What Darwin Never Knew

Marking the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the PBS-aired NOVA documentary What Darwin Never Knew revisits Darwin's ideas about the origin, evolution, and diversity of life, examining how the famed naturalist's findings hold up against the latest research, as scientists unravel the mysteries of DNA—the building blocks found in every living thing. Not surprisingly, modern science mostly confirms Darwin's theory about how Earth came to be populated by a staggering variety of living creatures, but when first published his revolutionary theory raised as many questions as it answered. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Darwin saw nature as a battlefield, where the ongoing war of natural selection determined whether species survived or disappeared. Darwin described the “magic and mystery” of evolution but could not explain the transformations that led creatures to grow legs and leave the sea or allowed dinosaurs to evolve into bird-like species. Today, scientists are studying embryonic development, where they believe DNA “switches” turn on and off, allowing for the changes that make evolution a continuing process. Combining archival materials, interviews with historians and researchers, and on-location footage, What Darwin Never Knew celebrates both the groundbreaking work of a monumental figure in science and the cutting-edge developments that are bringing us closer to understanding one of life's fundamental enigmas. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)