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Sir David Attenborough and Ida

Visitors at the Natural History Museum in London may now see a cast of Ida (Darwinius masillae), a 47 million year fossil scientists believe is the link between primates and the rest of the mammals.

The cast was donated by the University of Oslo Natural History Museum. The original Ida was also at the NHM for a few hours last month where scientists had a look at the most complete ancient primate skeleton ever found.

For more information visit the NHM article here.

The guys down at Ninjavideo.net have finally decided to post Uncovering our Earliest Ancestor. You may download or watch it here as long as you open the NinjaVideo Helper Beta 0.3.9 (the red link below the video).

Link: http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/27736

More links in my previous article here.

As per my previous article about Ida, the 47 million years old fossil found in Germany, I am currently writing an article about the significance of the findings. Until that is ready for publishing I invite you to view Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor , the documentary which aired on The BBC, narrated by David Attenborough, a few days ago and which tells the story of Ida and the scientists working to uncover her mistery. I currently have three options you can choose from:

1. Torrent via Isohunt.com (DivX) – http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/97196893/?tab=summary&smiley – note: Downloading torrents is illegal in some countries, you should use encryption while downloading. Encryption is available with the Deluge torrent software which you may download here.

2. BBC iPlayer (UK only) (HD) – http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ksh5y/Uncovering_Our_Earliest_Ancestor_The_Link/

3. Flash via Megavideo.com – http://www.megavideo.com/?v=6L0RN45W

Last week, an international team of scientists have released information regarding a 47 million years old fossil they have been researching in secret for the past two years. If what they claim is true, then this is the “missing link” the anti-evolutionary camp has been complaining was missing for years and the proof scientists needed to show they were right in their assumptions all along. Scientists say Ida is the link between primates and the rest of the mammals, which is a great breakthrough for evolutionary science and a step forward in confirming yet again Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

The team of researchers have released a website, a book and a documentary. The documentary will air tonight (9pm ET/PT) on the History Channel in the United States, tomorrow on NRK (Norway) and on the 30th on ZDF in Germany. The BBC has a version narrated by Sir David Attenborough entitled Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor which will air on May 26th at 9pm on BBC One. For more information please feel free to visit the website at http://www.revealingthelink.com/.

The implications of this are enormous! I will be writing a follow-up article detailing the implications after I have had a chance to see the documentary and probably one more after I get my hands on the book. Until then feel free to have a look at the short presentation from the researchers’ website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bKHAaNxOv0

: “David Attenborough asks three key questions: how and why did Darwin come up with his theory of evolution? Why do we think he was right? And why is it more important now than ever before?”

Pentru a citi acest post in Romana click aici.

1. Flash via Megavideo

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=XQEYA5L6

2. HDTV DivX via Ninjavideo – don’t forget to turn on the NinjaVideo Helper applet!

http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/18442

Here’s an animation of the Evolutionary road extracted from the end of the documentary with commentary by Sir David.


The BBC had this to say about the program:

David starts his journey in Darwin’s home at Down House in Kent, where Darwin worried and puzzled over the origins of life. David goes back to his roots in Leicestershire, where he hunted for fossils as a child, and where another schoolboy unearthed a significant find in the 1950s. And he revisits Cambridge University, where both he and Darwin studied, and where many years later the DNA double helix was discovered, providing the foundations for genetics.

At the end of his journey in the Natural History Museum in London, David concludes that Darwin’s great insight revolutionised the way in which we see the world. We now understand why there are so many different species, and why they are distributed in the way they are. But above all, Darwin has shown us that we are not set apart from the natural world, and do not have dominion over it. We are subject to its laws and processes, as are all other animals on earth to which, indeed, we are related.

Broadcast on:

BBC One, 9:00pm Sunday 1st February

Duration:

60 minutes

Available until:

9:59pm Sunday 8th February

Categories:

• Factual,
• Science,Nature & Environment