Home » PBS Nature (Page 2)

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  The Shape of Life: Sponges – PBS (2002)

  August 2, 2015 at 9:30 pm / Evolution, Natural history, PBS Nature, Video

  Evolutionarily, sponges are considered to be the oldest and most ancestral surviving species of the multicellular animal lineage going back to more than 750 million years ago. They are notorious filter feeders. Famous German zoologist Ernst Haeckel quite accurately illustrated many sponges as early as 1872. They have an extraordinary capacity to filter dissolved nutrients through a specialized group of cells called choanocyte. Encrusting sponge tissues are made of choanocytes forming canals that converge at the openings called oscula where […]

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  Earth from Space – NOVA (PBS) 2013

  January 30, 2014 at 3:57 pm / Global Patterns, PBS Nature, Video

  Earth from Space is an excellent overview of global cycles. NASA visualizations based on Earth Observation System (EOS) show us how massive scale interactions among ocean, land, atmosphere and life determine the climate all driven by solar energy. The instruments in EOS satellites are so accurate that even the effects of most unexpected and sudden events like the Chelyabinsk Airburst Event of 2013 can be tracked and measured as it is happening in real time. These instant high resolution measurements […]

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  American Eagle – PBS Nature (2008)

  March 6, 2013 at 11:33 pm / PBS Nature, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

  This PBS Nature documentary outlines the life cycle and biology of the iconic Bald Eagle. The plot is centered around two breeding pairs in Iowa and Minnesota. Both nests were installed webcams and have attracted millions of viewers from all over the world. The nests are still active and pairs are now preparing for the breeding season. The nest in Iowa is next to Decorah Fish Management Station. As a top predator highly adapted for fish prey the location provided […]

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  Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air – PBS (2010)

  March 6, 2013 at 5:03 pm / Evolution, Natural history, PBS Nature, Video, Wildlife Documentaries

  Hummingbirds. Today they are strictly found on American continent but there are hummingbird-like fossil specimens from Germany hinting that this group might have been more widespread in its evolutionary past. More than 8000 species of plants have evolved to get their pollination services from hummingbirds. In 2013 a 50 million year old fossil showed the earliest ancestor of hummingbirds. With a heart beating at 600 beats per minute hummingbirds are champions of survival. The PBS documentary explores a rich repertoire […]

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  The Botany of Desire – Michael Pollan – PBS (2009)

  February 15, 2012 at 10:40 pm / Evolution, Human Nature, PBS Nature, Video

  Domestication is a defining feature of recent human evolution. In animals first trait selected by humans was behavior. In plants harvestability through selection of non-shattering seeds was the first trait of domestication. Plant domestication paved the way to agriculture which enabled highly specialized sedentary human societies. Domesticated plants differ from their wild ancestors in distinct ways that can be categorized under a term called as the domestication syndrome. Domestication syndrome includes reduced shattering of seeds (seeds don’t separate from the […]

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