Life Sciences Videotapes in the Media Resources Center, UC Berkeley

	Science and Technology: Life Sciences

	Contents - this page: Life Sciences: Biotechnology SEE General Works and Overivews Biotechnology SEE Health & Medical Sciences Botany Disability SEE separate videography Ecology/Environment SEE Environment & Natural Resources Medicine/Health SEE separate videography Health and the Environment: SEE Environment & Natural Resources Human Biology, Physiology and Genetics Human and Animal Origins and Evolution Psychology SEE separate videography Zoology/Animal Ecology and Behavior Contents - next page: Physical Sciences: Astronomy/Cosmology/Space Technology Chemistry Earth Sciences, Oceanography, and the Environment Mathematics Physics Contents - following page: General and Miscellaneous Science and Technology / Applied Science and Technology: Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Engineering Life Sciences: General Works and Overviews Planet Earth. An extraordinary BBC 11-part nature series. 40 camera teams were shooting at over 200 different locations all over the world for more than 5 years to get the pictures seen in the series. Each segment is followed by a sequence investigating the techniques and challenges of wildlife photography within that segment. Narrator, David Attenborough. c2007. DVD 7435 Disc 1: From Pole to Pole; Mountains; Fresh Water. From pole to pole: This introducton to the BBC television series looks at the planet as a whole and considers the key factors that have shaped its natural history. Without fresh water there is no life on land, while the sun dominates the lives of all animals and plants on earth and defines their habitats. Mountains: This tour of Earth's mightiest mountain ranges, starting with the birth of a mountain at one of the lowest places on Earth and ending at the summit of Everest, takes in some of the most reclusive creatures on the planet and reveals the secrets of their survival. Fresh water: This third episode follows the descent of rivers from their mountain sources to the sea and showcases the unique and dramatic wildlife found within Earth's lakes, wetlands and great rivers. Disc 2: Caves; Deserts; Ice Worlds. Caves: Deep in an undiscovered world, including both poisonous and flooded caves, we find astonishing crystals; cave angel fish, the five million bats of Deer Cave in Borneo; and troglodytes, and weird creatures like the Texas cave salamander, that never sees daylight or sets foot on the surface. Deserts: 30% of Earth's land surface is desert which can seem empty and lifeless, yet they are the most varied of our planet's ecosystems. With remarkable footage this documentary unravels the secrets behind desert survival and for the first time on such a scale, reveals the ephemeral nature of this dynamic environment. Ice worlds: The advance and retreat of polar ice is the real challenge to life. As the sea freezes in Antarctica all animals flee, except for the Emperor Penguin. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, humpback whales are feeding and the polar bear swims vast distances, stalking a colony of walruses. Disc 3: Great Plains; Jungles; 9; Shallow Seas. Great plains: On these immense wildernesses, from the baking savannahs of Africa to the frozen tundra of the Arctic, are found the greatest gatherings of wildlife on Earth: but close on the heels of gazelles, caribou or wildebeest come an array of plains predators --- eagles, wolves and lions. Jungles: With little seasonality and a longer growing period, jungles are the most productive places on Earth, but surviving in the jungle is far from easy. Using state-of-the-art tracking shots and stunning aerials the film moves along the dark forest floor, up through the layers of vegetation and across the canopy. Shallow seas: Follows a humpback whale mother and calf on an epic journey through the shallow seas of our planet. From tropical coral paradises, where the new-born calf takes his first breaths, to the storm-ravaged icy polar seas, the whales' great feeding grounds, are revealed as seas of great contrast and surprise. Disc 4: Seasonal Forests; Ocean Deep. Seasonal forests: From the evergreen forest of the frozen North to the deciduous dry forests of the tropics, these woodlands illustrate the intense seasonality of the Earth. The tallest, largest and oldest organisms on the planet, they are home to a fascinating range of wildlife. Ocean deep: Feast or famine: It's the governing principle of ocean life. From the sailfish, three-meter-long rapier-billed predators, and the exquisitely shelled Nautilus to the threatened blue whale, this journey into the most unexplored part of the planet reveals the extraordinary survivors of this immense and barren realm. Disc 5: Saving Species; Into the Wilderness; Living Together. Saving species: Many of the animals featured in the Planet Earth series are endangered so do we face an extinction crisis? Saving Species asks the experts if there really is a problem, looks at the reasons behind the declining numbers of particular animals and questions how we choose which species we want to conserve. Into the wilderness: Pollution, climate change and a growing human population are all putting pressure on Earth's wildernesses including the Bialowieza forest, the Gobi Desert and the Arctic tundra. So how much of the planet is still wilderness? And why should we care? Into the Wilderness explores why these uninhabited expanses are important for our survival as well as that of all creatures on the planet. Living together: This history of conservation throws up some interesting ideas as we look to the future of an ever more populated planet. How can conservation fit into this new world driven by economics and development? Living Together looks at the challenges facing conservation in the 21st century and looks at the role of religion in piloting a moral and ethical approach to the world we live in. Life Sciences: Botany Cannabis, The Importance of Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire Michael Pollan, author of "The botany of desire: a plant's-eye view of the world," has done a range of work in journalism, environmentalism and architecture. Here he discusses his approach to plants and their relationship to people. Concludes with questions from the audience.Held on November 12, 2002 at the University of California, Berkeley. 78 min. Video/C 9449 View it with RealPlayer Cannabis, The Importance of Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire: Follow-up Panel Host: Candace Slater. Panel: Michael Pollan, Ignacio Chapela, Catherine Gallagher, Patricia Unterman. Michael Pollan presents a brief address on the ecology of food and food productions systems, followed by responses from panelists specializing in food and environmental science issues followed by questions from the audience.Held on November 13, 2002 at the University of California, Berkeley. 110 min. Video/C 9450 The First Forests (Life on Earth; 3). Uses microphotography of several primitive plants to show how plant life overcame the difficult problem of migration from sea to land. Also explains how plants and insects were interdependent in their evolution process. Hosted by David Attenborough. 60 min. Video/C 289 The Green Machine (Nova ). Presents some of the hidden powers of plants, including photosynthesis, flowering, the use of hormones to regulate growth, and responses to gravity and light. Explores the possibility that plants have some form of primitive nervous system that makes them capable of extrasensory powers of awareness. 58 min. Video/C 94 Manu Reserva Nacional An extensive exploration of the biosphere reserve of the Manu, an ecological paradise situated in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon Jungle and home to species of flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth. Wildlife biologists and others travel the region emphasizing efforts to preserve the flaura and fauna of the environment. 1993. 107 min. Video/C 7227 Mechanisms of Photosynthesis. Discussion of the photosynthetic processes found in plants. 1981. 3/4 " UMATIC. (NRLF #: B 3 969 259) Video/C 509 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest. Presentations from the workshop "Pharmacy from the Rain forest" held in Peru during October 1994. Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 1: ACEER Useful Plant Trail Guide. A tour of the Useful Plant Trail of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research situated in the Peruvian rain forest. On average, nearly 300 species of woody plants per hectare have been found to grow here. Shaman Don Antonio Montero hosts the tour and describes the properties of 45 trees and plants, not only those useful to the people of Amazonia but some that provide chemicals or products used in countries around the world. Sponsored by the American Botanical Council, Texas Pharmacy Foundation, and International Expeditions. 28 min. Video/C 7872 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 2: Plant Drugs, Healing Herbs and Phytomedicals. Keynote address from the workshop "Pharmacy from the Rain forest" held in Peru during October 1994. Dr. Varro E. Tyler gives the opening presentation at this first ever conference to bring traditional medicinal plant healers and Western pharmaceutical professionals together to explore the uses of medicinal plants from the tropical rain forests of Peru. 1994. 34 min. Video/C 7873 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 3: Pharmacology and Therapeutic Application of Plant Drugs. A presentation from the workshop "Pharmacy from the Rain forest" held in Peru during October 1994. Dr. Varro E. Tyler explores five significant categories of plant drugs including antineoplastic agents, antiprotozoal drugs, cardiovascular drugs, chemotherapeutic drugs and possible immunostimulants. These and other natural products have served as prototypes for synthetic and semi-synthetic medicinals. 1994. 81 min. Video/C 7873 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 4: Nutrition and the Amazon Food Pharmacy. This program focuses on foods that are derived from tropical sources and the multiple health benefits they provide. Dr. James Duke traces the origins of introduced and native tropical "food farmaceuticals" that can be and have been utilized in preventitive pharmacy as well as an adjunct to therapeutic drug pharmacology. 1994. 47 min. Video/c 7875 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 5: Tropical Medicine in the Rainforest Dr. Linnea Smith of La Clinica Yanamono located on the banks of the Amazon River 50 miles from Iquitos, shares her experiences in providing healthcare in the Amazon where Western medicine is usually unavailable. She gives insights into how the cultural and religious needs of the people bring a new dimension to treatment and preventitive care. Adapative approaches of a medical practice in the Amazon as well as the problems, advantages and revelations of bringing Western-style medical care to this remote region are discussed. 1994. 25 min. Video/C 7876 Pharmacy from the Rain Forest, Part 6: Ethnomedical Field Research in the Amazon. Provides insights into the current methodology of ethnomedical field research as related to the success of programs associated with the search for new medicines from phytopharmaceuticals. Presents the challenges of drug discovery strategies as related to research among the Jivaro Amerindians of the western Amazon and gives some examples of uses of medicinal plants including obstetrical use by Amazonian Jivaro women, as well as the use of plant alkaloids in treating wounds. 1994. 57 min. Video/C 7877 Plants, Powers, and Profits: Social, Economic, and Ethical Consequences of the New Agricultural Biotechnologies. (Biotech lecture; 5). Lawrence Busch Discusses recent agricultural research and the development of new agricultural biotechnologies and the impact of their applications upon society. 50 min. Video/C 2979 The Private Life of Plants A 6-part series exploring the intriguing world of the plant kingdom. Host: David Attenborough. c1995. 50 min. each installment. Branching Out. Discusses how plant seeds are seasoned travelers, using animals, insects and wind in their journey for roots. Some employ aeronautical technology, like the squirting cucumber's jet propulsion and the Himalayan balsam's violent explosions, to propel their seeds. Video/C 9790 Putting Down Roots. Discusses how plants cultivate myriad survival techniques. Some plants race across the forest floor to climb a tree, tropical leaves strain to catch shafts of life-giving sunlight, and others use poisonous sap and crafty disguises as defense mechanisms. Video/C 9791 The Birds and the Bees. Discusses how ingenious plants help insects and birds discover their hidden pollen with intricate, brilliantly colored flowers. Plants are also deceitful with false promises of food or sex as rewards for transferring male pollen to the female parts of another plant. Video/C 9792 Plant Politics. Looks at the struggle for survival, with plants using some hair-raising strategies such as arson, to engineer catastrophes. Attenborough dangles 200 feet up in Borneo's jungle and dodges flames in Australia to show how plants exploit disaster to meet their species' needs. Video/C 9793 Living Together. Shows how plants form remarkable partnerships, co-habiting with and within animals, fungi, and other plants in order to survive. Reveals their symbiotic relationship with jellyfish, the Great Barrier Reef, fierce biting ants and predatory dodders. Video/C 9794 It's a Jungle Out There. Depicts the extremes under which plants grow--from the coldest Arctic wastes to the driest deserts. Shows that plants can endure in a harsh and changing world in environments where humans often cannot exist. Video/C 9795 Tumbes Bosques y Manglares In an area that appears to be desert are hidden forests of extraordinary beauty which shelter many unique species of plants, birds and mammals. This is an indepth exploration of the Tumbes Region, its plants and wildlife living in the dry forests, tropical forests and mangrove swamps bordering the Pacific Ocean in Northern Peru. 1997. 181 min. Video/C 7228 To the top Life Sciences: Human Biology, Physiology and Genetics Accidents of Creation (Secret of Life ; 2). This program explores a fundamental paradox: Life exists because DNA is so good at replicating itself, yet it is the errors of replication--random mutations--that are responsible for life as we know it. 60 min. Video/C 3156 After Darwin Traces the history of genomic research and its dark offspring: behavioral genetics, eugenics, and the commodification of children. Investigates such topics as the Human Genome Project, gene patenting, cloning, fertility clinics, genetic testing, and the discriminatory practices of insurance companies. Dist.: Films Media Group. 1999. 98 min. DVD 5040 © notice View this video online (PART I) View this video online (PART II) UC Berkeley users only - Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac Bags of Life. Shows the worldwide research being done in the field of phospholipid cell membrane exploration and discusses historical highlights pertinent to the subject. 3/4" UMATIC. 50 min. Video/C 550 Birth, Sex and Death (Secret of Life ; 3). Scientists have now discovered that what causes a fetus to become male is a single gene on the Y-chromosome. This program introduces the master genes that determine our sex, our development and possibly the length of our lives. Film surveys the development of the embryo, and of sex differences, and genetic influences on the end of life. 60 min. Video/C 3157 Chicken or Egg? Presentation of ideas and experiments concerning developmental biology. Talks about the possible role of the egg cytoplasm in determining future differentiation of the developing embryo. 3/4" UMATIC. 22 min. Video/C 547 The Commercialization of Academic Biology: Recent Historical Perspectives. Biotech lecture; 2. Charles Weiner reviews the role genetic researchers and academics play in the development of new biotechnology industries. Symposium held at UC San Francisco, Jan. 14, 1993; sponsored by Genentec, Inc. 50 min. Video/C 2976 Cracking the Code of Life Describes the race to decode human DNA, the Human Genome Project which was born in 1990. An international consortium of labs began the project, but halfway through their schedule, entrepreneur J. Craig Venter of the for-profit company Celera claimed he would finish the job. Francis Collins and Eric Lander and others answered Venter's challenge and the result laid the foundation for the future. Armed with powerful information, medical pioneers are now in the midst of medical breakthroughs ... but the question is: Do we want to know what's in our genes? 2001. 120 min. DVD 2711; also VHS Video/C MM162 Death By Design. A film by Peter Friedman, Jean-Francois Brunet. In an unusual marriage of art and science, this film takes viewers on a fantastic journey through a remarkable terrain; the land of cells. In this invisible world, cells communicate with each other, work together, reproduce, and die, all to benefit the larger organism of which they are part. The filmmakers' observation of cell interactions reveals a society astonishingly similar to our own human world, as images of cell life gleaned from state of the art microcinematographic equipment are intercut with parallel images from life at the human scale. The program contains interviews with noted biologists including Rita Levi-Montalcini, a programmed-cell-death pioneer and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for Medicine. 73 min. Video/C 6456 Decoding the Book of Life (Nova ). Looks at the controversial genome project whose goal is to determine the location and makeup of individual genes in the human genome. 58 min. Video/C 3152 DNA 2003. 57 min. each installment The Secret of Life. Contents: Unraveling the secret of life -- Three teams: and the race begins -- Watson and Crick: down but now out -- X marks the spot: hints of the helix -- Singular discovery of the double helix -- Deconstructing DNA from code to flesh -- Great minds, future puzzles: scientists today. A half-century ago, three teams with three different approaches raced to unravel the structure of DNA. This program blends interviews and commentary with extraordinary graphics to tell the story of how the unlikely duo of Jim Watson and Francis Crick won that race. Many of the principal figures in the quest discuss their frustrations and insights including Watson and Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Linus Pauling's son, Peter. DVD 2404 Playing God. Contents: Birth of genetic engineering -- Risks vs. rewards -- DNA for dollars -- From fauna to flora -- Too fast forward? Twenty years after the discovery of DNA's structure, another revolution swept biology when scientists began learning how to manipulate genes outright. The controversy continues to this day. This program tells the story of genetic engineering's pioneers, focusing on the race to synthesize insulin and the development of genetically modified crops. Spectacular computer animations of molecular processes are paired with commentary by key researchers. DVD 2405 The Human Race. Contents: No two alike -- DNA sequencing: the search for order -- Breaking the human code -- Public interests vs. private interests -- Of peace and pizza -- Uphill race to the finish line -- Human genome: Past, present and future. In 1990, a massive enterprise was launched to map the individual genes in the human genome. Known as the Human Genome Project, it soon turned into a race and a feud. This program tracks the progress of the endeavor, detailing the scientific innovations that led to its completion, as well as its political and economic impact. Among those who discuss the project are initial rivals Francis Collins and J. Craig Venter; Dr. John Sulston; Sir Alex Jeffreys, the discoverer of DNA fingerprinting; Nobel Laureates Fred Sanger and Jim Watson; and former President Bill Clinton. DVD 2406 Curing Cancer. Contents: "Markering" the spot -- Rivalry in the cancer race -- One family's bittersweet victory -- Rivaly revisited -- Race for the cure -- One cancer conquered -- Hope springs eternal. This programs tells the story of how researchers have developed radically new ways to treat cancer by tracing it back to its origins: its DNA. The program focuses on two pioneering efforts: the race between Dr. Mary Claire King and Dr. Mark Skolnick, founder of Myriad Genetics to isolate the gene linked to breast cancer, and Dr. Brian Druker's work that eventually led to an anti-cancer drug which cures Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Also looks at the work of David Botstein in discovering gene markers and Per Lonning, Botstein and partner Pat Brown who developed a micro-array technique to reveal differences between seemingly identical cancers. DVD 2407 Pandora's Box. Contents: Genetic engineering: from vegetable to animal -- Evolution of eugenics -- Self-directed evolution -- Troubled minds, troubled futures -- Question of enhancement -- Filtering the gene pool. With Dr. Jim Watson as guide, this program looks into the future of genetic manipulation, exploring some of the current and proposed ways scientists hope to improve humankind. Watson feels people should be able to enhance their own genes and those of their descendants. Also looks at the work of Dr. Mario Capecchi who manipulates mouse DNA for potential benefits to humans such as using genetics to enhance intelligence. Watson also addresses some of his critics, including a family with a son who has Down syndrome, and Dr. Kay Jamison, a world expert on manic depression and a manic depressive herself. DVD 2408 The DNA Story. Features Francis Crick, James Watson, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling telling what led to the discovery of DNA. Describes how model building was used, and the roles of both physics and chemistry in finding the structure of DNA. 47 min. Video/C 132 Double Helix (Life Story) (1987) Directed by Mick Jackson; featuring Tim Pigott-Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Alan Howard, Juliet Stevenson. A dramatized documentary, set in the years 1951-1953, which focuses on the young scientist James Watson who with other scientists "raced" to discover the DNA double helix comprising human genetic material. According to the film, the discovery was primarily made by scientist Rosalind Franklin, but her ideas were stolen by the team of Watson, Crick, and Wilkins, who were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize after her death. 108 min. DVD 2871; also VHS Video/C 5403 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database 18 Ways to Make a Baby(NOVA) Presents an in-depth look at scientific breakthroughs in reproductive science, including "cytoplasmic transfer, "in vitro fertilization, and the impact on human lives of revolutionary scientific breakthroughs in human reproduction presented by doctors and biologists on the leading edge. Also looks into a future where parents might one day be able to design their child for its sex and other traits. c2001. 56 min. Video/C MM35 The Enlightened Machine (Brain ; 1). Uses microcinematography, case studies, and interviews with medical experts to explain general brain functions and to describe the emerging field of neuroscience. Shows modern equipment used to measure brain functions. Surveys several disorders of the brain and nervous system which reveal information about the brain's normal function. 60 min. DVD 9261 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 955 Enzyme Structure and Function. William Lipscomb and George Harburn explain the structure and function of enzymes. 3/4" UMATIC. (NRLF#: B 969 320) 22 min. Video/C 582 From Eugenics to Human Genetics (and Back). (Biotechnology in Society Lecture; 3) Diane Paul reviews the history and philosophies undergirding eugenics, human genetics and genetic engineering. Symposium held at UC San Francisco, Jan. 21, 1993; sponsored by Genentec, Inc. 50 min. Video/C 2977 Generation upon Generation (Ascent of Man ;12). Examines the complex code of human genetics and heredity, beginning with the experiments of Gregor Mendel and progressing to present day research in genetic engineering. 52 min. DVD 806; also on VHS Video/C 173 Genomic Networks: A Sociology of the Human Genome Initiative (Biotechnology in Society Lecture; 8) Stephen Hilgartner discusses how knowledge concerning genomes is achieved and organized with a view to creating a viable infrastructure for the developing biotechnologies of the future. Lecture held February 25, 1993 at University of California, San Francisco. 63 min. Video/C 2982 Goddess of the Earth. James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis discuss the Gaia hypothesis--that living organisms create and sustain conditions advantageous to their survival. 58 min. Video/C 1028 History of Sex Series exploring the worldwide history of sex and sexual practices from ancient civilizations through the 20th century. 1999. 50 min. each installment Ancient Civilizations. Explores the history of sex and sexual practices in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Rome, Greece and Egypt. From fertility rights to the temples of love, highlights how sex and sexual practices infiltratred ancient mythology, from the earliest dynasties to the Roman bacchanalias and Greek gods. Video/C 9170 Eastern World. The Eastern world for centuries has regarded sex not only as natural but also as mind-expanding and spiritual. With an intriguing perspective on the connection between sexuality, philosophy and spirituality, this segment gives an intimate glimpse inside China, Japan, India and the Arab world -- the homes to mystery, exploration and the religious classification of sex. Video/C 9171 The Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, the evolution of sexual beliefs and practices was inspired by religion. From the fall of the Roman Empire through the Renaissance, sexuality went under cover, only to emerge with strict rules and imposed shame. Pagan rituals, gnostic cults, romantic troubadours, chivalrous knights, chaste maidens and courtly love are just a few of the conflicting extremes that define Medieval sexuality. Video/C 9172 From Don Juan to Queen Victoria. In the 19th century various views of sex flourished. The ideal woman evolved, submissive, quiet and gentle. But underneath the surface the rhythm of this period beat with scandalous pleasure which included prostitution and brothels. Part five: The 20th century has seen western society's view of sexuality evolve at a rapid rate. Spurred on by the Industrial Revolution, women's liberation and the proliferation of the media, the line between experimentation and exploitation has been blurred. Video/C 9173 Gregor Mendel Professor Richard M. Eakin of the Dept. of Zoology, University of California, presents a lecture in which he impersonates Gregor Mendel in the words, dress, and manner of his time. Describes his interest in heredity and his experiments with the pea plant, and comments on the elementen, his hypothetical units of heredity. c1973. 24 min. DVD 7307 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C MM757 View this video online Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac © Regents of the University of California Growing the Mind This program charts the changes in the human brain as it develops from infancy to adulthood. The brain's adaptability, as demonstrated by its ability to reorganize its neural network after radical surgical intervention, and its vulnerability to damage, as in the case of John Forbes, whose memory faculty was almost entirely destroyed by an accident at birth, are addressed. Dist.: Films Media Group. c2003. 50 min. DVD 7142 Hans Spemann and Embryonic Development Dr. Richard Eakin, professor emeritus of zoology presents Hans Spemann speaking about his investigations in embryonic development. c1973. 42 min. DVD 7305 [preservation copy; vhs Video/C MM757 View this video online Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac © Regents of the University of California Homo Sapiens 1900. Examines the history of eugenics, racial hygiene and the ideas of the "new man," as developed in the early 20th century in Germany and the Soviet Union. In Germany, race hygiene focused on the body, on corporal beauty and the ideal form, while in the Soviet Union, eugenic interest focused on the brain and intellect. 1999. 88 min. Video/C 6552 How Babies Get Made (Nova ). Describes the development of babies, both animal and human, from the time of conception until birth. Shows the efforts of scientists to discover cellular and genetic mechanisms that account for both normal and abnormal development of embryos. 58 min. Video/C 1359 Human Genetics in American Popular Culture. (Biotech lecture; 1). Dorothy Nelkin discusses how current perceptions of genetics inAmerican society influences policy making in response to technological change. Symposium held at UC San Francisco, Jan. 14, 1993; sponsored by Genentec, Inc. 63 min. Video/C 2975 The Immortal Thread (Secret of Life ; 1). In the process of identifying and mapping the human genome, scientists have discovered that from dinosaur DNA to yeast to humans, there is ever-growing evidence for the unity of life on Earth. 60 min. Video/C 3155 Learning and Memory (Brain ; 5). Explores early and modern discoveries relating to brain function in memory and learning. Discusses changes in brain cells which may occur when one learns or remembers, and considers the relation of age to these processes. Includes interviews with neroscientists, normal older adults, and amnesia victims. Suggets new methods which may help victims with memory disorders such as amnesia. 60 min. DVD 9265 [preservation copy]; Video/C 959 Life and Death of a Cell. (1959). Present a clear and cogent explanation of how the cell embodies all the functions and properites common to living things. Uses a amoeba proteus to illustrate the cell habitat, digestion and division, and explains the the cause of death. 20 min. Video/C 75 The Machine. A film by Pat Gost and Gene Terry. A visual comparison of human and mechanical power. Video/C 2010 Man: The Incredible Machine. Uses photographs and recording techniques in examining the human body, including the heart, lungs, blood vessels, skeleton and joints, muscles, ears, skin, eyes, and brain. 1975. 28 min. Video/C 183 N NRLF #: B 4 175 103 Marvels of the Mind. Attempts to explain how the brain works by showing the function and activity of each part. c1980. 23 min. Video/C 184 NRLF #: B 4 175 104 The Mind. 9 part series. 1. The search for the mind 2. Development 3. Aging 4. Addiction 5. Pain and healing 6. Depression 7. Language 8. Thinking 9. The violent mind. 60 minutes each. Video/C 1301 Text of review of segment on aging from ABC-CLIO Video Rating Guide for Libraries The Mind of Patricia Smith Churchland Patricia Smith Churchland, professor of philosophy at the University of California, San Diego, and Bill Moyers discuss the state of research on the human brain, and its implications on philosophy and on the question of the nature of knowledge and consciousness. 1990. 28 min. Video/C 1571 The Miracle of Life (Nova ). Combines liveaction and animation with detailed microcinematography to explain the process of human reproduction. Shows the cell as the basic unit of life; the structure and function of the male and female reproductive organs; the fertilization, implantation and development of a human egg; the development of the embryo and fetus during pregnancy; and the birth of a baby. 57 min. DVD 266; also on tape Video/C 1233 Mystery of the Senses. 60 min. each Mystery of the Senses: Hearing. Much information and emotion is conveyed through our sense of hearing. In this program experience the eerie silence of the Arctic Circle where hearing is critical for survival. Find out why the Maori people in New Zealand have woven music into every aspect of their lives. Enter the high-tech sound studios designed by George Lucas and be there as a woman discovers what it's like to hear after decades of deafness through cochlear implant surgery. Video/C 3921 Mystery of the Senses: Smell. Every day we experience a range of scents. Visit the world's largest creator of perfume. Travel to Oman to find the historic roots of the frankincense tree. See police dogs sniff out the location of hidden drugs in airports, smell in search of the perfect truffle in France and examine the role of smell in the lives of animals. Video/C 3922 Mystery of the Senses: Taste.Travel around the world to explore the variety of taste sensations that we humans have concocted to enhance our daily calorie count. View lobsters and oyster farms in France, a meal shared with deceased relatives on the Day of the Dead in Mexico, "junk food" in Manhattan, and chocolate in Belgium. Video/C 3923 Mystery of the Senses: Touch.Film examines what is gained and missed in comfort, assurance, excitement and physical development from the sense of touch. Looks a the effects of touch on infant growth, the role of massage in relaxation and comfort, how touch affects brain mapping, the delicate touch required of a potter's hands in creating artwork, phantom pain experienced by amputees, the role touch plays in the social life of the Himba people of South Africa, how touch can save troubled marriages, and how the blind "see" through their sense of touch. Video/C 3924 Mystery of the Senses: Vision.From Navajo sandpaintings with designs inspired by the petroglyphs in the Canyon de Chelly wilderness of Arizona, to visual conception impairment suffered by stroke victims, from studies of visual perception in the brain, and a visit to an art museum in France discover how we learn and experience through our sense of vision. Video/C 3925 Video Librarian The Nature of Sex 1992 television program presented on the PBS series, Nature. 60 min. each installment. See Zoology/Animal Ecology and Behavior The Odyssey of Life: The Ultimate Journey. (NOVA) The micro-photography of Lennart Nilsson takes a look at the developing human embryo, comparing it to embryos of other species and revealing its shared ancestry. 60 min. Video/C 4852 Protein Synthesis Protein: The Stuff of Life.This program examines varied protein compounds, their biological functions, the way they bind, and how organisms synthesize the complex chains of amino acids that make up proteins. 10 min. Video/C 5047 DNA: The Molecule of Heredity. The synthesis of protein begins with the DNA molecule. Found in the nucleus of all cells, DNA molecules are grouped in complex structures called chromosomes. The two outer rails of a DNA molecule are coiled in a double helix: between these two rails, two kinds of molecules link to form endless possible sequences. The order of these sequences constitutes the genetic code for the construction of protein. 10 min. Video/C 5048 DNA Replication: The Repeating Formula. The synthesis of a DNA molecule is shown step by step as the fertilization of the egg starts the process of cell division that grows into the living organism. The ability of DNA to replicate itself during the process of cell division enables the blueprints for creating proteins to be passed on. 10 min. Video/C 5049 RNA Synthesis: The Genetic Messenger.Every living species relies on the accuracy of DNA replication, and RNA, or ribonucleic acid, plays an essential role in this process. The information of the DNA strand is carried by the messener RNA to the ribosome, the site of protein manufacture. 10 min. Video/C 5050 Transfer RNA: The Genetic Messenger. The functions of the three different types of RNA--messenger, transfer and ribosomal-- are explained. The transfer RNA acts as a vehicle for the amino acids, ferrying them to the ribosome, where they link up with the messenger RNA molecules, forming a chain that becomes a protein. 10 min. Video/C 5051 Ribosomal RNA: The Protein Maker.Ribosomal RNA and protein make up the ribosome, a complicated two-part machine that monitors the interaction between messenger RNA and transfer RNA. As explained in this program, the mutations that result from the faulty replication of a DNA code are usually harmful, but they are also believed to be the basis of evolution. 10 min. Video/C 5052 Secret of Photo 51 (NOVA) On April 25, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published their groundbreaking discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, the molecule essential for passing on our genes and the secret of life. But their crucial breakthrough depended on the pioneering workof another biologist, Rosalind Franklin. She would never know that Watson and Crick had seen a crucial piece of her data without her permission. This was an X-ray image, Photo 51, that proved to be a vital clue in their decoding of the double helix. Contains interviews, historical photographs and reinactments. 2003. 56 min. Video/C MM34 Radiation, Impact on Life. Three experts explain the most important physical and biological concepts concerning radiation. They detail the effects of high levels of radiation on the body and explore the controversy concerning low levels of radiation from sources such as X-rays and nuclear power plants. 1982. 3/4" UMATIC. 23 min. Video/C 516 Rethinking the Meaning of Genetic Determinism (Biotechnology in Society Lecture; 10) Evelyn Fox Keller. Lecture held March 11, 1993 at University of California, San Francisco. 61 min. Video/C 2984 Rhythms and Drives (Brain ; 3). Explores human's animal drives, which are controlled by the hypothalamus and other primitive parts of the brain. Explains how seasonal changes affect human biorhythms and influence behavior, including sleep patterns and emotional well-being. Tells how disorders affecting the hypothalamus can inhibit production of sex hormones or trigger violent criminal behavior. Includes medical studies and experiments as well as interviews with experts and victims of brain disorders. 60 min. DVD 9263 [preservation copy]; Video/C 957 Secret Life of the Brain 2001. 60 min. each installment. The Baby's Brain: Wider Than the Sky. Examines how the brain builds itself from conception through the first year of life. It looks at the work of neurobiologists Susan McConnell and Carla Shatz who are studying the intricate relationship between genes and the environment. Developmental psychologist Heidelise Als is conducting a study to find out if the difficulties premature babies have paying attention and learning later in life can be overcome by providing an environment that imitates the womb. Video/C 8768 The Child's Brain: Syllable from Sound. Looks at learning and cognitive development in children with particular reference to the way a child learns language. Neuroscientists Helen Neville and Debbie Mills have found that gradually language shifts from the full brain to the left hemisphere. This program examines this process, particularly the role of the left versus the right brain centers, and what can happen when the left hemisphere is damaged by disease. Video/C 8769 The Teenage Brain: A World of their Own. Centers on research of the brain during puberty, when the brain begins teeming with hormones and the pre-frontal cortex, the center of reasoning and impulse control, is still a work in progress. Discusses the work of Dr. Nancy Andreasen who is researching the problems of the adolescent brain and also special risks to the brain from addictive drugs or alcohol, with emphasis on the chaos of adolescent schizophrenia and what is being done to understand and alleviate it. Video/C 8770 The Adult Brain: To Think by Feeling. Explores the adult brain, the critical interplay between reason and emotion and what happens when the balance between the two brain regions that control them goes awry. Strokes, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are among the conditions investigated that are common causes or results of this imbalance. Looks at research by Roger Pitman of Harvard who is studying a drug to treat PTSD and at the life of writer and psychologist Lauren Slater, as she explains her life-long battle with depression. Video/C 8771 The Aging Brain: Through Many Lives. This fifth and final segment presents recent studies which seem to indicate that the normal aging process leaves most mental functions intact, and may even provide the brain with unique advantages that form the basis of wisdom. The aging brain is also far more resilient than previously believed. Explores the latest research in this field through the work of neuroscientist Edward Taub who has developed an innovative form of therapy that helps stroke patients overcome paralysis by reviving damaged brain circuits and Jeffrey Macklis who is trying to decipher the chemical signals that cause new neurons to be born, in hopes of someday replacing those killed by disorders of the aging brain. Video/C 8772 Skeletal Adaptations, Variations on a Theme A study in the workings of natural selection, focusing on illustrations of convergence, or different animals reaching similar skeletal adaptations, and divergence, or the adaptation in related animals of different skeletal structures in response to physical forces. Includes close-ups of animals in motion and skeletal structures, and shows scientists using machines to measure forces which affect skeletal structures. 24 min. Video/C 423 Sociobiology, The Human Animal (Nova ). Presents the ideas of a new, controversial science, Sociobiology, which holds that behavior is biologically determined. 60 min. Video/C 15 States of Mind (Brain ; 8). Surveys current state of our knowledge of the human brain and examines how this knowledge will be applied in the future to the fields of medicine and artificialintelligence. Explores human awareness and consciousness as functions of brain chemistry. Describes changes in consciousness induced by stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and drugs like PCP. Examines the phenomenon of multiple personality disorder and the relationship of neurologic and symbolic functions in the brain. 60 min. DVD 9264 [preservation copy]; Video/C 962 Stress and Emotion (Brain ; 4). Nova Explains chemical changes in the brain which result from stress, and shows how one maintains or loses self-control due to changes in the brain's chemistry. Discusses the fight-or-flight reaction, panic attacks, pain reactions, and other chemically-based results of stress and trauma. Includes the dramatized story of Phineas Gage, a 19th century survivor of a severe brain injury whose subsequent radical personality change caused early neuroscientists to explore the interrelation of specific parts of the brain. 60 min. DVD 9268 [preservation copy]; Video/C 958 Twitch and Shout: A Documentary About Tourette Syndrome. Tourette syndrome is a genetic neurological disorder which causes tics, involuntary movements, noises, and thoughts, as well as uncontrollable swearing and obsessive-compulsive behavior. This documentary presents a series of interviews with adults who have been diagnosed with tourette syndrome but who are now able to participate in normal living experiences. 59 min. Video/C 4063 The Two Brains (Brain; 6). Nova Examines the unique functions of each hemisphere of the human brain. Uses interviews with neuroscientists, scientific studies and experiments, tests administered to stroke victims, and the study of an epileptic who had part of her brain severed surgically to control seizures. Describes differences between male and female brains which seem to result from differing sex hormones, and shows how some sex abnormalities may chemically affect the brain. Explores the influence of culture and experience on the way the brain processes information. 60 min. DVD 9266 [preservation copy]; Video/C 960 Understanding Race. Examines the history and power of the artificial distinction called "race", viewing it within historical, scientific, and cultural contexts. Topics include the anthropological unity of Homo sapiens; sanctioned discrimination, such as segregation; cultural biases based on racial stereotypes; and the underlying humanity that inextricably links us all. 1999. 52 min. Video/C 7183 The Unknown World We are surrounded by a world that can only be seen with the aid of magnification. Sometimes the members of this microscopic society are helpful, like the bacteria in our intestines that aid in food digestion. Other times they are harmful, like the AIDS virus, which compromises the immune system. Some are instrumental in the decomposition of dead material, like the dust mites that devour dead skin flakes. And they are everywhere, including on the hair on our skin, among the fibers of our clothes, in the books on our shelves, and on the plants in our yards. This program reveals some of the billions of practically invisible organisms that live on, in, and around us. Originally broadcast as a segment on Nova in 1996. 60 min. DVD 8181 Viruses Examines the range of virus morphology and two modes of virus action. Shows how viruses are discovered, how they are observed and studied, and how they trick host cells into making more viruses. 1987. 16 min. Video/C MM849 Vision and Movement (Brain ; 2). Explores the complex chemical brain functions relating to vision and movement using footage of Olympic diver Greg Louganis, medical studies and experiments, and interviews with experts. Explains recent chemical treatment of Parkinson's disease. 60 min. DVD 9262; vhs Video/C 956 What Makes Us Tick? Explores the relationship between genes and environment in the formation of human personality, showing the increasingly important part being conceded to genetics in the nature-nurture controversy. Video/C 1807 What Time is Your Body? (Nova ) Shows how the human body acts as a natural clock when internal circadian rhythms initiate specific responses and behavior. 23 min. Video/C 210 NRLF #: B 4 175 114 When Billy Broke His Head, and Other Tales of Wonder Bill Golfus, a radio journalist who became brain damaged ten years ago, set out to meet people with disabilities around the country creating this documentary about how the handicapped experience life in the United States. Candid, moving and often cuttingly funny personal interviews portray realities, hardships and coping mechanisms in the face of government bureaucracy and overwhelming odds. (57 min. Video/C 5017 Where There is Life There is Motion--Function of Microtubules. Sophisticated micrographic techniques are used to document ciliary and flagellar movement, a mechanism mediated by the microtubules, in a variety of organisms. 3/4" UMATIC. 25 min. Video/C 538 William Beaumont and Alexis' Stomach. Recreation of the scientist William Beaumont by Professor Richard Eakin, Zoology Dept., UC Berkeley. DVD 7333; vhs Video/C 2025 View this video online Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac © Regents of the University of California William Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood. Recreation of William Professor Richard M. Eakin, Dept. of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. DVD 7306 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 2024 View this video online Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac © Regents of the University of California Winding Your Way Through DNA. Presented by the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine with the San Francisco Exploratorium. Proceedings of a symposium on DNA sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco, Sept. 25-26, 1992. Six parts, approx 60-72 min. each. Video/C 2755 Tape 1: Discovering the wonder of DNA. Part 1: Introduction / Harold E. Varmus -- The riddle of the helix / James D. Watson -- Learning the language of life / Paul Berg. Focuses on the discoveries that started the revolution Tape 2: Discovering the wonder of DNA. Part 2: From corned beef to cloning / Stanley N. Cohen, Herbert W. Boyer -- Those marvelous molecular manufacturing plants / David Botstein -- The double talking helix blues / Ira Herskowitz. Tape 3: New ways to use DNA. Part 1: Introduction / Elizabeth H. Blackburn -- New weapons in the war against disease / David W. Golde -- DNA technology for the Third World / Barry R. Bloom. To the top Life Sciences: Human and Animal Origins and Evolution The Blind Watchmaker: The Evolutionary Ideas of Richard Dawkins British biologist Richard Dawkins promotes his theory of the evolutionary creation of man and animals as opposed to "special creationism." This program allows each side to present its best arguments -- with some bias toward Darwinian evolution. Creationist ideas are contrasted with contradictory data through observation, computer simulations, robotics, experiments, and close examination of the designs of nature. 1998. 49 min. Video/C 7878 Charles Darwin Professor Richard M. Eakin of the Dept. of Zoology, University of California presents a lecture in which he impersonates Charles Darwin in the words, dress, and manner of his time. Tells of his epic voyage on the Beagle, observations of Galapagos finches that figured in his conclusions on organic evolution, and the writing of the books in which he outlined his theory of natural selection. c1973. 24 min. DVD 7234; vhs Video/C MM758 View this video online Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac © Regents of the University of California Children of Eve (Nova) Discusses the origin of the human species and natural selection. 58 min. Video/C 1030 Creation vs. Evolution: Battle in the Classroom. Examines the debate between religion's creation view and science's evolution view of man's beginnings. 58 min. Video/C 540 The Creative Revolution (In Search of Human Origins ; 3). Fifty thousand years ago a dramatic change swept through the hunter-gatherers then living in Africa. They began to paint, carve, talk, bury their dead, and to travel and trade. Scientists continue to debate the reasons for this sudden transformation. Don Johanson sets out to retrace the migration of our ancient ancestors from Africa, to Asia, to Europe and even to Australia. Prehistoric art and cave paintings are investigated in an effort to find clues to how and when our ancestors evolved into modern human beings. 55 min. Video/C 3232 Darwin's Bulldog: T. H. Huxley and the Fight for Darwinism. Presents a dramatized re-creation of the Oxford Debate of 1860 and the events surrounding it. Shows how Thomas H. Huxley defended Darwin's theory of natural selection against attacks by leaders of the Church of England. 3/4" UMATIC. 50 min. Video/C 110 Darwin's Revolution (Day the Universe Changed. #8). Reveals how Darwin's writings undermined the concept of an orderly, unchanging universe and with it the belief in the biblical theory of creation. Also considers how aspects of Darwinism were used to political and economic advantage to justify nazism, robber baron style capitalism, and communism. Day the Universe Changed. Hosted by James Burke. 60 min. Video/C 997 Darwin's Revolution in Though: An Illustrated Lecture for the Classroom. Stephen Jay Gould. Lecture is structured in the form of a paradox and three riddles about Darwin's life. Each is designed to shed light on one of the key features of the theory of natural selection, its philosophical radicalism, and why it has been so poorly understood. 75 min. Video/C 4203 (Also available in a 50 minute version Video/C 4204) Did Darwin Get it Wrong? (Nova ). Explores challenges to Darwin's theory coming from fossil evidence, biology laboratories, and creationists. 60 min. Video/C 388 The Experimental Conditions Introduces the Galapagos Islands, explains their importance in the development of evolutionary thought, and deals with the principle elements of their fauna, flora, ecology, and biogeography. 1987. 36 min. Video/C MM886 Flock of Dodos: The Evolution and Intelligent Design Circus A humorous but balanced look at the debate between proponents of biological evolution and adherents of intelligent design, looking especially at legal opinions about the issue. Wanting to know more about both sides of the ongoing debate, evolutionary biologist and filmmaker Randy Olson travels to his homestate Kansas where school districts are grappling with efforts to introduce intelligent design into curriculums. There he interviews intelligent design spokespeople (including Michael Behe, Jack Cahill, and John Calvert) and lets them speak their mind while also pointing out the many holes in their argument. Olson also chats with a number of leading scientists and colleagues who explain why evolution has become accepted the world over. Written and directed by Randy Olson. 2006. 84 min. DVD 7966 Description from Documentary Educational Resources catalog Freeman Dyson on the Origins of Life: An Abstract Model for the Origin of Life. (Hitchcock lecture ; 2). Professor Dyson draws equations to present his mathematical model for the origin of life. He talks about the random drift from disordered to ordered situation and explains the transition from a "neutral model" (disorder) to the Darwinian selection (order). Video/C 376 Freeman Dyson on the Origins of Life: Experimental and Theoretical Background (Hitchcock lecture ; 1). As philosopher and physicist, Professor Freeman J. Dyson guides experiments about origins of life and explains how and why physicists are involved in biology. He sees the Earth as a living organism in homeostatic stability and makes mathematical models to explain origins of life. Video/C 375 Freeman Dyson on the Origins of Life: Questions Arising From My Model and Others (Hitchcock lecture ; 3). Speculations that polypeptides may have been the original organisms on Earth and that cells developed before genes. People broke away from the tyranny of genes but they are governed by culture which overrides the genes. Video/C 377 Freeman Dyson on the Origins of Life: Theology and the Origin of Life. Discussion of two concepts of life: Life as result of random processes and life as part of God's plan. According to professor Dyson God is not omniscient or omnipotent. He grows with the universe and learns as the universe develops. Video/C 382 God, Darwin, and Dinosaurs (Nova). The long-running battle between proponents of creationism and evolution has taken a new twist. Once relying solely on the literal word of the bible, creationists now argue that the weight of scientific evidence is now on their side, and that evolution is totally unsupported by evidence. Nova cameras document the "new" evidence in a dramatic debate between creationist Duane Gish and anthropologist Vincent Sarich, and follow several scientists as they put the theory of evolution to the test. 58 min. Video/C 1465 The Hall of Man. Artist Malvina Hoffman was commissioned by the Field Museum of Natural History to sculpt examples of the races of the world. In 1933, after five years of work, the results, 104 life-sized figures, busts and heads, were displayed in an anthropology exhibit at the Museum entitled "The Hall of Man." This film is the story of this achievement. 2001. 44 min. Video/C MM913 Hot-blooded Dinosaurs (Nova ). Discusses recent discoveries that have shed light on the mystery of how dinosaurs lived. Argues that dinosaurs did not die out, but evolved into modern-day birds. 52 min. Video/C 90 Human Animal: A Natural History of the Human Species. Anthropologist Desmond Morris narrates this 6-part series from 1994. 50 minutes each. Human Animal, Part 1: The Language of the Body. Although humans can make more than 3,000 hand gestures, even the simplest have numerous variations and interpretations. This program, filmed on five continents, examines not only hand gestures, but facial expressions, head shakes and body distance as well--and the misunderstandings that can occur when body language is transported across cultural lines. Supression of body language is also discussed, along with "nonverbal leakage," in which the body's language can belie a speaker's words. Video/C 6237 Human Animal, Part 2: The Hunting Ape. Anthropologist Desmond Morris reveals the animal roots of human behavior and focuses on the primal ancestors of humans, their eating and hunting habits and shows how they adopted a social organization that included division of labor and use of a permanent, fortified base of operations. Video/C 6238 Human Animal, Part 3: The Human Zoo. This program examines humanity's basic drive to occupy and defend a territory and form a social hierarchy. From primitive settlements to modern cities, anthropologist Desmond Morris examines the evolution of the human animal's tribal lifestyle, the complexities of urban living and the methods that members of big-city "super-tribes" use to cope with the stresses of overcrowding, and the way in which status is reinforced through the media. The roots of urban violence and the social/territorial dynamics of the underworld are studied as well. Video/C 6239 Human Animal, Part 4: The Biology of Love. This program analyzes the biological nature of love, with its attendant patterns of behavior which ensure pair-bonding and genetic survival. From youth through adulthood to old age, it examines the subtle physical signals and body language humans employ to advertise availability and to indicate readiness for sexual activity. The stages of courtship and the aesthetics of physical beauty are studied along with stresses placed on couples by life in an urbanized world. Video/C 6240 Human Animal, Part 5: The Immortal Genes. This program charts the stages of human development from infant, to parent, to grandparent and the care necessary to enable a child to grow up healthy and well adjusted. The importance of mother/child bonding, the strategies babies use to keep mothers nearby, and the purposes of human longevity are discussed. In addition, lessons from animals and the ancients are noted, such as the best posture for giving birth. Video/C 6241 Human Animal, Part 6: Beyond Survival. This program explores the biological basis for creativity and the human propensity for creative expression and art appreciation. The proliferation of visual art for symbolic, decorative, and narrative purposes is discussed within the context of "adult playfulness": the meaningful pursuits in which people engage when not involved in survival-related activities. Video/C 6242 The Infinite Variety (Life on Earth; 1). Attenborough attempts to explain where, when and in what order the earth's more than four million species, evolved. Animals on the Galapagos Islands, worm fossils in the Grand Canyon and jellyfish impressions in Australia are examined. . Hosted by David Attenborough. 60 min. Video/C 289 Intelligent Design vs. Evolution Reports on the campaign to teach intelligent design, the theory that the origin of life can be scientifically explained by an intelligent designer as opposed to natural selection, in public schools. The film focuses on the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that has generated widespread enthusiasm and criticism for making intelligent design theory part of science curricula. Also features an in-depth debate between George Will and Cal Thomas, two conservative commentators who differ on whether this theory should be promoted in biology courses. Originally broadcast on Aug. 10, 2005 as a segment of Nightline. 23 min. DVD 5213 Journey of Man How did the human race populate the world? A group of geneticists have worked on the question for a decade, arriving at a startling conclusion: the "global family tree" can be traced to one African man who lived 60, 000 years ago. Geneticist Spencer Wells travels to every continent in search of the people whose DNA holds humanity's secret history: the Namibian Bushmen, the Chukchi reindeer herders of the Russian Arctic, Native Americans and Australian Aborgines. Features commentary by expert scientists, historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists. 2003. 120 min. Video/C 9441 Ladder of Creation (Ascent of Man ; 9). Explores the controversy around the theory of evolution by natural selection developed simultaneously Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin. 52 min. DVD 804; also on VHS Video/C 170 The Last Neandertal Among scientists, Africa is the undisputed birthplace of humanity. But anthropologists are split into two camps over other questions. How many waves of Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa? Did other highly developed hominid species--such as Homo neanderthalensis--make the same journey? And to what extent did these populations mingle and compete with each other? This program featuring prominent voices in the ongoing debate, presents differing viewpoints about the age and development of the Neandertal--and about how the vanished species figures in the story of modern humanity's rise. 1996. 52 min. DVD 7168 Lower Than the Angels (Ascent of Man ; 9). Discusses the evolutionary changes that have made man superior to animals. The slow-motion and x-ray photography of an athlete in action is used to point out the complexity of interaction between mind and body. Includes discussion of Darwin's theory and various methods of studying evolution. 52 min. DVD 802; also on VHS Video/C 162 Lucy, the Fossil Record. Micromammal molars. 58 min. Video/C 2029 Neanderthals on Trial (NOVA) Were Neanderthals human like us, or were they sub-human brutes? Since the discovery of the first Neanderthal skeleton in 1856, scientists have battled over exactly how we're related to these prehistoric cave-dwellers. There's plenty of new evidence, including DNA analysis, but nothing seems to settle the case. Neanderthals on trial takes a look at the debate, showing how science works, and how investigators sometimes fool themselves into seeing what they want to see. Originally brodcast broadcast as a segment of the television program Nova in Jan. 2002. 60 min. Video/C 8493 New Era (The Making of Mankind; 5) Shows the oldest human footprints in the world unearthed near Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Also discussed are the famous "Lucy" skeleton, Ethiopian fossils and the controversy over the nature of ancient upright creatures. Featuring Richard Leakey. 1981. 3/4" UMATIC 55 min. Video/C 534 One Small Step... (The Making of Mankind; 2). Shows the oldest human footprints in the world unearthed near Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Also discussed are the famous "Lucy" skeleton, Ethiopian fossils and the controversy over the nature of ancient upright creatures. 1981. 3/4" UMATIC 55 min. Video/C 511 The Origin of Life: What Science Has to Say xamines issues faced by modern science as it tries to determine the origin of life on Earth by examining the strengths and weaknesses of the two most broadly accepted experimental approaches. The first approach is called the "RNA world," which bases the origin of life on RNA, a molecule that contains genetic information. The second is called "compartmentalist," or "Autopoietic hypothesis," as it identifies the closed compartment that constitutes a cell as the fundamental structure that, through metabolic activity, leads to life. 2000. 43 min. Video/C 8221 Origins Reveals what is known about the history of the planet, the human species and life itself through the discoveries of geologists, biochemists, paleoanthropologists and others. Topics include earth sciences-- volcanoes, earthquakes, age and origin of the Earth, formation of mountains-- and life sciences, such as the legacy of Charles Darwin, DNA and the origins of life. 120 min. Video/C 6002 Origins of Human Aggression: The Other Story Is human aggression a result of nature or nuture? Interviews with researchers from various fields shed light on the question. Startling footage of children acting out their aggressive impulses adds to this documentary that examines the complex factors that affect the socialization of aggressive behavior among humans. Biological, environmental and psychological components are addressed, and guidelines for the prevention of human violence are also provided. Directed by Jean-Pierre Maher. 2005. 50 min. Video/C MM931 Signs Out of Time: The Story of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas The story of renowned archaeologist Dr. Marija Gimbutas, whose work on the Neolithic cultures of Old Europe, (6500-3500 BCE), revealed evidence of peaceful, woman-honouring, Goddess-worshiping, and egalitarian civilizations that existed for thousands of years without war. Examines Gimbutas' influence on scholars, feminists and social thinkers. Also contains commentary by her critics. A documentary by Donna Read & Starhawk. 2003. 59 min. DVD 6595 Skeletal Adaptations, Variations on a Theme. A study in the workings of natural selection, focusing on illustrations of convergence, or different animals reaching similar skeletal adaptations, and divergence, or the adaptation in related animals of different skeletal structures in response to physical forces. Includes close-ups of animals in motion and skeletal structures, and shows scientists using machines to measure forces which affect skeletal structures. 24 min. (NRLF #: B 3 969 303) Video/C 423 The Story of Lucy (In Search of Human Origins ; 1). In 1974 Don Johanson unearthed Lucy, at almost 3 million years of age, our oldest human ancestor. Lucy's tinythree-and-a-half-foot skeleton set the world of paleoanthropology on its ear. Lucy walked upright and provided evidence that a larger brain was the key difference between early man and the ape. In this film Johanson recounts his discovery of Lucy as he returns to the site of his find in Ethiopia and expounds upon the important information it still continues to generate. 55 min. Video/C 3230 Survey of the Primates Observes similarities and differences among primates in evolutionary perspective, from tree shrews through prosimians, cercopithecidae, ceboidea, and lesser and great apes. Discusses anatomical, social, and maturational differences, as well as geographical distribution, habitats, intelligence, diet, dentition, learned behavior, manual dexterity, and territoriality among a large number of species. 1988. 38 min. Video/C 9914 Surviving in Africa (In Search of Human Origins ; 2). Paleoanthropologist Don Johanson sets out to disprove that early man's larger brain and reliance on technology are the by-products of the ability to hunt. He embarks on a journey across the Serengeti savanna of East Africa to attempt to reconstruct early man's survival behaviors. He finds food not by hunting but by scavenging off the leftovers of lions and leopards. 55 min. Video/C 3231 The Triumph of Life c2001. 56 min. each installment The Four Billion Year War. In a battle for survival that lasts 4 billion years, the odds against any one species are incredibly long. And yet, life on the planet is overwhelmingly rich and diverse. Exploring this paradox, this program takes a penetrating look some loosers and survivors, at the process of evolution, and the basic force behind it - genes. Video/C 9293 The Mating Game. Sex is the key to the immortality of genes, and any tactic necessary will be deployed in the cause of reproduction - even if its suicidal to the participant. The episode explores many of the most ingenious, complex and dramatic methods of ensuring the continuation of a species. Video/C 9294 The Eternal Arms Race Since the dawn of life, an evolutionary arms race has imbued predator and prey with increasingly sophisticated weaponry. Teeth and jaws are merely the low-tech side of the struggle. Bats have evolved sonar, and moths have devised a way to jam it; squid create smoke screens, caterpillars concoct poisons and the race escalates from eon to eon. Video/C 9295 Winning Teams. Explores social behavior in animals as a survival strategy. The struggle to survive has spawned a remarkable array of cooperative relationships involving families, extended families and even entire communities. Presented here are the rewards of cooperation as a path to survival, as animals team up to hunt, dodge predators and build homes. Video/C 9296 Brain Power. The growing study of animal intelligence - from the use of tools by chimps to the apparent ability of many species to communicate among themselves in ingenious way - casts a vibrant new light on the role of the mind in evolution. Brain power, in fact, has led to some of the most fascinating innovations in the evolutionary arms race. Video/C 9297 The Survivors Approximately 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs were wiped out when their gene machines failed to cope with the cataclysmic changes that followed a comet's collision with Earth. But with extinction comes new life, as survivors evolved to seize the territory left vacant by the vanquished. This concluding episode explores the factors that make winners and losers in the game of life, and poses the question: who will triumph in the long run? Video/C 9298 Walking with Cavemen How did our ancestors come to invent language, to shape the world with tools, to create art, and to imagine the future? Follow the human family tree all the way back to the first primate ancestors to stand on two legs. See how the first sparks of reason in early humans helped them to adapt to an ever-changing world. Trace the evolution of basic human traits like compassion, friendship and love. Make your way across the frozen wastelands of ice age Europe with the Neanderthals who dominate earth until they are forced to concede it to Homo sapiens. Special features: A side-by-side comparison shows the development of two computer animated sequences; "On location" segments, including interviews with actors, movement director and physical effects supervisor; highlights from the score; fact files; photo gallery; post production interviews; storyboards. c2003. 100 min. DVD 6914 Walking with Dinosaurs The six part BBC series Walking with dinosaurs set out to create the most factually accurate portrayal of prehistoric animals ever seen on the screen. Examining the 155-million-year history of dinosaurs by combining fact and informed speculation with cutting-edge computer graphics and animatronics effects, the series took two years to make. From mammal-like reptiles to marine and flying prehistoric creatures, it looks at the many species of dinosaurs from the aggressive Coelophysis, who first learned to hunt in packs, to Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most terrifying carnivore ever to live on the planet. Covers animal life on the planet during the Late Triassic, Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous periods and concludes with the extinction of the species. Disc 1. New blood -- Time of the titans -- Cruel Sea -- Giant of the skies -- Spirits of the ice forest -- Death of a dynasty (180 min.) -- Disc 2. Walking with dinosaurs: the making of (50 min.) Originally produced for television broadcast in 1999. DVD 6915 To the top Life Sciences: Zoology/Animal Ecology and Behavior The Amazing Coral Reef Provides a basic introduction to corals and their ecological system. Utilizing extensive underwaterfootage and narration, the program covers how coral reefs are formed, basic ecological concepts, and environmental dangers to the reefs. 20 min. Video/C 6048 Amphibian Leap into the fascinating world of frogs, toads, and salamanders, and get a close-up look at the amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in the amphibian family. Presented with state-of-the art special effects with stunning graphics which bring the natural world to life. 1994. 35 min. Video/C MM39 Animal Research Laboratory. University of California, Berkeley part 1. KRON-TV special report, January 27, 1983. 3/4" UMATIC Video/C 2293 An Animal's World: Chimpanzees Focuses on one troop of chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Among the behaviors shown are eating, foraging, self-grooming and social grooming, object manipulation including carrying, tool using to hunt termites for food and night and day nest building. Also shows such social behaviors as fighting, inter-species killing and flight, embracing, hand holding, sexual behavior and parenting behavior. c1999. 52 min. Videoc 8192 Ants: Little Creatures Who Run the World Unselfishness is the rule. Everything ants do is for their colony's good. Ant colonies can be found almost everywhere on the planet, and have existed in some form back almost to the time of the earliest living things. Dr. Edward O. Wilson argues that the instinctive behavior of ants, particularly their tendency to live in large colonies, have made it possible for ants to survive in most conditions. The program compares ant behavior with human social structures, and makes the case that human societies may not be as well organized as ant colonies. Nova series. c1995. 60 min. DVD 8179 The Ape, So Human! How far do the similarities between humans and great apes extend? Sequences from historic experiments by Allan and Beatrix Gardner, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, and other primatologists, plus footage shot in the wild, provide compelling support for the thesis that chimps, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans are highly evolved indeed. Demonstrations of cognition, self-awareness, memory retention, language use, social behavior, mating practices, and perhaps even a sense of good and evil reveal the similarities between humans and great apes. 2001. 41 min. Video/C 8206 At the Threshold of Eternity (1977). Protection and survival of endangered species are illustrated through current recovery program for peregrine falcons, greenback cutthroat trout, river otters and white pelicans. 3/4" UMATIC. 27 min. Video/C 77 Baboon Ecology Demonstrates the adaptation of baboons to the grasslands of Kenya. Live photography and animation illustrate some of the ecological principles at work among the average baboon troop. Produced by Aline Evans and C. Cameron Macauley. 1962. 21 min. Video/C MM614 Baboon Social Organization Uses line photography and graphic animation to analyze the nature of the interdependence within a baboon troop and its close relation to baboon ecology. Discusses the role of large central males, peripheral males, mothers with infants, and juveniles. 1963? 18 min. Video/C MM776 Bees: Tales From the Hive Specially developed macro camera lenses are used to portray a year in the life of a working bee colony. Stunning images take viewers inside the innermost secrets of the hive. Sequences include the "wedding flight" of the colony's virgin queen as it mates in mid-air with a drone; the life-and-death battle between two rival queens for the colony's throne; and the defeat and death of a thieving wasp at the entrance to the hive. The film also explores such mysteries as the famous "waggle dance" with which scout bees signal the exact direction and distance of nectar sources to the rest of the hive. A vivid picture emerges of the bee's highly organized social life, revolving around the disciplined sharing of construction tasks, the collection of nectar, and warding off enemies. Nova series. 1998. 60 min. DVD 8180 Birds of the Indian Monsoon Follows for one year the birds in the Keoladeo National Park in Northern India which thrive during the monsoon rains. It shows how birds and other wildlife cope with the drought when the rains cease and how the sanctuary returns to life with egrets, cranes, storks, eagles, owls, parakeets and herons breeding again when the rains resume. 1998. 50 min. Video/C 8739 Building Bodies (Life on Earth ; 2). Examines three types of marine invertebrates whose ancestry began 600 million years ago, namely jellyfish, mollusks and horseshoe crab. Shows examples found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Richard Attenborough hosts. 60 min. Video/C 289 The California Condor Illustrates the behavior and natural habitat of the extremely endangered California condor and shows the work of the Los Angeles Zoo in rearing these birds in captivity for future release into the wild. 1984. 13 min. Video/C MM813 Candamo: La Ultima Selva sin Hombres An incredible journey by three natives of Peru and Bolivia who had been living in the modern world but decided to return to the Amazon rainforests. This is the documentary of the four years they spent in the Madre de Dios River Valley and the Puno rainforests and the beautiful, strange and dreadful animals they encountered there. In Spanish. 1999. 165 min. Video/C 7613 Canary of the Ocean Stretching for miles off the Florida Keys is the largest coral reef in the continental U.S. and one of the longest in the world. But America's primary reef is dying, and like the proverbial canary in a coal mine, its decline is a warning that something is very wrong in our oceans. Portrays the stunning beauty of America's fragile undersea kingdom, investigates the serious threats to its health, and profiles some of the concerned people working to preserve it for future generations. 1997. 56 min. Video/C 7904 Chimps R Us A five part program focusing on chimpanzees. It opens with an interview with zoologist Jane Goodall about her remarkable life among the chimps and then visits a chimpanzee sanctuary where psychologist David Bjorklund is investigating how young chimps learn. Primate behaviourist Frans de Waal observes the social behavior of a group of chimps living at the Yerkes Regional Primate Center in Atlanta. In the next segment David Bjorklund tests two young chimps for the ability to think abstractly while at Ohio State University, Sally Boysen demonstrates these skills in chimps. Closes with a segment photographed by Karl Ammann about the illegal bushmeat trade in chimpanzees and other animals in Africa, as he follows poachers deep into the forest to document the commercial trade. Contents: Chimps observed -- Chimp nations -- Chimps getting along -- Chimp minds -- Chimps under the gun. 2001. 57 min. Video/C 8199 Chimp Talk. Paul Hoffman, editor of Discover magazine, explores the issue of language use by apes with primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Laura Ann Petitto. Their 20 year study with chimpanzees reveal that they can use language with the accuracy of a two-year-old human, which includes a rudimentary syntactical ability. 14 min. Video/C 6220 Coral Reefs: Rainforests of the Sea An excellent introduction to the science, ecology and importance of coral reefs, as well as an overview of the serious environmental problems confronting them. Utilizing underwater footage shot on reefs worldwide, the program describes how reefs are formed, where they can be found, their importance to tropical oceans and the human community and the major natural and human-caused threats they face. 20 min. Video/C 6047 Elephant, A God in Distress Documentary television program on the various living conditions that elephants experience in the many environments of India. Explains their social behavior and what they need to successfully survive. Includes extensive footage of elephants in the wild. Looks at how the encroachment of humans is causing a dwindling numbers of elephants in India, including the effect of ivory poachers on these numbers. Writer, director, Krishnendu Bose. c1999. 30 min. Video/C MM865 The Elk of California. California is the only state which is home to three of the four subspecies: tule elk, Roosevelt elk, and Rocky Mountain elk. This provides a rare glimpse of elk in their natural habitat, elk behavior, facts on the elk's unique biology and tips on where to view them. 199-? 23 min. Video/C 6533 The Family of Chimps. The internationally known ethologist, Dr. Frans de Waal based his spectacular book "Chimpanzee Politics" on his unique study at the Arnhem Zoo in Holland. There he watched the largest group of chimpanzees ever brought together in captivity create a society of their own. This film documents his study on the remarkable life within this almost human community. Shows the primate's intricate social strategies; their passionate greed for power, touching in their relations to one another, intriguing in their sexual behavior, and also notes their ingenious use of tools. 1987. 55 min. Video/C 9900 The First Signs of Washoe (Nova ). Alan and Trixie Gardner work with a baby chimpanzee who has been taught to communicate through sign language. Research with other chimpanzees is shown and it is suggested that from this research into the learning process, new approaches will be learned for teaching the disabled and retarded. 60 min. Video/C 89 pt. 1-2 Fish Eye View. This program looks at water pollution through the eyes of creatures which must inhabit polluted waters. It warns that unless efforts are made to improve the quality of water in lakes, streams and oceans that all life is endangered. Video/C 2480 From Cyborgs to Companion Species: Dogs, People and Technoculture Social scientist and author of publications on science, technology and feminist theory, Donna Haraway addresses themes from her most recent work, The companion species manifesto: dogs, people and significant otherness. Examines issues of co-habitation and co-evolution, as she illuminates the relationships between humans and dogs, shedding light on the behavior of both species. Held on September 16, 2003 in the Morrison Room, Doe Library at the University of California, Berkeley. 78 min. Video/C 9735 The Galapagos Tortoise Examines the life history, ecology, and evolution of the giant land tortoises of the Galapagos Islands and points out morphological differences between populations on the various islands. Uses woodcuts and photographs to review the history of man's disasterous effect on these reptiles and describes steps being taken to protect them. 1973. 23 min. Video/C MM791 The Giant Panda Introduces pandas, their biology and social behavior by looking at two pandas in the Los Angeles Zoo. Includes footage of their native habitat in China. c1985. 15 min. Video/C MM836 Gorilla Calls attention to the plight of the gorilla, which is on the verge of extinction. Profiles a zookeeper, a research scientist, a research psychologist, a writer-photographer, and a husband and wife team working on the mountain gorilla project. Film footage demonstrates the animals' intelligence, humanlike qualities, and the effects of their exploitation by humans. 1981. 59 min. Video/C 2480 Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla Studies the behavior of the highly intelligent gorilla and shows how the apes are cared for at the Los Angeles Zoo. c1985. 13 min. Video/C MM835 Great Apes Over the past 100 years humans have discovered and nearly destroyed the Gorilla. For an even longer period Chimpanzees have been treated as little more than circus entertainers. Now a few gifted people have changed the perception of Africa's Great Apes forever. Rare archival footage of the work of anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey, primatologists Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey and behavioral pioneer, Adrian De Shriver, gives a privileged glimpse of some remarkable relationships with these extraordinary subjects. c2000. 57 min. Video/C 8197 Grizzly Man. Acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell, who lived unarmed among grizzlies for 13 summers. Features Treadwell's video footage. 2005. 104 min. DVD 4899 The Harris' Hawk: A Return to the River. A documentary tracing the reintroduction to the California wilderness of the Harris' hawk, a species which became extinct in the state in the 1950s. It examines habitat restoration and documents all aspects of the reintroduction project, from raising chicks to releasing the birds into the wild. 1987. 20 min. Video/C MM837 Human Animal: A Natural History of the Human Species. Anthropologist Desmond Morris narrates this 6-part series from 1994. 50 minutes each. Video/C 6237-6242. Click here for details. In the Cradle of Storms A thoughtful program which explores one of the major mysteries confronting marine and environmental scientists today-- the decline of many marine mammals and birds in the Bering Sea in the wake of development of large-scale fisheries in the area. 1991. 59 min. Video/C MM686 Inside the Shark (Nova). Examines the physiological characteristics of the shark which make it well-equipped for survival. 3/4" UMATIC. (NRLF #: B 3 969 181) 50 min. Video/C 254 Jane Goodall: My Life With the Chimpanzees Features Jane Goodall who, as a young scientist, went into the East African jungle in 1960 to observe the activities and life-habits of chimpanzees in their wild and free state. Over three decades later, Goodall has grown from a stranger to the chimps' loyal friend and strongest ally. Her lifelong dedication to the study of chimpanzees has helped to identify them as man's closet relative. c1990. 60 min. Video/C 8193 Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees In 1960 Jane Goodall first ventured into Tanzania's Gombe National Park to study chimpanzees in the wild. The two-year-old chimp Fifi, one of the first chimps she got to know well, is now the only chimp still living of those Jane met over thirty years ago. Fifi has become the matriarch of a chimpanzee dynasty and her son Freud, is the powerful head of the family while Frodo has become his selfish and jealous brother. In one of the most revealing portraits of animal behavior ever filmed, witness the love of a mother, the rivalry of brothers, and the future hopes of the simian family that lie with the next generation. c1996. 60 min. Video/C 8196 Kingdom of the Seahorse Journeys with biologist Amanda Vincent into the complex and beautiful world of the seahorse, from an underwater enclave where their mating dance is recorded on camera for the first time to the apothecary shops of the Far East where seahorses are sold as a source of sexual prowess. In the Philippines, Vincent attempts to come up with a conservation plan that will support the seahorse fishermen and still protect the seahorse population. 60 min. Video/C 6018 Koko: A Talking Gorilla Presents Koko, a six-year-old gorilla who is the subject of a controversial Stanford University research project. A perceptive simian who communicates with humans via sign language, Koko knows more than 300 signs and can combine them to make new hybrid descriptions. The film also investigates the contradictions that arise when scientific experiments are used to graph human behavior onto animals. 2001. 81 min. Video/C 8195 Life on a Silken Thread (Nova). Focuses on the world of spiders, using a variety of film techniques to give viewers a closeup look at the processes of molting, web spinning, and prey catching. 60 min. Video/C 188 Life in the Trees. (Life on Earth; 12). Illustrates how primates solved the problems of life in the tree by the development of binocular vision and grasping hands. Shows examples of lemurs on the island of Madagascar, ground-dwelling monkeys in Japan, chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika and mountain gorillas in the highlands of Rwanda. 60 min. Video/C 289 The Life in the Undergrowtn In five filmed segments, David Attenborough explores the world of invertebrates, detailing aspects of life-cycles of numerous species around the world. 2005. 50 min. each installment. DVD 7434 Invasion of the Land. In this first segment Attenborough tells the story of the land-living invertebrates. He delves into the private life of Europe's dramatic leopard slug, a common garden resident with a truly bizarre end to its marathon mating ritual; watches the courtship ballet of tiny springtails on the underside of a leaf; sees swarms of bright red South African millipedes find partners, and in the caves of Venezuela meets the giant bat-eating centipede. Taking to the Air. As the early June sun begins to set over a calm river in Central Hungary, masses of ghostly shapes emerge from their larval cases to take to the air for the first time. They are mayflies and in a spectacular display, thousands of them demonstrate how the very first wings were used. From the stunning aerobatics of hoverflies in an English garden to the mass migration of purple crow butterflies in the valleys of Taiwan, this episode tells the tale of the first animals ever to take to the air. Unique footage reveals the lightning fast reactions of bluebottles and hoverflies, filmed with one of the world's fastest cameras, and David Attenborough handles the world's largest (and perhaps most ferocious) insect - the Titan beetle. Silk Spinners. Silk is the invertebrates' great invention, used in a range of ways from the protective stalks of lacewing eggs to the amazing hanging threads of New Zealand's 'glow worms'. Spiders, though, have taken silk-spinning to extremes. The common wolf spider has no web, but the female is a gentle parent, encasing her eggs in silk and carrying the precious bundle wherever she goes. The bolas spider uses a ball of sticky silk soaked in a copy of moth pheromone to lure its prey. Millions of communal spiders live and feed together in a vast, towering web - an arachnophobe's nightmare. Intimate Relations. The world of invertebrates exists in a web of relationships with plants and other animals. Unique footage of the world's smallest insect, a fairy wasp, shows it flying underwater to find the eggs of water beetles in which to lay its own brood. Some ants 'farm' the trees that give them shelter, creating areas known as 'Devil's gardens'. To make sure these grow without competition, they kill off other seedlings in the surrounding vegetation. The blister beetle's larvae huddle together on the end of a piece of grass and mimic a female bee. When a male bee tries to mate with the 'female', the larvae grab on to his belly. When he eventually finds a female, the beetle larvae swap from his front on to her back, and get carried back to her nest where they eat her pollen supplies. Supersocieties. Invertebrates don't always operate alone. True society was the last feature to evolve in invertebrates, as recently as the time of Tyrannosaurus. In the last program see the tensions below the surface in some of the great social structures built by insects, and witness the carnage when an ant colony and a termite colony wage war. The Life of Birds In this 10 part series host David Attenborough journeys across seven continents filming thousands of species of birds and revealing their patterns of behavior. c1998. 54 min. each installments To Fly or Not to Fly? An introduction to fossilized and extinct birds from the first flying reptiles to today's consummate navigators. From giant extinct flightless birds to modern ostriches and emus, shows how birds have made a claim to populate not only the air but the land. Video/C 9118 The Mastery of Flight? For all their grace and agility birds face serious challenges in getting into the air, staying there and landing safely. Among their many adaptations is the single weight-saving feature that only birds possess -- feathers. Video/C 9118 Meat-eaters. From the meat-eating Kea parrot of New Zealand, to African eagles who prey on monkeys and flamingos, this program shows the strategies that some birds use to find and catch their prey -- including tracking by ultraviolet vision. Video/C 9119 The Insatiable Appetite Evolution has produced an amazing range of bill shapes and sizes, allowing birds to hammer grubs from tree trunks, search out the tiniest seeds, tear meat and sip nectar. And if they can't reach what they're seeking, some of them use tools to help get a meal. Video/C 9119 Fishing for a Living. Birds not only find food in every part of the land, but they also are expert in collecting it from fresh or salt water. Over time they've developed many ingenious methods, from diving to dancing, skimming to spearing, to reap the rich bounty in Earth's waters. Video/C 9120 Signals and Songs. Birds communicate with one another using signs, signals and occasionally a bit of mimicry. With sound and visual display, they warn one another of danger, defend territory and offspring, maintain social hierarchies, attract mates and even settle their conflicts peacefully. Video/C 9120 Finding Partners. The courtship rites of birds are among the most beautiful and complex in the animal kingdom. All over the world, male birds attract their mates with brilliant, often bizarre, displays of color, song and dance, even gifts of food and nesting materials. Video/C 9121 The Demands of the Egg. Birds go to extraordinary lengths to protect their eggs, to keep them warm and safe from predators. To meet these challenges, they have developed the arts of pottery, carpentry, weaving, camouflage and deception. Video/C 9121 The Problems of Parenthood. Rearing the young, for any animal, is a demanding business. Most birds are exemplary parents, tending devotedly to their offspring, but some are content to leave the rearing to others or to neglect all but the chick most likely to survive. Video/C 9122 The Limits of Endurance. Birds manage to survive in the most hostile environments on Earth, from the hottest deserts to the most barren, frigid polar zones, even in the newest of all habitats -- human cities. Video/C 9122 Life on Earth. An abridged version of the Television series "Life on Earth" produced by the BBC in 1986. 232 min. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Infinite Variety: Explains where, when and in what order the earth's more than 4 million species evolved. Animals on the Galapagos Island, worm fossils in the Grand Canyon and jellyfish impressions in Australia are examined. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Building Bodies: Examines 3 types of marine invertebrates whose ancestry began 600 million years ago, namely jellyfish, mollusks and horseshoe crabs. Shows examples found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: First Forests: Uses microphotography of several primitive plants to show how plant life overcame the difficult problem of migration from sea to land. Also explains how plants and insects were interdependent in their evolution process. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Swarming Hordes: Describes how successfully insects have developed through eons of evolution. Shows examples of moulting, metamorphosis, camouflage, and social cooperation as seen in termite colonies, beehives and among army ants. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Conquest of the Waters: Examines the development of fish from the primitive jawless species to sharks with jawbones and other bony fishes. Includes underwater photography of the hazardous journey of salmon as they return upstream to spawn. Invasion of the lands: Examines how marine vertebrates developed legs and lungs and were thus able to move onto the land. Also describes modern day amphibians, such as the salamanders and frogs. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Victors of the Dry Land: A variety of reptiles, the first vertebrates to succeed on land are shown, including tortoises, iguanas, snakes, lizards and crocodiles. The rise and fall of dinosaurs is described, and dinosaur fossils are examined. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Lords of the Air: Explores the uses and advantages of the feather for flight, for insulation and for territorial and courtship purposes. Also looks at the development of large, flightless birds. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Rise of the Mammals: Traces the early development of mammals, concentrating on the rise of the marsupials. Theme and variations: Describes some of the diverse specializations which mammals have evolved to obtain food, to move, to navigate, and in some cases, to communicate. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Hunters and the Hunted: Examines the struggle between the hunter and the prey. Examples of prey, such as the dormouse, rabbit, prairie dog and antelope, are seen along with the hunters, like leopard, cheetah, and lion, all of which have different hunting strategies. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Life in the Trees: Illustrates how primates solved the problems of life in the tree by the development of binocular vision and grasping hands. Shows examples of lemurs on the island of Madagascar, ground-dwelling monkeys in Japan, chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika and mountain gorillas in the highlands of Rwanda. Video/C 289 Life on Earth: Compulsive Communicators: Shows how man's talent for communication has given him the ability to control his environment. Cave paintings in Southern France are seen, along with a primitive group of hunter- gatherers in Papua New Guinea. Video/C 289 Locomotion of Four-footed Animals. Shows in slow motion all of the major gaits--walk, pace, single-foot, trot, bound, pronk, gallop, bipedal run and bipedal hop--used by four-footed animals. 1980. 15 min. Video/C 5587 Madagascar: A Land Like No Other Presents an extensive ecotour of Madagascar's rainforests and wildlife perserves and offshore islands in search of its wide variety of chameleons and other fauna and flora including insects, snakes and lemurs. 1997. 110 min. Video/C MM40 Madagascar: A World Apart Madagascar is a world unto itself, where evolution has taken the familiar and rendered the bizarre. The film presents an extraordinary cast of characters, including chameleons of every color and size, a panther-like carnivore called a fossa, and the charismatic lemures for which the island is famous. Originally presented as a segment on the television program Living Edens. 2000. 60 min. Video/C 9803 El Mar y los Dioses An extensive journey to the coastal areas of Peru, on the shores and under the water to view the exotic beauty of Peru's coastal shores, colonies of marine mammals, birds and the undersea life. The filmmakers also explore the legends of early Peruvians concerning the sea and visit archaelogical sites along the Pacific Ocean beaches of Peru. 1997. In Spanish. 165 min. Video/C 7229 March of the Penguins Director, Luc Jacquet. Based upon the screenplay by Luc Jacquet & Michel Fessler. In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest by Emperor Penguins begins as they set out to find the perfect mate and start a family. This courtship will begin with a long journey - a journey that will take them hundreds of miles across the continent by foot, one by one in a single file. They will endure freezing temperatures, in brittle, icy winds, travel through deep, treacherous waters and risk starvation and attack by dangerous predators, to find a partner under the harshest conditions on earth. Special features: "Crittercam: Emperor penguins" documentary; "Of men and penguins" documentary; "8 ball Bunny": a classic WB animation short with Bugs Bunny and a penguin. 2005. 80 min. DVD 4906 Microcosmos (le peuple de l'herbe) A visually stunning close-up view of a hidden universe, with a tiny cast of thousands. Using timelapse and microphotographic techniques this film presents a variety of insects as they hatch from eggs, search for food and cope with a rain storm. Ants race to gather food as a pheasant gobbles them up, while a dung beetle moves his prize up hill and down, a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly, and a mosquito is born. Directed by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou. 1996. 75 min. DVD 5548; vhs Video/C 7047 The Monk and the Honeybee Describes the German monk, Brother Adam's efforts to breed the perfect honeybee in the early 19th century. 1988. 87 min. Video/C 4916 Monkey Business and Other Family Fun A worldwide tour of different types of animal families and their behavior, featuring monkeys and apes, elephants, octopuses, ostriches and bullfrogs. c1996. 47 min. Video/C 8378 Monkey in the Mirror Discusses the similarities between humans and other primates. Shows primates in the wild living in complex and varied societies in which they use tools, take herbal medicines, wheel and deal, practice power politics and sexual politics, and sometimes suffer from stress. Shows laboratory primates communicating with humans. 1995. 57 min. Video/C 8377 The Nature of Sex 1992 television program presented on the PBS series, Nature. 60 min. each installment. The Primal Instinct. Looks at the remarkable variety of ways the sex urge is expressedamong the Earth's countless species. Some species only need one sex while in others each member is both sexes at once, while still others have been reproducing for millennia with no sex at all. In some species, a female devours her suitor after having sex, in others a single female is attacked by a mob of males. A fascinating look at the incredibly diverse and sometimes strange ways of how life reproduces. Video/C 9149 A Time and a Place. Explores how the sun, moon, and seasons of nature profoundly influence courtship and mating. Males fight for breeding rights; male weaver birds build a mansion of twigs to entice a mate while humpback whales call to females with a song. And from such behavior as the body painting and ritualized dance of tribal cultures to the fashion "look" of Western culture, insights are offered into the mating signals exhibited by humans. Video/C 9150 A Time and a Place. Focuses on how animals select partners and explores the duration of that contact, which might last a moment or a lifetime. Males fight, bully, charm and display to establish dominance while wooing a female. Sea lions battle for mating rights to a harem, while male baboons have to win a female's affection before being accepted. In Sierra Leone where land is plentiful, Mende tribesmen have many wives, while in the land poor Himalayas, many men share one wife. Video/C 9151 A Time and a Place. The origins of human sexuality are investigated by looking at other social animals and the various ways in which different cultures define sexual roles. Just as the dazzling peacock's tail serves to attract a mate, humans send sexual signals through gestures, power, achievement, dress and make-up; all behaviors with its antecedents in the lower forms of animal life. Video/C 9152 A Miracle in the Making. Depicts the diversity of ways animals mate, carry their young and give birth. When seahorses mate, it's the father that has the babies; bats are born upside down and the eggs a female crocodile lays in the sand could become male or female, depending on the temperature of the sand. Video/C 9153 The Young Ones. Presents the amazing variety of nature's parenting systems. Human babies are born weak and helpless, requiring feeding, nurturing and protecting, but not all babies get such treatment. Squid parents abandon their offspring; when food is in short supply, eagle parents allow their largest chick to kill its siblings; some spider mothers die leaving their bodies to provide food for their newborns while elephant young continue to suckle for five years while being raised by aunts, sisters and brothers. Video/C 9154 A Naturalist in the Rainforest. Tells the story of Alexander Skutch and reveals the splendors of tropical nature that have captivated him for over half a century. One of the great naturalists of our time, Skutch travelled around Central America for years uncovering the secrets of tropical birdlife. His later efforts to live and farm in harmony with the rainforest in Costa Rica, make Skutch's remarkable story especially relevant today. 54 min. Video/C 4114 Notes of a Biology Watcher: A Film with Lewis Thomas. Biologist and author Lewis Thomas demonstrates the individuality and interconnectedness in nature through his observations of various creatures, including the courtship of blue crabs, ferocious fights between sea anemones, tiny worms with tinier plants inside them, and termites which turn out to be committees of dozens of different organisms. 57 min. Video/C 909 [Painleve, Jean] Jean Painleve. Compilation no. 1 Special features: "Yo la Tengo : The sea horse" from The Sounds of the Sounds of Science; "Hommage `a Loie Fuller" by Michelle Nadal and "Jeax d'enfants" (Children's play) by Jean Painleve (1948), and filmography and biography by Jean Painleve. Les amours de la pieuvre = The love life of the octopus (1965) -- Oursins = Sea urchins (1954) = Comment naissent des meduses = How some jellyfish are born (1960) -- Hyas et stenorinques = Hyas and stenorhynchus (1929) -- L'hippocampe = The sea horse (1934) -- Cristaux liquides = Liquid crystals (1978) -- Acera ou le bal des sorci`eres = Acera or the witches' dance (1972) -- Histoires de crevettes = Shrimp stories (1963). DVD 5137 Knox, Jim. "Sounding the Depths: Jean Painlev�'s Sunken Cinema." Senses of Cinema vol. 25, pp. (no pagination), March 2003 New media poetics : contexts, technotexts, and theories / edited by Adalaide Morris and Thomas Swiss. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2006. (Main Stack PN1059.C6.N49 2006) Science is fiction : the films of Jean Painleve / edited by Andy Masaki Bellows and Marina McDougall, with Brigitte Berg, et al. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2000. (Main Stack TR893.8.S354 2000) [Painleve, Jean] Jean Painleve Science & Fiction Presents a collection of films by Jean Painleve, the author of more than 200 films of scientific research in the avant-garde spirit. He devoted his life to filming the infinitely small with state of the art equipment. Mathusalem / musique, Maxime Jacob (1927, si, b&w, 10 min.) -- Hyas et stenorinques / musique, Chopin (1929, si., b&w, 10 min.) -- L'hippocampe / musique, Darius Milhaud (1934, sd, b&w, 14 min.) -- Barbe bleue / musique, Maurice Jaubert (1938, col., 13 min.) -- Le Vampire / musique, Duke Ellington (1939-45, b&w, 9 min.) -- Oursins (1954, col. 10 min.) -- Histoires de crevettes / musique, Pierre Conte (1964, col. 10 min.) -- Les amours de la pieuvre / musique, Pierre Henry (1965, col., 13 min.) -- Acera ou le bal des sorci`eres / musique, Pierre Jansen (1972, col., 13 min.) -- Cristaux liquides / musique, Francois de Roubaix (1978, col., 7 min.) Video/C MM497 Knox, Jim. "Sounding the Depths: Jean Painlev�'s Sunken Cinema." Senses of Cinema vol. 25, pp. (no pagination), March 2003