Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the greatest changes in the history of life on Earth. Around 400 million years ago some of our ancestors, the fish, started to become a little more like humans. At the swampy margins between land and water, some fish were turning their fins into limbs, their swim bladders into lungs and developed necks and eventually they became tetrapods, the group to which we and all animals with backbones and limbs belong. After millions of years of this transition, these tetrapod descendants of fish were now ready to leave the water for a new life of walking on land, and with that came an explosion in the diversity of life on Earth.The image above is a representation of Tiktaalik Roseae, a fish with some features of a tetrapod but not one yet, based on a fossil collected in the Canadian Arctic.WithEmily Rayfield Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of BristolMichael Coates Chair and Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of ChicagoAnd Steve Brusatte Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of EdinburghProducer: Simon Tillotson

Dr. Steve Brusatte, a renowned paleontologist known for his groundbreaking research on dinosaur evolution and extinction, dives deep into the world of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Discover the fascinating anatomy of this apex predator, from its towering stature to its tiny arms. Learn about the intriguing insights from T. rex coprolites, revealing clues about its diet and hunting behavior. Brusatte also discusses the evolutionary connection between dinosaurs and modern birds, shedding light on the T. rex's legacy in today’s avian species.

Steve Brusatte, Paläontologe und Evolutionsbiologe an der Universität Edinburgh, untersucht die Evolution der Säugetiere. Er erklärt, wie der Asteroideneinschlag die Entwicklung der Säugetiere vor 66 Millionen Jahren beeinflusste. Zudem thematisiert er die bedrohten Nashörner in Südostasien und die einzigartigen Fortpflanzungsmethoden der Säugetiere. Brusatte beleuchtet auch die faszinierende Rückkehr einst bedrohter Arten und die Möglichkeit neuer Entdeckungen auf dem Gebiet der Säugetierforschung.