3-part PBS series showcases fascinating DNA research

By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 3, 2009

Creationists probably aren’t going to like “Becoming Human,” a three-part “Nova” series about how humans evolved from apes.

John Rubin bonds with a bonobo orphan at the Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Congo while making the documentary.

Apparently there are no missing links anymore. “Nova” reports on how science is rapidly closing in with evidence that makes evolution the most plausible theory. Some of the DNA research being done on this subject is fascinating.

Many people in our science-challenged country may not be aware of the discoveries that have been made in the past decade.

A lot of us are stuck in the evolution versus creationism debate that dates back 84 years to the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial.

It wasn’t about monkeys, but the nickname made a sensational headline in 1925 when John Scopes, a biology teacher in Dayton, Tenn., was charged with violating a state law that made it illegal to teach evolution.

The jury trial that followed captured the nation’s attention, pitting the country’s two greatest lawyers, Clarence Darrow (for Scopes) and William Jennings Bryan (for the state) in a debate over Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Scopes lost. But eventually science won out in the classroom. Through the years, states dropped anti-evolution legislation and the Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that teaching creationism violated the separation of church and state.

However, pro-creationism education initiatives continue. Since 2007, school boards in a dozen Florida counties have passed resolutions calling for evolution lessons to be balanced by “alternatives,” a euphemism for religion-based explanations of life.

Debuting tonight at 8 on PBS, “Becoming Human” looks at the latest research and the most recent discoveries, including fossilized bones of ape/human creatures.

The first hour, “First Steps,” examines the factors that caused human-like creatures to split from the other great apes including a changing environment that resulted in the need to come down from the trees and walk on two legs.

The program recounts the discovery of the skull of a child that died 3.3 million years ago. It offers clues on how human brains began to change from those of apes.

The second hour (8 p.m. Nov. 10) tackles the mysteries of how the early humans lost their body hair and became long-distance hunters, developing skills like making spears. It also offers theories on how early humans became social creatures around campfires.

Part three (8 p.m. Nov. 17) looks at cutting-edge DNA analysis that reveals new insights into how humans became creative.

To accompany the program, “Nova” launched an evolution Web site: www.pbs.org/nova/evolution.

LOOKING BACK AT BARACK: A new documentary that tracks Barack Obama’s race for the presidency debuts at 9 tonight on HBO — one year after he won the election.

“By the People: The Election of Barack Obama,” is the work of two filmmakers, Alicia Sams and Amy Rice, who take viewers inside the workings of a spirited and expertly run campaign.

Although it recalls a historic victory and the excitement that Obama inspired, it also reminds us that being president has turned out to be a lot harder than running for president.

DNAWellnessinfo.com Resource:  http://bit.ly/EM6Ho