What "Horizon" 4-th episode about
In 2000, the discovery of a tiny fossilized jawbone hit the headlines. The jawbone, only a few centimeters long with seven rows of teeth, was found abandoned in a dusty museum where it had lain unnoticed for decades. Its rediscovery has caused a sensation in the world of paleontology because scientists now believe it may be a tiny remnant of a 'missing link', an ancient extinct animal that could provide a vital clue in our understanding of one of the great mysteries of science - how, 360 million years ago, a slimy fish-like creature grew legs and walked out of the water, onto the land to become our ancestor. This mystery has taken scientists a century to unravel. And this tiny jawbone may be a final clue. According to the theory of evolution all four-limbed animals, everything from human beings to dinosaurs, are descended from one creature, the first of its kind to crawl on the Earth. Long ago, this almost mythical beast must have evolved from a fish with fins, must have developed legs and made the great evolutionary move from water to land. How and why this huge evolutionary change should have happened was the source of fierce speculation and it was always believed that one day scientists would find the fossil evidence that would explain everything.
Episode number: 4
Episode name: "The Missing Link"
Episode release date: 1 february 2001 at 21:00
Status: aired