The rise and reign of the mammals - with Steve Brusatte

Steve, who was a consultant on 'Jurassic World: Dominion', reveals the new fossil finds and technologies that are allowing us to understand the evolution of mammals in unprecedented detail - from woolly mammoths; sabre-toothed tigers; and countless spectacular, but extinct, species; to the 6000+ species of mammals that rule the Earth today, including ourselves.

By doing so, Steve uncovers how one single species of mammal - humans - are affecting the world line no mammal before. And, if things continue at the current pace, more than half of all mammal species may succumb to extinction.

Now at the most perilous point in mammal history since our ancestors stared down the asteroid, this lecture will help build an understanding of our history, enabling us to make a better future.

This livestream was recorded by the Royal Institution on 21 June 2022.

0:00 Introduction and background to book
1:58 The origin story of mammals
8:00 Our distant relative the Dimetrodon
10:31 The mega volcanoes responsible for mass extinction
13:24 The age of dinosaurs and mammals
18:11 Fossils on the Isle of Skye
20:14 Feathered dinosaur fossils in China
24:44 The Asteroid
29:10 The mammals that survived the asteroid
34:55 The Eocene - the first recognisable mammals
43:07 The Oligocene meets Charles Darwin
48:40 The Australian rainforest and marsupials
50:13 The ice age
53:06 The human age

Steve Brusatte is a palaeontologist on the faculty of the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh and is widely recognised as one of the leading palaeontologists of his generation.

Among Steve's particular research interests are the evolutionary transition between dinosaurs and birds and the rise of placental mammals. He is a noted specialist on the anatomy, genealogy and evolution of the carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor and was the science consultant for 'Jurassic World: Dominion', the latest film in the Jurassic Park franchise which was released in June 2022.

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[bigbadthesailor]

aside from loving the way the desk is banged in excitement, the simple, straightforward acknowledgement of students, collaborators, and native peoples is just great. thanks for a superb talk.

[iluvtacos]

Man, the enthusiasm he has is contagious

[DungeonBricks]

Is charming seeing someone so invested in his lecture they start hitting the desk to bring a point home.
That right there, is passion about a subjest, and I love it.

[maggiebrinkley]

Steve explains complex events so well for non-specialists - it's a real gift. I love his enthusiasm! His new book has gone straight onto the top of my Christmas list. Thanks, RI, for producing this fascinating lecture.

[daniadejonghe]

Your description of the enormous richness and diversity of tiny mammals makes me think that the triassic and Cretaceous were a kind of laboratory/ workshop for the perfection of mammalian adaption... and that perhaps the very pressure of having to survive in the crevices, and having to do it for so long worked to the advantage of the mammalian class. So that when the dinosaurs disappeared the mammalians were ready and waiting to step into the light as it were.

[madedgar]

These lectures are often the highlight of my day. Thank you!

[randallwehler]

This is one of the best videos I have seen on the ascent of the mammals. I like the academic level at which it was presented. It all ties together so well. The narration has a clear and enthusiastic voice tone which keeps the viewer excited. Thanks for conveying a summation of findings since the late 60's when I completed a historical geology course taught by Dr. Robert E. Sloan at the University of Minnesota. Your presentation led to me reminiscing about my fossil hunts with my early deceased brother in the wilds of Wyoming and South Dakota. I retain those collections in a cherished way.

[rasmusn.e.m]

I really appreciate the attention to providing perspective for the audience in this presentation. My favourite example is probably the pause to let us realise how wild it is that we are currently living alongside the biggest animal ever.

[beth]

Absolutely lovely. I just downloaded the book on audible to hear the whole story.

[mathewfines]

Incredible presentation! Your enthusiasm is palpable, and your attitude is so positive! Thanks you so much!

[chegeny]

Well-presented, informative lecture of the ascendency of mammals, with details not often discussed in other documentaries. The professor's passion brings palaeontology to life.

[russellbrown]

I read this book - "The Rise and Riegn of the Mammals" - I loved it! It was a subject I had been interested in and this book was very thorough.

[majamannhard]

I LOVED this omg. And I loved the punching of the table to underline how truly jawdropping all of this is

[zoeydeu]

It's mind blowing that dinosaurs (our ancestors' predators) played a role in evolving our jaws, which became jaws that now eat the descendants of dinosaurs (chickens)! We went from rodent-like prey, to dominating the planet and being at the top of the food chain. Makes me wonder which class of animals will come next. Also humbles me when I see small rodents now

[dorcusmallorcus]

What a great presentation. Really interesting and well done.

[VIKASHSINGH-hfkt]

what a remarkable session it was... i was lost in my mind about that lost world via his story about our ancient past.
Thank you Steve Brusatte sir for sharing such a beautiful, tingling story with us

[judith]

Thanks for distracting me from the ever changing, ever obnoxious symptoms of my current COVID infection. With all sorts of weird things going on in my body, I really need something to keep my mind off wondering what will be next. This is a fascinating topic, and honestly one I never quite thought about. Evolution to me is a miracle, though not one that I tend to explain with the existance of god. Nature in itself is mind blowing and overwhelmingly fantastic and beautiful, no need for a superior being to be in charge of all that ;-)

[thomasschwarz]

You mentioned 10 years was a long time in your life. Then the last 5000 years seems to be big deal for humans' development. But when we go back 50, 000 years we diregard the changes that occur in 5000 years e.g. 65, 000-60, 000 years ago. Similarly it would be interesting to explore what might have changed over 5000 years 1, 500, 000 years ago. Can you help with that?

[szendrenko]

Marvelous presentation! Full of insights and tight science, but also presented to perfectly place our species in its global context. Keep writing and researching!!!

[acanuck]

I have read both "The Rise and Reign of Mammals" and "The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs". This presentation was a great corollary to the former--thank you.