Learn More About the Episodes

Episode 1 - Welcome to Fossil Country

Departing from her own backyard, Emily kicks off her trip in Episode 1, “Welcome to Fossil Country.” She travels to the Medicine Bow Mountains of southern Wyoming to get a closer look at the clues left behind by 2.5 billion-year-old prehistoric bacteria. Throughout her trip, she meets some other early forms of life, from small fish to the soaring sauropod dinosaurs. Emily chats with experts who study how fossils form and how animals of the past left traces we can still see today.

Episode 2 - We Dig Dinosaurs

In Episode 2, “We Dig Dinosaurs,” Emily cruises into the Cretaceous Period, where astonishing creatures like T. rex dominated the planet. But what happened to the dinosaurs? And how did other life forms survive an apocalyptic asteroid that crashed into Earth 66 million years ago? Emily talks with scientists who study everything from the soil and bones to fossil leaves and clams to understand how our planet recovered.

Episode 3 - Tiny Teeth, Fearsome Beasts

Emily drives closer to the present day in Episode 3, “Tiny Teeth, Fearsome Beasts,” where she discovers surprising truths written in the fossil record. Emily gets to know the earliest mammals of North America, including ancient beavers, an ancient saber-toothed animal, and more. She also travels to Standing Rock reservation where she examines the effects of improper fossil collection from Native American land. Meanwhile, scientists studying our planet’s past are revealing clues about its future.

Major funding for "Prehistoric Road Trip" is provided by The Negaunee Foundation. Funding is also provided by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Grainger Foundation, and The Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation.