PBS’ science section “Nova” will explore the “epic journey of life” in a new series about evolution. “Nova: Evolution” is a five-part series from documentary unit GBH together with the BBC and BBC Studios, which will trace the development of life from a single ancient cell to the many species living today. It will premiere
PBS’ science section “Nova” will explore the “epic journey of life” in a new series about evolution.
“Nova: Evolution” is a five-part series from documentary unit GBH together with the BBC and BBC Studios, which will trace the development of life from a single ancient cell to the many species living today.
It will premiere October 14 and run through November 11 on PBS. The series will also be available on the PBS website and app and Nova’s YouTube channel, among other places.
“‘Evolution’ is an epic story that reveals the twists and turns of our existence over billions of years,” the synopsis reads. “In this historical series, featuring passionate scientists, gorgeous photographs, and stunning animations of long-lost ancestors, discover how every animal we know and love today emerged from creatures that looked nothing like them. This historical series follows five of these extraordinary stories.”
The series will be based on genetic analysis and fossil records from various regions and environments, combined with photography and animation.
“Evolution may seem like an abstract concept, but the stories at the heart of this series make it viscerally real,” said co-executive producer Chris Schmidt. “Whether it’s tracing how the first light-sensitive cells eventually led to a dolphin’s brain wired for complex thoughts, or how ancient jaw bones became the bones of our ears, these are discoveries that fundamentally change the way you view your own body and every living thing around you.”
Co-executive producer Julia Cort added: “All animals alive today are connected by a single thread of ancestry stretching back billions of years, and yet the creatures that gave rise to modern life would be almost unrecognizable to us today. This series gives viewers a front-row seat to these extraordinary chains of events – mutations, adaptations and evolutionary leaps – that ultimately produced the astonishing diversity of life on our planet.”
Episodes will include:
- “Brain Power” analyzes the evolutionary history of the dolphin to examine how brains have developed
- “Need to Feed” follows the evolution of the bat to discover the untold story of food
- “Bodybuilders” analyzing how individual cells grew to different sizes, from fish to elephants
- “The Mating Game” will examine the origins of males and females, as well as the use of feathers in courtship
- “On the Run” follows the evolution of the horse to observe how animals move
“Nova: Evolution” is a BBC Studios science unit production with “Nova” and GBH for PBS and BBC.
The producer of the series is Milla Harrison-Hansley. The BBC executive producers are Rob Liddell and Andrew Cohen. The producer of the BBC series is Alice Jones. The BBC’s head of production is Laura Davey. It was commissioned for BBC Two by Jack Bootle, head of commissioning, factual specialist. The commissioning editor is Tom Coveney, commissioning head, science. The executives in charge of PBS are Geoff Daniels and Diana El-Osta. “Nova” is executive produced by Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. The main producer of “Nova” is Caitlin Saks.
Funding was provided by Carlisle Companies, Viking Cruises, NOVA Science Trust with support from Margaret and Will Hearst and PBS viewers.
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