with piercings and tattoos... And Michelle is here as a PBS educator, rocking it 💜

[@inappropriatejohnson]

Thank you so much......the Silurian needs some love. Devonian as well.

[@menkomonty]

I love those skull earrings 🤩

[@reuireuiop0]

. . . But free-floating graptolite earrings would've been even better 😊

[@hungryluma27]

The Silurian has always been one of the most interesting to me, ever since I saw that segment of Walking With Monsters :)

[@TheOneWhoKnocks70]

I hope there would be a history classes for these period in history It would ne fun to read "the fall of Graptolites"

[@kylezo]

the resemblance to jellies and comb jellies is hard to ignore!

[@Ethan-pr3rz]

Nothing better than a new Eons video

[@mothslanding0324]

Great episode!! It’s amazing how similarly to jellyfish they look… I suppose free floating is a similar niche? (Wonderful earrings btw)

[@dier7144]

It’s surprising how often we find out about new extinction events, like; how did we not know some of these things?!

[@Rook986]

Fossils are actually really rare, and so much is lost to natural geological processes

[@lpeabody]

None of these things are obvious. It takes scientists, who are obsessed with uncovering the truth, years years of digging through data and testing theories to figure it out! I'm grateful for them, they keep things interesting for us working the desk job life 😊

[@FelixR1991]

I'll put you in a large warehouse and tell you to find a thing. Not saying what thing it is, but you'll have to find it anyway. That's how I imagine archaeology to be. You can find a lot of things, but you might have no idea what it is or what the context is.

[@eldorado3523]

Because the true starting point for any knowledge is ignorance, saying otherwise is deceiving.

[@Ezullof]

We don't often find out about new extinction events. There's like 15-16 of them, in more than 450 millions of years. *You* find out about new extinction events.

[@johntouchet7178]

I appreciate the continuing undercurrent that outlines the completely random events that led to the present day. The likelihood of replicating our planet's history in some other star system becomes vanishingly remote.

[@tsm688]

LOL, as if it would be the same even here. We've already found exoplanets in the habitable zone with tentative life signs. This is just pessimism for the sake of pessimism.

[@IICJZII]

Another punchline could have been: They lived on Earth before it was cool.

[@invisiblepants6477]

And here I thought that hosting colonies of tentacled polyps was unique to my refrigerator. The past puts everything in perspective.

[@sizanogreen9900]

there truly is nothing new under the sun.

[@martijn9568]

May want to clean your fridge at that point😅

[@sizanogreen9900]

@@martijn9568 isn't that normal?

[@tonytaskforce3465]

Gosh and darn! I've heard folk going on about graptolites all my life but none of them ever stopped to explain what they were. They seem to have had a hard time of it 😍

[@masonbricke4568]

Those earrings are weirdly cool. 😊

[@Redbeardblondie]

I’d love a longer in-depth vid of trilobites 😊

[@09Dragonite]

Okay, so I love the video, but I also LOVE your earrings! They're so amazing!

[@angiewu932]

Eons is the perfect study break :D also, love the earrings! 😄

[@admiral_m_10k35]

I LOVE learning more about seemingly "uneventful" periods in Earth's history!

[@user-cl7ob9mw6k]

Love the show as always, you guys rock! Loving the new you, and those earrings, trend-setting for sure!

[@DavidBapst]

Regardless of my eye-rolling about graptolites with great big balloons attached, this is a great video and I appreciate all the hard work y'all put into this to expose people who've probably never heard of the wonderous Graptolithina to their beauty. - Dave Bapst

[@rocketGimbal]

Do you mind elaborating on your reservations? Where did those artists get the idea for those renditions with big ballons? And why do you seem think they are mistaken? Genuine curiosity here, you seem to have some sort of authority on the subject.

[@OnneWierda]

Huge fan, thanks for all the interesting videos. Was able to low key binge most of them last year and ran out. Please make them more frequently (:

[@wlewisiii]

As an aside, I got my calendar yesterday and it's lovely! Thanks!

[@rainstormslove]

My dissertation research is used in this video! So cool!!

[@patreekotime4578]

Awesome video with awesome style!

[@lal6996]

I adore what you guys create ❤ Keep it up!

[@GeneralLeia]

Would be nice if there were more labels of the photos, and size reference for the fossils.

[@nsl-u-boot8464]

Thank you so much! You are the embodiment of what makes humanity special!

[@everyonexist]

i love our history thanks for continuing to help reveal our past

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

A small request, can start with how long ago, please? 1:09 *"Silurian"* , and I instantly was distracted by trying to remember exactly when :) (I have the handy Eons Scale Bar 😁, but I'm still memorizing)

[@patricialessard8651]

Love those skulls! Of course, the subject today as well.💖😊

[@ursusspelaeus9568]

Really cool video guys! One small thing, I'm pretty sure that the jellyfish-like reconstruction have been proven incorrect, check it out. Love your content.

[@johntorrington2672]

No, read 1985 "Flotation devices in planktic graptolites" paper by Finney. Complete fossils show they had floats.

[@FearTheBeans]

Nice to see some graptolites! Hard to find them but they're cool when you do within some shale

[@SuperLuckynumber2]

Would love a video on the geologic history of the Colorado Plateau!

[@sydhenderson6753]

I didn't realize that these were hemichordates. Who knew that they once were so abundant?

[@mariothibau1070]

Amazing!! I always like deep ancient history videos

[@feiryfella]

My Uncle did his PhD on this in the 1970s.

[@DavidBapst]

Interesting. The world of graptolite workers is not very big... Does he still work on graptolites?

[@feiryfella]

@@DavidBapst I truly wish he was! He was very involved with utilising graptolites to work out geological boundaries, temporally, as well as physically. He did a lot of research on the Burgess Shales, a continuation of which is in Wales. This was when 'continental drift' (Plate tectonics) was still young in science. Sadly he passed away some years ago from ALS-I could have really used his help on my dissertation lol. He was a wonderful, funny man and I miss him.

[@annaabney1420]

Your earrings are amazing!

[@Langz_Noir]

I love all of these videos and the information and presentation and etc but I gotta say the stand out in this one is those earrings holy crap those are incredible!

[@planexshifter]

Wow, what an absolute beauty!

[@Pottery4Life]

Thank you.

[@indiealaska]

We are always learning something new here!

[@grokeffer6226]

Fascinating. 🖖

[@blackkittycat15]

Educational and great quality as always, but I gotta comment on how adorable those earrings are.

[@user-sc1sj4mg2c]

I’m doing a presentation on graptolites in a few weeks for my invertebrate paleontology class and this is an exciting jumping off point for my research!

[@CulturedCarlo]

Perfect timing I was just thinking about the silurian.

[@dundrumleith]

A great episode. Thank you.

[@jimmyzbike]

I always learn from your episodes

[@JasonBehrmann]

I loved this episode. Fascinating.

[@DeinoWolfhybridhero]

Ever want to know more about graptolites one of the most fascinating and unknowed group that have had an important place in evolution. Thanks 👍

[@arkoobi]

Fascinating!

[@anamnesiser]

This channel always reminds me of the chorus to 'The Boxer' by Simon and Garfukle.

[@brucewayne000]

Thanks!

[@Telarii]

I am envious of those earrings, damn.

[@stevenhughes3298]

Yoooo! The fit 😻😻😻

[@Manj_J]

Those skull earrings are amazing!

[@amelade]

i have a suggestion for accessibility- it could be helpful for scientific terms to be said a bit more slowly and distinctly from the rest of the sentence. doesn't have to be a big change, but for people (like me) who don't use that terminology very often it can be hard to understand and contextualize sometimes. thanks for all the wonderful work y'all do!

[@Whomobile]

It's no longer a secret.

[@napoleonfeanor]

Pssss hush, don't mention it

[@MrFleem]

The Segundo phase was a big night where they were holding out for Louie Prima.

[@antiisocial]

Cool. Ty

[@erichtomanek4739]

Let's hope Graptolites do a Coelocanth on us!

[@minecratsilentbuild5720]

great episode this is the best channel on youtube

[@user-rz9vb8vj5u]

Could you make a video about extinct gliding mammals of South America (Gaylordia macrocynodonta) And why North American flying squirrels never takes it place despite the lack of competitions in the continent I mean, it lives in Central american rainforest, which connects to South America rainforest.

[@Bethany342]

Can we get some more sea videos? Like how the clams and their relatives live so long

[@takenname8053]

SUPER NICE

[@sarahlynn7807]

They're beautiful!

[@PaulaBean]

I love the skull eardrops!

[@JobiWan144]

I like the jokes a lot better than trivia questions. I was thinking of joining just to make you tell one of mine, but now, I guess not

[@SaidAlSeveres]

I love PBS ❤

[@SaidAlSeveres]

I think I’ve never donated so now as an adult with a job I shall

[@justcallmeSheriff]

The boom-and-bust cycle of graptolytes makes me think of Mass Effect's cycle of galactic civilizations finding the Mass Relays, developing along predictable lines, and then being destroyed by the Reapers.

[@ollieroo3334]

YAAAY MORE EONS!! ENGAGEMENT!

[@peachwhite7404]

we thought we know everything, but there's more...

[@GamerChick5567]

Poor little graptolites😭😭😭😶

[@rubenkoker1911]

fun fact: extant Graptolites still live at the bottom of the North Sea and the english channel

[@DavidBapst]

Also plenty of Rhabdopleura near Bermuda and off of Antarctica... ;)

[@andrascreams]

those are the coolest earrings I've ever seen! 🖤✨

[@thebiologistbum3826]

I have a graptolite tattoo.

[@honderdzeventien]

I thought you meant my vinyl record collection! 😂😂

[@SpydrXIII]

love the earrings!

[@setelliott9683]

Survey taken. Forgot I have taken it before, but only remembered well after the question, sorry! Also, bad at time, may have been watching longer than 5 years 😅

[@slavikfurious890]

On 7th minute there are music track strong remembering main theme of Stellaris ^-^

[@isaybug]

Where are those earrings from? I really love them

[@Alice_Walker]

Cool 🌿

[@jennytweet7602]

I would like to hear about amphicyon

[@Vorador666]

Voted in the Survey for the show, I've done my part o7

[@ruyfernandez]

Is there any direct or indirect evidence to discuss graptolite gene pool shallowness?

[@sciencenerd7639]

wow!

[@mastanickel]

Those earrings are awesome

[@craigkdillon]

You described a Global Anoxic Event (GAE). They occur when the global circulation (now the AMOC) shuts down. They seem to occur during periods of warmth and high CO2 levels. The AMOC is currently slowing down as our CO2 levels rise. I don't think the CO2 level for shutting down the AMOC is known, The last GAE is thought to have happened during the Paleo=Eocene Thermal Maximum) about 55 mya. The Earth was tropical at the poles with crocodilians and large snakes in Alaska. An interesting thing about GAEs is that our oil deposits were mostly laid down during GAEs in the Mesozoic. Oil deposits was Nature's way of sequestering excess carbon out of the atmosphere, giving us the cooler world of ice and snow since the Eocene. Our pumping and burning of oil and gas returns that carbon to the air, warming our planet. At some point, a Global Anoxic Event will happen. I wonder what species will go extinct then???

[@dragonfox2.058]

So are these critters found in the shale deposits? Could you tell us where they are most likely found?

[@fairly-celestial4715]

Your earrings!!!! Where did you get them?

[@shannonk1723]

Love this but I want those earrings!