© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

When Sails Were All the Rage

Season 9 Episode 9 | 7m 54s

Around 300 million years ago, in the early Permian Period, life on land was a cauldron of strange experiments. There’s one trait from the Early Permian that was extremely common back then, but is almost totally absent in living species today. This is a tale about sails, and the enigma of why, for a brief critical phase in the history of life, sporting a big biological billboard was all the rage.

Aired: 09/14/26
Extras
The cast play a game of "What's in the vet bag?" with sentimental props from the series.
Get ready for the all-new season, coming January 17, 2027 at 9/8c.
Miss Scarlet returns for Season 7, the final season, on January 17, 2027 at 8/7c.
Celebrate the legacy of Gene Wilder, the actor behind Willy Wonka and Young Frankenstein.
A beloved and joyful Messiah chorus celebrates the joy and promise of Christ’s birth.
A Christmas favorite comes alive in Mack Wilberg's jubilant arrangement for Choir and Orchestra.
The shepherds' first Christmas night comes alive in this uplifting new concert hymn.
Beethoven's triumphant melody and joyful words unite in this spirited hymn of praise.
Stephanie J. Block brings charm and warmth to this lively French Christmas carol.
Mendelssohn's stirring call to "Rise! Up! Arise!" shines in this powerful choral anthem.
Latest Episodes
All
What about the Great Dying caused a global age of mutant plants?
During the Permian Period many tetrapods, or four-limbed vertebrates, took to life in the trees.
Life begins to rebound after the destruction of the mass extinction ending the Permian Period.
An apocalypse ended the Permian Period 252 million years ago, wiping out more than 80% of species.
The first saber-teeth and tusks evolve in the Late Permian and our ancestors, the cynodonts, appear.
For millions of years after the Great Dying microbes ruled the Earth.
An extinction in the Middle Permian decimates life, from a fossil reef to our ancient relatives.
Seed plants and amniotes adapt to dry climates, helping them thrive on Pangea in the Permian Period.
The first herbivorous vertebrates evolve on the side of the amniote family tree leading to mammals.
How did Homotherium evolve to be so successful? The answer may lie in the rise of the Tibetan plate.