Lost Worlds of the Mediterranean (Full Episode)

The Mediterranean was once home to some of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations. Draining the sea unlocks the mysteries of their rise and fall. Watch the video below for more!

The Filthy Hygiene of Mongols

Within the heart of the vast, untamed Eurasian steppe, there existed a paradox, a tale often obscured by the tales of their unparalleled military conquests. The Mongols, fierce warriors and skilled horsemen, reigned over the largest land empire in human history, yet were equally renowned for their less than palatable hygiene practices. Unravel with us, a gritty saga of grime and survival, as we delve deep into the dirty truths about the Mongol's hygiene – a crude spectacle of filth, odors, and resilience that forged an empire.

The Evolution of Sea Cows

Whereas whales are most closely related to hoofed animals like cows and deer and seals are most closely related to bears and weasels, The majority of DNA studies have shown that the closest relatives to the sirenians are the elephants. This is because they are a separate group of animals that evolved to an aquatic lifestyle on there own. But as the only fully aquatic herbivorous marine mammal they have had to over come challenges not faced by the whales and seals.

The Prehistoric Earth: A Journey to the Past

In today’s video we’ll go back millions of years to the epoch of prehistoric creatures and monsters.

We will observe the first animals venturing on the coasts of the primordial continents in search of new habitats. Then we’ll witness the rise of the most well-known animals of the Mesozoic – dinosaurs. Reaching the topmost point in their evolution, they passed into nothingness giving way to the new masters of the Earth – mammals. Millions of years will pass before our eyes, with majestic mountain peaks rising to the heavens and little creatures populating the entire planet and giving rise to thousands of forms.

60,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Flute: Hear the World’s Oldest Musical Instrument

Some say that one of the things that makes us human is the love of music. It can impact our moods and emotions; it can inspire, uplift, excite, soothe and relax, and it’s by no means a modern phenomenon.

We find musical instruments in Ancient Egypt, China and Greece. Evidence of music is found in the Maya civilisation, in Ancient Mesopotamia and throughout the Roman Empire, but an archaeological mission in 1995 led to the discovery of the world’s oldest musical instrument.

In the Divje Babe Cave in Slovenia, archaeologist Ivan Turk discovered this, a perforated bone amongst the remnants of a Neanderthal fire pit and a selection of stone and bone tools.

This cave was likely a Neanderthal stopover point for thousands of years, with evidence of fires and tools found in numerous archaeological layers, but this small perforated bone was unique.

On close inspection, the pierced holes were crafted by hand, an intentional addition to the ancient femur of a young cave bear, and experts have identified the object as a Neanderthal flute, and in this video, I'll play you the sounds made from this 60,000-year-old instrument.

Why Norway's Churches Look Weird

This is is a video about Norway's stave churches and how they are different from the more masonry, stone based churches in continental Europe. Watch the video to find out more!

How Plate Tectonics Gave Us Seahorses

How did seahorses — one of the ocean’s worst swimmers — spread around the globe? And where did they come from in the first place? Watch the video to find out more!

The Most Insane Roman Technologies That Will Blow Your Mind

The Roman Empire was an astonishing civilization that made incredible contributions to the fields of engineering, architecture, and technology. The Romans were masters of aqueducts, concrete, roads, arches, and even heating and cooling systems. They built some of the most impressive structures of the ancient world, including temples, statues, and other works of art that were admired and revered for centuries. However, when the Roman Empire fell, many of these incredible technologies and works of art were lost, only to be rediscovered many centuries later. It is truly unfortunate that we will never know the full extent of their technological prowess, but what we do know is nothing short of amazing. In this video, we'll explore some of the most incredible Roman technologies, as well as the stunning works of art that were lost and then rediscovered. Get ready to be blown away!

Deep Sea Gigantism | Why the Ocean Breeds Giants

Deep sea (abyssal) gigantism demonstrates the role of natural selection in driving evolution and survival, particularly in an environment characterised by challenging conditions and limited resources. Evolution tends towards the most effective adaptations to grant animals the best chances of survival. And whether large or small, evolution selects for the best-adapted body size to survive these conditions. Though widely debated and often controversial, the research that has been done into the science behind deep sea gigantism has significant implications in the human world; it is believed that climate change may have a greater impact on ocean dwellers than any other population of animals. As the colder oceans warm up, the balance of temperature, oxygen supply, and what organisms are present, will throw the equilibrium off course. And the giants, which rely so heavily on this fine balance, may be the first to go.

The Top 10 Most Immersive Historical Movies of All Time

When talking about historical fiction films, historians and history buffs use the same two words over and over again: accuracy and authenticity. The first refers to strict adherence to historical fashion, customs, and events. The second is a little more nebulous, and refers more to how a historical movie "feels." In this video essay, we will recommend ten immersive historical movies. Enjoy!

A True Mystery in the Great Pyramid Complex: The Neben Pyramide

There is a structure, well a substructure, cut into the bedrock, near the southeastern corner of the Great Pyramid, and it has been referred to as the Neben Pyramide, which may mean ‘secondary pyramid’ in German. In this video we’ll give you all of the information available, as well as the possible explanations as to what the 'Nebenpyramide' structure could have been. Enjoy!

The Castle Builders: Masters & Masons - How Medieval Castles Were Built

Castles – citadels of world heritage. All over Europe, millions flock to see these masterpieces in stone.

They are drawn by the astonishing scale of construction – and by a sense of a lost world of heroism and chivalry. But castles are more than magnificent monuments to a past that’s dead and gone. They hold the key to understanding a crucial period in the growth of our civilisation.

In this video, we’ll see how some of the great castles of Europe were built, and how the ideas and techniques behind their construction changed and developed in a few short centuries. Kings and barons found the resources and manpower to start building castles, and spent fortunes on finishing them – and all of this happened at on a huge scale, at a frenetic pace, and often in the heart of hostile territory.

We’ll meet the Castle Builders – the labourers and masons who did the hard work; the geniuses of design who imagined them, the structural engineers who turned them into reality; and the kings and barons who commissioned them and lived in them.

We’ll travel from Richard the Lionheart’s astonishing Chateau Gauillard in Normandy to the ‘layered’ defences of Caerphilly – the first castle in Britain built to be defended by walls within walls – and around Edward I’s massive ‘ring of iron’ that gripped North Wales.

Large-scale dramatic reconstructions and state-of-the-art computer graphics will give us a thrilling sense of how all of these mediaeval mega-structures were designed and built.

What Is The Other 99.99% Of Life?

In the following video we will be explaining the phylogenetic tree of life and what is the other 99.99% of life. Watch the video to find out more!