NOVA: "Darwin's Darkest Hour"

[amicus]

I often criticize PBS for having an agenda, that holds true even with this delightful production concerning Charles Darwin and his consternation over his theories of evolution of species and the resistance he met.

Originally aired 10/06/09, it was announced that a discussion of the script writer and others may be heard at PBS.ORG under the title of the program.

Anyone?

Amicus

 

[slyc_willie]

Charles Darwin advocated a very controversial and compelling theory, especially considering the scientific climate of his day. But he was only partially right. Evolution is not necessarily a gradual series of changes to any given species, but rather radical leaps to cope with equally radical changes to a species' ecosystem. And sometimes, genetic leaps were made without any particular impetus, as if God was having an 'off' day and decided to monkey around with genetic codes.

In light of the discovery of Ardipithecus, a common ancestor of both chimps and humans, Darwin's neat little theory of gradual evolution is tossed out the window. Evolution is as unpredictable as pinpointing who will win the next Powerball jackpot.

 

[amicus]

I am not particularly prepared nor interested in a discussion concerning later expansions of his theory. PBS is rerunning the program again this evening and will possibly do so again, or other means of viewing it might be found.

I only wished to applaud the program as a sensitive and in depth presentation of the life and times of the man and his family with the inclusion of a country manor form of existence seldom portrayed in such a genteel manner.

Assuming the screen play to be accurate and well researched, this is one of the finest offerings by PBS to date, in my opinion.

I thought perhaps others had seen it and might share...

Amicus

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Charles Darwin advocated a very controversial and compelling theory, especially considering the scientific climate of his day. But he was only partially right. Evolution is not necessarily a gradual series of changes to any given species, but rather radical leaps to cope with equally radical changes to a species' ecosystem. And sometimes, genetic leaps were made without any particular impetus, as if God was having an 'off' day and decided to monkey around with genetic codes.

In light of the discovery of Ardipithecus, a common ancestor of both chimps and humans, Darwin's neat little theory of gradual evolution is tossed out the window. Evolution is as unpredictable as pinpointing who will win the next Powerball jackpot.

Phyletic Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium were the two competing camps if I remember correctly. I also remember the usual academic ass-kicking that ensues when each side cherry-picks examples to support their case when in reality both theories probably apply depending on the circumstances.

Gradual changes occur in large relatively stable populations. You get the big leaps when a population is split by a barrier that prevents interbreeding and their relative ecological niches become different.

A lot of it depends on the selective pressure. If it's fairly lax then it's going to take a long time for any beneficial mutations to spread through a population. If it's harsh and the population is small, then beneficial mutations are going to spread fast.

 

[Handley_Page]

I am not particularly prepared nor interested in a discussion concerning later expansions of his theory. PBS is rerunning the program again this evening and will possibly do so again, or other means of viewing it might be found.

I only wished to applaud the program as a sensitive and in depth presentation of the life and times of the man and his family with the inclusion of a country manor form of existence seldom portrayed in such a genteel manner.

Assuming the screen play to be accurate and well researched, this is one of the finest offerings by PBS to date, in my opinion.

I thought perhaps others had seen it and might share...

Amicus

Could you record it to DVD for me please ?

 

[amicus]

I responded to Handley in a PM that included:

http://www.hulu.com/search?query=pbs,+nova,+darwins+darkest+hour

That is just an excerpt, not sure if the entire program is available at Hulu, but it might be...

Amicus

 

[JackLuis]

I found it on the PBS.Com site. Great Program, Thanks Ami.

 

[Handley_Page]

I responded to Handley in a PM that included:

http://www.hulu.com/search?query=pbs,+nova,+darwins+darkest+hour

That is just an excerpt, not sure if the entire program is available at Hulu, but it might be...

Amicus

"Sorry", said the message "this programme is not available in your area due to copyright restrictions".

DRAT !

 

[SirLicksAalot]

Evolution is as unpredictable as pinpointing who will win the next Powerball jackpot.

Whoa! be careful there, you may have unknowingly asserted that Evolution is not a theory but more of a tautological argument. Good theories are suppose to realibly predict future course of events.

But then again, as I was writing this, I realized that Evolution may be that special theory that does not reliably predict future events. It's easy to to see differential success of microbes in a petri dish and predict its course of evolution based on controlled conditions, but in a little known environment, all bets are as good as anyone's Powerball numbers.

Sorry, I am writing this without any thought in mind, it leads me where it leads me.

Evolution then is best suited in Microbiology, and not so much in anything else.

 

[SirLicksAalot]

So if Evolution is only able to predict events in the strictest of measure, is it still a good theory??

 

[JackSlade]

PBS - Darwin Darkest Hour - For Your General Imfomation

Charles Darwin and President Abe Lincoln were born on the same day. Both men were against slavery.

Darwin made a prediction that a certain orchid and a moth with a ten inch tongue would be found
in Madagascar. The prediction was scored by every one. Years later after his death the both were found on Madagascar.

Charles Darwin was blessed as a good father.