NOVA - Evolution Ep 2 - Great Transformations

"Show 2: Great Transformations
57 minutes, 6 DVD chapters

Chapter 1. Prologue (2:56)
Introduction to the show's theme: key transformations in the development of life
Human connections to all animal life
Following the tree of life back four billion years

Chapter 2. The Evolution of Whales (13:43)
The mystery of whale evolution, solved by fossil research
Understanding human evolution through the study of whale evolution
Brief definition and history of mammals
How did land-based mammals return to the sea?
Fossils from ""transitional species"" trace whale evolution
Studying whale movement to see evolutionary relationship with land mammals

Chapter 3. From Water to Land (10:27)
Understanding the transition from water to land-based life
Paleontological research into early tetrapod fossils
Which came first: leaving the water or developing legs?
The transition from fins to limbs; an evolutionary survival strategy
Chapter 4. The First Animals (5:27)
Exploring the origins of animal life
The Cambrian explosion, the sudden appearance of animal life
The Burgess Shale and its rich fossil record
Trilobites, an extinct arthropod and relative of crabs, insects, and spiders
Pikia, perhaps the earliest ancestor of modern vertebrates

Chapter 5. The Mechanism of Change (14:31)
The search for evolution's genetic mechanism, and the simplicity of the answer
Fruit fly research into evolution and genes
Embryo development and its clues to evolution
The theory that genes are the architects of the body, and a universal set of genes builds all animals

Chapter 6. The Transformation of Humans (9:26)
The crucial transition to bipedal movement
Human abilities are remarkable, yet we are built from the same genes as all animals
Studying primate movement to understand human ancestors and evolution
The existence of homo sapiens was not inevitable"

Duration 56m37s
Resolution 640x352
Video format DivX
Audio format AC3
Language english
Subtitles 0