Ep 7. Making North America: Life

Making North America: Life is the seventh episode of the 43rd season of NOVA, released in 2016. The episode takes viewers on a journey into the ancient past of North America, exploring the evolution of the continent's unique and diverse range of life forms. Through stunning visuals and cutting-edge scientific research, Making North America: Life examines how a variety of factors – including geology, climate, and biological adaptation – have shaped the evolution of animals and plants in North America over the past 3.5 billion years.

The episode begins with a look at the earliest forms of life on the continent, including fossils of ancient stromatolites – primitive microbial communities that once thrived in vast underwater reefs. From there, the focus shifts to the dramatic changes in climate and geography that swept across North America during the age of the dinosaurs, and how these changes spurred the evolution of new forms of plant and animal life.

Viewers will then journey through the ice ages and other major shifts in climate that have shaped North America's natural landscapes and ecosystems, discovering how everything from the size and shape of plants to the distribution of rainfall has played a role in the evolution of the continent's diverse range of life forms.

The episode also explores the impact of human beings on North America's ecosystems, from the arrival of the first indigenous peoples to the more recent interventions of European colonizers and modern industrial society. Overall, Making North America: Life presents a comprehensive and engrossing overview of the continent's rich and fascinating natural history, shedding light on the complex interactions between geology, climate, and biology that have shaped this land and its inhabitants over millions of years.