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| Evolution Project Overview |
The Evolution project is a seven-part, eight-hour television broadcast
series, an extensive Web site, a far-reaching educational outreach initiative,
and a HarperCollins companion book by acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer.Evolution plays a critical role in our daily lives, yet it is one of the most overlooked principles of life. It is the mechanism that determines who lives, who dies, and who gets the opportunity to pass traits on to the next generation, and the next, and the next ... The Evolution project's goals are to heighten understanding of evolution and how it works; to dispel common misunderstandings; to illuminate why it is relevant to our lives; to improve its teaching; to encourage a national dialogue; and to prompt participation in all aspects of the project. |
| Series description |
 Evolution
is a seven-part television series that travels around the world to examine
evolutionary science and the profound effect it has had on society and culture.
From the genius and torment of Charles Darwin to the vast changes that spawned
the tree of life, from the role of mass extinction in the survival of species
to the power of sex to drive evolutionary change, Evolution is fascinating
and far-reaching in scope. The series also explores the emergence of consciousness,
the success of humans, and the perceived conflict between science and religion
in understanding human life. |
| Episode Descriptions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
 Show
1: "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" (two-hour premiere)For 21 years, Charles Darwin kept his theory of evolution secret from all but a few friends. He confided to one: "It is like confessing to a murder." Why does Darwin's "dangerous idea" matter today more than ever, and how does it convey the power of science to explain the past and predict the future of life on Earth? The two-hour series premiere of Evolution interweaves the drama of Darwin's life with documentary sequences of current research and introduces core concepts of evolutionary theory. Show 2: "Great Transformations" (one hour) What caused the incredible diversity of life on Earth, and how have complex life forms, including humans, evolved? "Great Transformations" focuses on evolution's "great transformations," among them, the development of a standard four-limb body plan, the journey from water to land, the return of marine mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans. Driven by a combination of opportunism and a genetic "toolkit," these astounding transformations define the arc of evolution, suggesting that every species is a variation on one grand genetic theme -- members of a common tree of life.  Show
3: "Extinction!" (one hour)Ninety-nine percent of all the species that have ever lived are now extinct. While cataclysmic events on Earth have pruned the tree of life, extinction also opens the door to diversity, carving out room for new species to emerge and thrive. "Extinction!" explores the causes of the five mass extinctions that have occurred over the life of the planet and takes us behind the scenes to investigate the sources of the mass extinction happening today. It asks, What does evolutionary theory predict for the world we leave for future generations? Show 4: "The Evolutionary Arms Race" (one hour) "Survival of the fittest": Is it raw competition, or a level of cooperation indispensable to life? The theory of evolution demonstrates that both are needed. Interactions among species are among the most powerful evolutionary forces on Earth, and understanding them may be key to our own survival. "The Evolutionary Arms Race" explores our own spiraling arms race with microorganisms -- the only entities that can pose a threat to our existence. We follow the struggles of medical detectives uncovering the roots of epidemics and trace the alarming spread of resistance among pathogens that cause disease, like the new virulent tuberculosis nicknamed "Ebola with wings." Show 5: "Why Sex?" (one hour) In evolutionary terms, sex is more important than life itself -- without progeny, we are evolutionary losers. Sex fuels evolutionary change by adding variation to the gene pool and eliminating unsatisfactory traits. We look at the endless variety of sexual expression and the powerful hold sex exerts over all living things. And we explore how the need to pass on our genes has shaped our own bodies, minds, and lives. Some scientists believe that art, literature, music -- in fact, all of human culture -- may be the ultimate result of our sexual drives. Show 6: "The Mind's Big Bang" (one hour) Anatomically, modern humans existed more than 100,000 years ago, but with no art and with only crude technology and primitive social interaction. Then, 50,000 years ago, something happened -- a creative, technological, and social explosion -- and humans came to dominate the planet. This was a pivotal point in our development, the time when the human mind truly emerged. What made this moment so different? "The Mind's Big Bang" examines the forces that may have contributed to the breakthrough and enabled us to prevail over our relatives, the Neanderthals, who coexisted with us for tens of thousands of years. The show also explores where the power of the modern mind may ultimately lead us. Show 7: "What About God?" (one hour) Of all the species on Earth, we alone attempt to explain who we are and how we came to be, and we use both science and religion as our references. How has the tension between the two played out? Today the theory of evolution still is dogged by controversy. This program explores the creationist movement and its arguments by drawing on real human stories of people struggling to find a balance between faith and science. Through their perceptions we underscore the point that science and religion are compatible, although they play very different roles in assigning order to the universe and a purpose to life. |