Evolution
(DVD Video)

Videodisc release of the 7-part documentary originally produced for the PBS television series Nova and broadcast in September 2001.

Editor, Bernice Scheider ... [et al.] ; music, Sheldon Mirowitz ... [et al.].

Narrated by Liam Neeson. Commentary (Mind's big bang): Rick Potts (Smithsonian Institution), Richard Klein (Stanford University), Steven Pinker (MIT), Steve Kuhn (University of Arizona), Mary Stiner (University of Arizona), Randall White (New York University), Jean Jacques Hublin (University of Bordeaux I), John Shea (State University of New York), Michel Lorblanchet (Centre Nat. de la Recherche Scientifique), Richard Wrangham (Harvard University), Andrew Whiten (University of St. Andrews), Judy Kegl (University of Southern Maine), Richard Dawkins (Oxford University), Robin Dunbar (University of Liverpool), Sue Blackmore (University of West England). Commentary (What about God?): Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis), Derek Chignell (Wheaton College), Walter Hearn (biochemist and writer), Stanley Jones (Provost, Wheaton College), Keith Miller (Kansas State University), Eugenie Scott (National Center for Science Education), Clare McKinney (Jefferson High School), Stephen Randak (Jefferson High School), Ed Eiler (Superintendent, LaFayette Schools), Emi Hayashi (biochemistry major, Wheaton College), Beth Stuebing (pre-med major, Wheaton College), Nathan Baird (geology major, Wheaton College).

"Evolution" offers a groundbreaking and definitive view of the extraordinary impact the evolutionary process has had on our understanding of the world around us. Beginning with Darwin's revolutionary theory, this seven-part series explores all facets of evolution--the changes that spawned the tree of life, the power of sex, how evolution continues to affect us every day, and the perceived conflict between science and religion.

THE MIND'S BIG BANG: Fifty thousand years ago, something happened -- the modern human mind emerged, triggering a creative, technological, and social explosion. What forces contributed to that breakthrough? Where might our power of mind ultimately lead us?

WHAT ABOUT GOD? Of all species, we alone attempt to explain who we are and how we came to be. This final episode explores the struggle between science and religion. Through the personal stories of students and teachers, it offers the view that they are compatible.

DAWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA: Why does Charles Darwin's "dangerous idea" matter more today than ever, and how does it explain the past and predict the future of life on Earth? The first show interweaves the drama of Darwin's life with current documentary sequences, introducing key concepts of evolution.

GREAT TRANSGORMATIONS: What underlies the incredible diversity of life on Earth? How have complex life forms evolved? The journey from water to land, the return of land mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans all suggest that creatures past and present are members of a single tree of life.

EXTINCTION! When Species Die. Five mass extinctions have occurred since life began on Earth. Are humans causing the next mass extinction? And what does evolutionary theory predict for the world we will leave to our descendants?

THE EVOLUTIONARY ARMS RACE: urvival of the fittest: Raw competition? Intense cooperation? Both are essential. Interactions between and within species are among the most powerful evolutionary forces on Earth, and understanding them may be a key to our own survival.

WHY SEX? In evolutionary terms, sex is more important than life itself. Sex fuels evolutionary change by adding variation to the gene pool. The powerful urge to pass our genes on to the next generation has likely changed the face of human culture in ways we're only beginning to understand.

Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

DVD.