Mr. Mysteries' So-True Histories Episode 10 - Neogene Newness

Hello Eager Learners! I am Mr. Mysteries, formerly of the Learned League, and this is my KARENcast series on the history of our Reality, Reality 69.
  During this period, mammals and birds continued to evolve into modern forms, while other groups of life remained relatively unchanged. The first humans (Homo habilis) appeared in Africa near the end of the period. Some continental movements took place, the most significant event being the connection of North and South America at the Isthmus of Panama, late in the Pliocene. This cut off the warm ocean currents from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, leaving only the Gulf Stream to transfer heat to the Arctic Ocean. The global climate cooled considerably over the course of the Neogene, culminating in a series of continental glaciations in the Quaternary Period that follows.
  <A relatively short breakdown of the 8 ages and 2 epochs that define the Neogene and the most significant events of each follows.>