(Life On Earth [VHS] series, Part 1)
David Attenborough explains where, when and in what order the earth's more than four million species evolved. Contains parts 1, 2 & 3 of the 16mm film version of the 'Life On Earth' series.
Part 1, The Infinite Variety: Naturalist David Attenborough examines the evolution of more than 4 million species. Surveying a variety of animals and their mutants, he explains the relationship between the species and the lands they inhabit. Insects in the South American rainforest, animals on the Galapagos Islands and worm fossils in the Grand Canyon are examined (21 minutes).
Part 2, The Beginning of Life (Penn): Beginning with an uninhabitable earth 3 1/2 thousand million years ago, famed naturalist David Attenborough explains how life began on earth. Cellular reproduction is briefly covered, touching on DNA, its replication, mutations and the process of natural selection. From complex carbons and amino acids to respirating blue-green algae, Attenborough highlights the crucial stages and turning points in the development of life as we know it (21 minutes).
Part 3, Building Bodies*: Attenborough views a wide variety of invertebrates at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. There is a broad range examined from the simplest polyp to the mass colonies of polyps--each with its own specialized function. Coral skeletons of limestone are inspected and three main groups of ancient sea life are recognized: shells, flower-like creatures and shrimp-like creatures. Soft animal tissue does not fossilize as easily as a shell but we can speculate what the ancient creatures would have been like by examining larvae, flatworms and vacupods leading up to the more complex mollusk. *approximately ten minutes of the 16mm film version of 'Building Bodies', concerning jellyfish & coral organisms, is included on this video (10 minutes).
(Restricted to use on University of Washington campuses only)
EMC Home ![[University of Washington]](http://www.washington.edu/home/graphics/uwsealf6.gif)
![[EMC Logo]](http://www.washington.edu/classroom/emc/emctrans.gif)