Growing Up in the Universe

Growing Up in the Universe was a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, in which he discussed the evolution of life in the universe. The lectures were first broadcast in 1991, in the form of five one-hour episodes.

To start off part one, Dawkins discusses the amazing capabilities of the human body and contrasts these with the limited capabilities of computers and other man-made machines. He uses a small totem pole (which is used in ancestor worship) to illustrate the importance of studying our ancestors to understand how we’ve evolved.

There are 5 episodes included in the playlist above. They address the following subjects:

1. Waking Up in the Universe,
2. Designed and Designoid Objects,
3. Climbing Mount Improbable,
4. The Ultraviolet Garden,
5. The Genesis of Purpose.

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http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZMK6YNWJACHQ5CRCJW5TNYFURI KsDevil
1) My how much we have learned since 1991.
2) How quaint computers were in 1991
3) Seeing Douglas Adams reading from his book was a special treat.
4) Richard Dawkins hasn’t changed his subtexual message in all these years..still fighting the same fight against the myth makers.
KatySK
Mutations occur independent of environmental forces (in terms of developing for a specific purpose, that is). The mutations that improve the chances of an organism’s survival will eventually become more common as those genes are passed on more frequently than others. In the case of the eye, a mutation causing an increase in light sensitivity would increase the chances of an organism surviving long enough to reproduce, or to reproduce more than others. I haven’t watched this series in awhile, so I hope that made sense!
http://profile.yahoo.com/AQ53TIM3M34OD6NTI4FKXOZWXM LeBrisk
I’m a little confused by the genetics portion he speaks of in the beginning. Do the mutations happen at random or do they happen based on the needs of survival in the environment? For example, in the eye demonstration he uses in video 2, do the mutations that lead toward the development of the eye happen because of environmental forces acting on the eye -or- are tons of mutations happening at random anyway that either stay in circulation or die out based on the survival value of the mutation?
wald0
This series of lectures never fails to inspire me. I would say this along with one by Brian Cox on the basics of quantum mechanics are the best lectures the Royal Society has produced, to my knowledge.