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Product Description
Join anatomist Dr Alice Roberts in a new series that reveals how your body tells the story of human evolution. The way you look, think and behave is the product of a 6 million year struggle for survival that transformed us from forest dwelling apes to the most successful species on the planet.
In Bones Alice looks at how our body has been shaped by the evolutionary journey of our ancestors as they stood, walked and ran for survival. It’s given us back-pain, narrow waists, the shape of our bottoms and our naked skin.
In Guts she charts how our ancestors’ hunt for food has driven the shape of our face, the size of our brain and even the way we attract the opposite sex.
And in Brains Alice explores how living till old age and learning from one another has shaped our large clever brain - and looks at why we are the only one of our kind still living today.
In Bones Alice looks at how our body has been shaped by the evolutionary journey of our ancestors as they stood, walked and ran for survival. It’s given us back-pain, narrow waists, the shape of our bottoms and our naked skin.
In Guts she charts how our ancestors’ hunt for food has driven the shape of our face, the size of our brain and even the way we attract the opposite sex.
And in Brains Alice explores how living till old age and learning from one another has shaped our large clever brain - and looks at why we are the only one of our kind still living today.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 63 people found the following review helpful
By Rowena Hoseason
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Big, big fan of Dr Alice and her work, and so thoroughly enjoyed this short series of three programmes which explore how human evolution is reflected in the form and function of our bodies today. Learned quite a few new things and admired the clever use of animations to make clear some tricky concepts. However, it's not entirely perfect...
Each one-hour programme traces the development of modern humans (Homo Sapiens) back to ancestors we share with apes and monkeys, some six million years or more. On the way, we examine how significant features were changed over generations by the environment, or allowed us to adapt when other proto-human species died out. The programmes are themed around digestion, skeletons and brains. We look at how, for example, experts can tell from fossilised skulls when humans first learned to stand upright on two legs (it's to do with the angle where the spinal column enters the skull), or why we have (should have!) slender, elongated waists - that is to stop us falling flat on our faces when we run.
The series shows how important cooking was to human survival - you can eat twice as much in half the time and get more energy from food if it's cooked. It reveals how our brains have doubled in size and suggests reasons why, and also points out that our `savage' Neanderthal relatives had brains which were pretty much the same size as ours... so they weren't the dumb cavemen of lore.
The downside to following this kind of narrative thread in separate programmes is that there's a fair amount of repetition, a lot of trotting back and forth on the family tree. The series uses a lovely set of drawings of early humans and ancestors - Australopithecus, heidelbergensis, erectus, habilus and so on, to show the external differences between us.... Read more ›
Each one-hour programme traces the development of modern humans (Homo Sapiens) back to ancestors we share with apes and monkeys, some six million years or more. On the way, we examine how significant features were changed over generations by the environment, or allowed us to adapt when other proto-human species died out. The programmes are themed around digestion, skeletons and brains. We look at how, for example, experts can tell from fossilised skulls when humans first learned to stand upright on two legs (it's to do with the angle where the spinal column enters the skull), or why we have (should have!) slender, elongated waists - that is to stop us falling flat on our faces when we run.
The series shows how important cooking was to human survival - you can eat twice as much in half the time and get more energy from food if it's cooked. It reveals how our brains have doubled in size and suggests reasons why, and also points out that our `savage' Neanderthal relatives had brains which were pretty much the same size as ours... so they weren't the dumb cavemen of lore.
The downside to following this kind of narrative thread in separate programmes is that there's a fair amount of repetition, a lot of trotting back and forth on the family tree. The series uses a lovely set of drawings of early humans and ancestors - Australopithecus, heidelbergensis, erectus, habilus and so on, to show the external differences between us.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Wayne Price
Amazon Verified Purchase
I fully recommend this DVD, it is really informative and interesting if you want learn to how our species are thought to have evolved. Dr Alice Roberts is an excellent presenter who you can tell is very knowledgeable in her field and passionate about it also which shows throughout. Definitely one for your collection if you are interested in human origin.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed watching the "The Incredible Human Journey" and the "Origins of Us" is a great follow up to it. Well presented with great explanations (and demonstrations) of what is currently known about the evolution of modern humans.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Whoever is interested in understanding the human evolution better will enjoy Dr. Roberts programs. No doubt her knowledge of the human body is deep and she can explain very well, with other archaeologists and researchers, how we have developed to what we are today. A program that is not viewed only once as there is much to understand.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By p cheadle
Amazon Verified Purchase
just like her previous dvd THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN JOURNEY this does,nt disappoint either
love the way she presents both programmes with such clarity and enthusiasm
i highly recommend you buy both, just sit back and let professor alice roberts
take you on a wonderful journey, carry on the good work professor alice
looking forward to your next adventure. pcc
love the way she presents both programmes with such clarity and enthusiasm
i highly recommend you buy both, just sit back and let professor alice roberts
take you on a wonderful journey, carry on the good work professor alice
looking forward to your next adventure. pcc
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By RR Waller
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Rowena Hoseason "Hooligween" (Kernow, Great Britain) has written a good review of this series and DVD, with which I agree. It was a very interesting series researching into how our evolutionary processes are evident in our bodies.
Camera work was good, CGI helped to make concepts clearer and the script was well thought out. I am sure that most people will learn a great deal from this and having the DVD makes the re-caps much easier. It is at a good price too and would make an excellent Christmas stocking filler.
Recommended
Camera work was good, CGI helped to make concepts clearer and the script was well thought out. I am sure that most people will learn a great deal from this and having the DVD makes the re-caps much easier. It is at a good price too and would make an excellent Christmas stocking filler.
Recommended
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A. Possehn
Amazon Verified Purchase
Incredible series covering a wide field of topics and very well put together!!! Great research, great explanations and typical amazing BBC series!!!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Charming presenter and superb content and format. I really enjoyed this doc and am looking forward to seeing more of her work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic series!
Fantastic series that I bought purely because of my interest in this subject matter. Dr Alice Roberts is a brilliant presenter and it's a thoroughly enjoyable series :)
Published 13 days ago by Grace O'Donoghue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!!!!
Dr Alice Roberts takes us through an amazing journey, learning about how the modern human has evolved from monkeys in trees to us now. Very interesting.
Published 20 days ago by jennt19
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating
This film is a delight. I had a great time watching it. It's very informative and well explained. Alice Roberts is great at presenting...
Published 28 days ago by Lapauze
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting film about the Primitive Predecessors of us Modern...
I thought this was one of the better BBC-films I've seen in a long time. The DVD consists of three parts, where each part lasts approximately an hour. Read more
Published 1 month ago by K H
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting
The way Alice Roberts keeps walking while explaining reminded me of a Monty Python scene.
Information is interesting and well presented but a bit hilarious.
Information is interesting and well presented but a bit hilarious.
Published 4 months ago by w.w. de Visser
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable
I thought there was something for the whole family. I had studied the subject at university and I learned something new plus it has been enjoyed by the whole family. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Gary
1.0 out of 5 stars
be aware before buying
This program is not for everybody.
It might be that some people who are not liberal might regret very much purchasing this product. Read more
It might be that some people who are not liberal might regret very much purchasing this product. Read more
Published 15 months ago by gav
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