Happy Birthday Darwin!

« Zapped Pickle | Home | What’s in a Name? »

By Linda | February 2, 2009

February 12th marks the 200th anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin’s birthday.

The National Geographic Channel is not letting the occasion pass without airing what promises to be some fascinating programs featuring intriguing looks at various aspects of evolutionary science. I am hoping to get a sneak peek at some of these prior to their initial air dates and will review them for you after doing so.

Morphed is a three-part series that employs advanced CGI, forensic examination of the latest fossil evidence and 3-D biomechanical animation to bring ancient creatures back to life recreating the most dramatic forces impacting their evolution from natural disasters to competitors and brushes with extinction. The three episodes are titled:

MORPHED: FROM DINOSAUR TO TURKEY digs 230 million years back into the fossil record to witness the emergence of the first dinosaur and follows different dinosaur species as they respond to changes in the earth’s environment. Next Year at Thanksgiving dinner, imagine you’re eating a dinosaur. You won’t be far from the truth!
MORPHED: WHEN WHALES HAD LEGS examines the environmental pressures that turned a wolflike creature that hunted in shallow waters into a leviathan of the seas.
MORPHED: BEFORE THEY WERE BEARS travels back 30 million years to watch the bear’s doglike ancestor climb down from the trees of central Europe and set out on a journey that spanned the planet.

Morphed debuts on February 8th with three back-to-back episodes and a **live chat blogging session that features a panel of experts with professional and educational backgrounds ranging from hard science to theology.

You can participate in the live chat/blog in two ways:

1. Submit a question in advance and have it answered by the panel on the night of February 8th. To submit your questions in advance visit the forum at http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/ngcforums/evolution/

2. Join the NGC Blog on the evening of February 8th to see the discussion unfold live at http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblogs/inside-ngc/

**The discussion will begin at 7pm E/P and last about 2-3 hours as Morphed is airing that evening.