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Evolution Boxed Set Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great documentary
Comment: This is an excellent overview of evolution. What sets it apart are the diverse topics addressed. The dramatic reenactments of Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands and at home were very well done.

There is plenty here so one can return to it repeatedly without tiring of it.

Some may disagree but I thought the episode about religion vs. evolution was handled perfectly. While it's thorough and clear about which side has all the evidence, I don't think the documentary goes so far that it would offend or turn off most religious viewers who are negative towards evolution. While they might not go away convinced, I can't imagine them becoming so upset they would turn away in horror or anything like that. Those who have a problem with evolution should make the effort to watch this, if only to think a little more deeply about the subject.

I highly recommend this work.

--Guy P. Harrison, Author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

I also recommend:

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters

Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Essential for Students
Comment: This documentary series is excellent, if a little inconsistent. The narration is great, the scholarship is generally high, and the cinematography is nice.
Each volume teaches the very basics of a piece of evolutionary thought and its meaning in the modern world. Includes some speculation, especially when discussing the evolution of the human mind and the question of God. However, most of the speculation is labelled as such.

Overall, I would say that anyone who wondered what evolutionary theory was all about and why it was so important to real life issues would not be dissapointed. Those who have a greater knowledge of this material may find it a bit pedestrian.

Especially great is the volume that discusses sexual selection. This vital piece of evolutionary theory is often forgotten or ignored by those who relish in the idea of 'nature red in tooth and claw.' Sexual selection is vital for understanding human behavior, even if some protagonists- Geoffrey Miller- take it a bit far.

Very watchable.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: very good but...
Comment: I thought most of the programs were very good. the information was presented very well. Where things took a turn for the worst was the last program that brought religion - mostly, Christianity - into play.

The program bent over backwards to accomdate and massage the fears of bible thumpers. At no time did they interview popular atheists for the subject. Which is odd because Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Steven Pinker were in the documentary at other places!!! It was clear that the last hour was less about the facts of evolution and more about catering to dogmatic theists with no desire to learn about the process of speciation. I would show everything but the last program in a school setting.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Evolution
Comment: An excellent review, though the God issue should have been left out as it has nothing to do with life.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Evolution is the meaning of life with the evidence to back it up
Comment: PBS Evolution is a 7 episode series. It is a powerful explanation for evolution using 8 hours worth of running proofs, confirmations, substantiations, verifications, facts, demonstrations and debates that authenticate the fact of evolution. It is overwhelming and undeniable. There is more evidence for evolution than there is for the theory of gravity.

PBS Evolution will make you abruptly realize how strong the inference for evolution actually is. The series will inform you about things you may have never thought possible. It raises understanding. It is the kind of learning media that every person needs. You will want to own PBS Evolution for the rest of your life. You will leave it in your legacy. If you can learn what PBS Evolution teaches and retain the information (by repeat viewings) you will find yourself a lot smarter than the average person and probably want to amplify your intelligence in the things that actually count as opposed to things that have little bearing at all.

The immense educational value of PBS Evolution does come with a price to pay and this cost is not the sticker on the box, but in the amount of demystification that a human being experiences while watching it although the last episode does try to bridge some elements with supernatural belief in a creator with reference to evolutionary biologists who believe in a creator.

However there is no denying that very quickly, and rightly, someone finds their whole outlook on life converted effortlessly from supernatural claims to natural provable ones made clear by the mechanisms of life, all with evidence to back it up. While demystification will certainly give some viewers a few sleepless nights, PBS Evolution is also the best replacement therapy for that. Not only will that person feel okay about being demystified but will eventually see themselves, the world they live in and all the animals that inhabit it in a brand new and factual way... with loads of proof to support it. PBS Evolution presents the corroborating material and launches us into critical thinking on a fully blown comprehensive magnitude.

Episode 1: "Darwin's Dangerous Idea"
This episode is two hours long. It deals mainly with Charles Darwin (a naturalist) who is the father of modern Evolution. Darwin's story is presented here in the format of a historical drama of his life and times. The drama is intertwined with interviews of modern day biologists following in the steps of Darwin and researchers in the field gathering the evidence. DNA is given a lot of coverage. Evolving viruses are explored. The evolution of the eye is explained. DNA comparison between humans, other hominids and other animals are made. Animal language gets coverage.

Episode 2: "Great Transformations"
The evolution of whales is the focus of this episode. It then deals with how the first creatures emerged from the water onto land. Geology along with the fossil record is given special attention, especially the transitional fossil record. The Precambrian explosion. Mutations, genealogy and DNA manipulation. Upright walking and modern bipeds.

Episode 3: "Extinction"
The extinction of species including mass extinctions. Early paleontologists. Roy Chapman Andrews. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction or K-T Event. Overpopulation topics. Ecology. Sink hole evidence. Biological invaders and weed species.

Episode 4: "The Evolutionary Arms Race"
Viruses. Toxic animals. Resistance. Predator prey evolution. Plagues and infectious diseases. Tuberculosis. Drug resistance and evolving microbes. Cholera. Edward O' Wilson. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Symbiosis and partnership evolutionary dependency (grouper fish allowing shrimp to eat parasites on it, flowers through nectar use birds and bees to breed, grazing animals work with microbes for digestion, as do we humans with beneficial bacteria). Leaf cutter ants and fungi partnerships. Natural prehistoric antibiotics. The ecosystem.

Episode 5: "Why sex?"
Sex may be more important than life itself. Female praying mantis can kill the male for food. Pacific salmon go up river to spawn and wait to die after. Humans don't die for sex but they may die to protect life. Sexual reproduction and asexual cloning. The red queen theory. Sex is beneficial for variation. Male sexual attractiveness and female choice (the dating game). Monogamy and polygamy. Some species cheat for better diversity. Role reversal in reproductive strategy. Bonobo sexual reproduction. Homo sapiens. Evolutionary psychology. Mate choice. Standards of beauty. Social exchange. Perceptions in the brain. Inherent traits such as fear of spiders or snakes, disgust at rotting substances, appreciation of a beautiful body. Genetic fertility traits and why certain people attract us. Selecting for intelligence influencing brain development. Personality, creativity, wit and charm. Cultural display for sexual attraction. Humans caring for others that are not their own.

Episode 6: "The Mind's Big Bang"
32,000 BC cave rock art. Hand axes. Down from the trees. Upright walking. Evolution of the human body. Brain expansion. Leaving Africa. Hunter gatherers. Fossil records. Migration of early hominoids from Africa. Early identity. Neanderthals. Weapon evolution. Spit techniques for cave paintings. Musical stalagmites and stalactites. Complex social relationships. Language. Sign language. Syntax. Memes (pronounced meems). Diabetics. Human manipulation of biological evolution.

Episode 7: "What about God?"
Evolution versus creationism debate. Scopes trial. Creationists teaching anti-evolution. Christians debating evolution within the family. Scandal at the University of Wheaton. The Genesis Flood by J C Whitcomb. Science curriculums.

This is the perfect companion to documentaries like Carl Sagan's `Cosmos' and Jacob Bronowski's 'The Ascent of Man', making it a very important documentary which is also an essential life changing experience.

PBS evolution contains a huge amount of graphics and animation to help convey the message. PBS evolution is also multimedia interactive. Every so often a popup will appear on the screen so that you can consult PBS evolution online which is a widespread database of evolution topics that enhance the learning experience. You can spend more time on PBS evolution online than with the documentary series itself. Some of the popup caption topics are changed on the internet version so word searching the topic doesn't always work and instead you just need to follow the topics from the main PBS evolution episode menu. However all the information (and there is heaps of it) is there. PBS evolution also has an affiliate book called Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer for those who are interested in a book of the series. PBS evolution has a lot to offer to solidify the fact of evolution. It enforces critical thinking and further enhances the meaning of life.

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