The Age of Giant Insects

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Insects outnumber humans by a lot and we only like to think we're in charge because we're bigger than they are. But insects and other arthropods weren’t always so small. About 315 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period, they were not only abundant: they were enormous.

Thanks to Lucas Lima, and Studio 252mya for their illustrations. You can find more of Lucas's work here: https://252mya.com/gallery/lucas-lima

Produced for PBS Digital Studios.

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References:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/110808-ancient-insects-bugs-giants-oxygen-animals-science/
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022610
https://www.wired.com/2010/11/huge-dragonflies-oxygen/
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/277/1690/1937.short
http://bionumbers.hms.harvard.edu/bionumber.aspx?id=113319
https://news.ucsc.edu/2012/06/giant-insects.html
https://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm
http://www.pnas.org/content/96/20/10955.full
https://www.nap.edu/read/11630/chapter/8#117

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Видео The Age of Giant Insects канала PBS Eons