Becoming Human

NOVAbeta

Thanks to Scott for the link.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/

Program Description
Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA's comprehensive, three-part special, "Becoming Human," examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives.

Part 1, "First Steps," examines the factors that caused us to split from the other great apes. The program explores the fossil of "Selam," also known as "Lucy's Child." Paleoanthropologist Zeray Alemseged spent five years carefully excavating the sandstone-embedded fossil. NOVA's cameras are there to capture the unveiling of the face, spine, and shoulder blades of this 3.3 million-year-old fossil child. And NOVA takes viewers "inside the skull" to show how our ancestors' brains had begun to change from those of the apes.

Why did leaps in human evolution take place? "First Steps" explores a provocative "big idea" that sharp swings of climate were a key factor.

The other programs in the "Becoming Human" series are Part 2: "Birth of Humanity," which profiles the earliest species of humans, and Part 3: "Last Human Standing," which examines why, of various human species that once shared the planet, only our kind remains.

Becoming Human Part 1
First Steps: Six million years ago, what set our ancestors on the path from ape to human? Aired November 3, 2009 on PBS.

Becoming Human Part 2
Birth of Humanity: New discoveries reveal how early humans hunted and formed families. Aired November 10, 2009 on PBS.

Becoming Human Part 3
Last Human Standing: Many human species once shared the globe. Why do we alone remain? Premiers on air and online November 17, 2009.

Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | Permalink

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1. Comment #431146 by Jabee8 on November 11, 2009 at 5:29 pm

Is it just me, or the links don't work?
ARGH!

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2. Comment #431149 by NewEnglandBob on November 11, 2009 at 5:38 pm

The links work for me.

I have watched parts 1 and 2 of this Nova program. It is OK. They do present a lot of information but the presentation is tediously monotone at times and they show the same graphics over and over.

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3. Comment #431160 by esuther on November 11, 2009 at 6:52 pm

Annoying. The videos are not available in Belgium (and I presume Western Europe). Licensing issues, I suppose. Quel Dommage.

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4. Comment #431172 by TIKI AL on November 11, 2009 at 7:56 pm

NewEnglandBoB @ 2: "the presentation is tediously monotone at times and they show the same graphics over and over."

Sounds like the republicans who are trying to sell their "healthcare plan" in congress.

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5. Comment #431199 by andersemil on November 11, 2009 at 9:14 pm

Not a bad show, but it is more a show than a documentary. It reminds me of an MTV music video with the intense soundtrack and fairytale narrating. Nevertheless, it gets some good points and facts across to the broad public and that's what counts. They did a much better job of "A Science Odyssey" back in the day..

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6. Comment #431259 by KRKBAB on November 12, 2009 at 1:13 am

Comment #431199 by andersemil - Yes, it is for the broad public (that would be me), and that's a good thing. The general public desperately needs stuff like this- even with the somewhat silly soundtrack. There are plenty of textbooks for the serious student already out there. However, where the line is between "for the broad public" and "overly dumbed down" (my phrase) is quite subjective. This doesn't seem too dumbed down for me, although as I stated before, I could do with a little less of the silly dramatic music snippets.

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7. Comment #431320 by msloane on November 12, 2009 at 8:33 am

Shame,
I get the area "rights restriction" message also.
Money gezumps Knowledge every time :o)

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8. Comment #431357 by Crazycharlie on November 12, 2009 at 2:51 pm

andersmil-

Over the years, makers of science programs in the U.S. have felt the need to "jazz it up" with higher volume music and constant quick flashes from one scene to another like MTV videos. It's very annoying. Many of the science programs from cable channels like Discovery and National Geographic or, "Nat-Geo" as they call it now, I record with my DVR I end up deleting because they're unwatchable. PBS is usually good but, the trend is creeping in there too as witnessed in the above program. The above program was good but they detract from explaining science in their effort to be trendy. Cable series like "Planet Earth" and "Blue Planet" are excellent exceptions.

I wish they would hold up as a model series like Sagan's "Cosmos" or the many series of David Attenborough.

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