The NOVA PBS documentary "What Darwin Never Knew" follows the history of evolutionary science and reveals how advances in genetics are confirming some of Darwin's key insights while answering questions he couldn't. From the Galapagos islands to the Arctic and the explosion of animal forms half a billion years ago to today's research labs, we're learning about how evolution works in ways that even Darwin himself couldn't have imagined.
Charles Darwin's revolutionary idea of evolution by natural selection shook up the world when it was published in 1859. But he knew that his work was only the beginning. He was right.
Throughout his life, Darwin collected and studied countless specimens of plants and animals. He sorted them by their differences and similarities, finding patterns that were both familiar and new. Then, as a young man he got an invitation on the British navy ship the HMS Beagle. It was a five year voyage that would change his life and our understanding of the world around us forever.
As towering historical figures go, Darwin does not seem to have much in the way of posthumous scandals. He was faithful to his wife, loved his ten children (three of whom died young), did his best to keep his scientific work separate from his private life and gave proper credit to his fellow scientists. But, 150 years later, we still haven't fully understood his theory of how species evolved, what morphs one kind into another, why a fish was your ancestor and, most importantly, what makes us human.
