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Eons

Why Sour May Be The Oldest Taste

Season 4 Episode 27 | 7m 02s

While sour taste's original purpose was to warn vertebrates of danger, in a few animal groups, including us, its role has reversed. The taste of danger became something it was dangerous for us to avoid.

Aired: 04/19/22
Extras
Watch • 11:37
Eons
When Ancient Weeds Fooled Us
Ancient weeds mimicked crops, tricking farmers into domesticating friends—and enemies—by mistake.
Episode: S8 E10 | 11:37
Watch • 12:14
Eons
How Brawn Led to Brains
Brains and brawn aren’t opposites—they’ve been linked far longer than we might think.
Episode: S8 E9 | 12:14
Watch • 10:27
Eons
When a Tiny Land Bridge Triggered an Ice Age
Understanding the Isthmus of Panama.
Episode: S8 E8 | 10:27
Watch • 9:07
Eons
What Was Greenland Like When it Was Green
How we might borrow genes from that ancient past of Greenland to help us adapt to the future.
Episode: S8 E7 | 9:07
Watch • 9:35
Eons
How Chewing May Have Beat Extinction
Tiny mammals and a group of lizard-like reptiles shared a trait that helped them survive extinction.
Episode: S8 E6 | 9:35
Watch • 10:43
Eons
How We Figured Out an Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs
Where the space rock came from 66 million years ago that crashed and killed the dinosaurs.
Episode: S8 E5 | 10:43
Watch • 8:19
Eons
Crawling Out Of The Water Was An Evolutionary Accident
Fish evolved terrestrial traits to...stay fish?
Episode: S8 E4 | 8:19
Watch • 12:07
Eons
Do Chins Make Us Human?
We're the only ones with chins, and we don't know why.
Episode: S8 E3 | 12:07
Watch • 12:40
Eons
The Golden Age of Sharks
Why did sharks get so incredibly diverse and odd during the Golden Age?
Episode: S8 E2 | 12:40
Watch • 10:45
Eons
That Time Earth was Sticky
What exactly made this time period so very, very sticky?
Episode: E1 | 10:45
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Watch • 11:37
Eons
When Ancient Weeds Fooled Us
Ancient weeds mimicked crops, tricking farmers into domesticating friends—and enemies—by mistake.
Episode: S8 E10 | 11:37
Watch • 12:14
Eons
How Brawn Led to Brains
Brains and brawn aren’t opposites—they’ve been linked far longer than we might think.
Episode: S8 E9 | 12:14
Watch • 10:27
Eons
When a Tiny Land Bridge Triggered an Ice Age
Understanding the Isthmus of Panama.
Episode: S8 E8 | 10:27
Watch • 9:07
Eons
What Was Greenland Like When it Was Green
How we might borrow genes from that ancient past of Greenland to help us adapt to the future.
Episode: S8 E7 | 9:07
Watch • 9:35
Eons
How Chewing May Have Beat Extinction
Tiny mammals and a group of lizard-like reptiles shared a trait that helped them survive extinction.
Episode: S8 E6 | 9:35
Watch • 10:43
Eons
How We Figured Out an Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs
Where the space rock came from 66 million years ago that crashed and killed the dinosaurs.
Episode: S8 E5 | 10:43
Watch • 8:19
Eons
Crawling Out Of The Water Was An Evolutionary Accident
Fish evolved terrestrial traits to...stay fish?
Episode: S8 E4 | 8:19
Watch • 12:07
Eons
Do Chins Make Us Human?
We're the only ones with chins, and we don't know why.
Episode: S8 E3 | 12:07
Watch • 12:40
Eons
The Golden Age of Sharks
Why did sharks get so incredibly diverse and odd during the Golden Age?
Episode: S8 E2 | 12:40
Watch • 10:45
Eons
That Time Earth was Sticky
What exactly made this time period so very, very sticky?
Episode: E1 | 10:45