Untangling the Devil's Corkscrew

About this film

In the late 1800s, paleontologists in Nebraska identified unique helical structures in the earth, known as Daemonelix, or "Devil's Corkscrews." These fossilized burrows, attributed to the extinct beaver genus Palaeocastor, provide insight into the behavior and environment of ancient ecosystems. The documentary examines the significance of these formations in understanding Miocene habitats and the evolutionary adaptations of burrowing mammals. Contributions from researchers and illustrations by Julio Lacerda enhance the exploration of this intriguing paleontological phenomenon.

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Barbed wire

Barbed wire is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is the construction of inexpensive fences, and it is also used as a security measure atop walls surrounding property. As a wire obstacle, it is a major feature of the fortifications in trench warfare.

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Archaeology

Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology, history or geography. The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research.

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Evolution

Evolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as genetic drift and natural selection act on genetic variation, resulting in certain characteristics becoming more or less common within a population over successive generations. The process of evolution has given rise to biodiversity at every level of biological organisation.

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Dinosaur

Dinosaurs are a diverse group of warmblooded reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They existed through most of the Mesozoic era, first appearing early in the Triassic period. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event 201.3 mya and their dominance continued throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record shows that birds are feathered dinosaurs, having evolved from earlier theropods during the Late Jurassic epoch, and are the only dinosaur lineage known to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event approximately 66 mya. Dinosaurs can therefore be divided into avian dinosaurs—birds—and the extinct non-avian dinosaurs, which are all dinosaurs other than birds.

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Dinos

In the typology of ancient Greek pottery, the dinos is a mixing bowl or cauldron. Dinos means 'drinking cup', but in modern typology is used for the same shape as a lebes, that is, a bowl with a spherical body, often accompanied by a wheel-turned stand. It has no handles and no feet. Literary references to such vessels are known from the Iliad, and examples have been found from between the seventh and fifth centuries BCE. Ancient artists who painted dinoi include the Dinos Painter, the Gorgon Painter, the Berlin Painter, Exekias and Sophilos.

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