Becoming human Unearthing our earliest ancestors

Gr 9 Up-A diverse team of scientists and cutting edge technology explore human evolution over the span of millions of years. Examining the physiology and behavior of primates and studying fossil records, the male and female scientists, representing a variety of fields, make conjectures about how different stages of human life might have appeared. The documentary features on-location footage, interviews with scientists, and computer-generated animation. The first episode presents the remains of a three-million-year-old child. Part two investigates "Turkana Boy," the fossil remains of Homo erectus, and the final segment explores modern humans. The audio and video quality is excellent. However, the film's length could be a deterrent to classroom viewing. Additional considerations include the documentary's frank discussion of pubic lice and the unnecessary inclusion of nude actors between many scenes (though shown in silhouette or in just the right position to avoid complete disclosure). Schools in communities where the topic of evolution is controversial should be forewarned that evolution is presented as a scientific fact in this program.-Ryan Henry, Daviess County Public Library, Owensboro, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.