Arcadia Public Library

From the countryside of Wales to the jungles of the Amazon, this episode follows the stories of Alfred Russell Wallace and Charles Darwin who had the same idea simultaneously - evolution by natural selection. Their ideas helped others to probe the nature and origins of life.

In the vaults of ancient Polish salt mines Dr. Bronowski embarks on a journey to the hidden world inside the atom. He traces the history of the men and the ideas that made 20th century physics the greatest achievement of the human imagination.

In this episode, Dr. Bronowski's shares his statement on information and the responsibility and moral dilemma presented to scientists. The principle of certainty in physics applies to all knowledge, and as such Bronowski examines the implications of bombing Japan among other dilemmas. Finally, he contrasts the humanist tradition of Gottingen University with the inhumanities of Auschwitz.

This BAFTA Award nominated series examines the intellectual, cultural, and scientific breakthroughs in man's four-million-year evolution. This first episode - and the series as a whole - explores the importance of new ideas, paying particular attention to how they transcend other historical events in their cumulative, irreversible effects.

Math and physics brought revolution to man's ideas of life. From Mendel's work to discoveries of today, Dr. Bronowski unravels the complex code of human inheritance. Sex is discussed as an instrument of evolution that makes every human unique yet breeds care between individuals.

An American Film Festival Award winner, this 13 volume series attempts a massive survey of science, from flint tools to the theory of relativity.. The series, a co-production of the BBC and Time-Life Films was made as a science counterpart to "Civilization". It is given superb technical support, with two crews using innovative filming techniques, shooting in 27 countries. Dr. Jacob Bronowski makes for an unorthodox narrator, his non-scripted delivery...

Among the Senufo people of northern Cote d'Ivoire, the balafon (xylophone with calabash resonators) is an emblematic musical instrument. Returning to Senufo country 40 years after his first encounter with balafon music in 1958, ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp recalls memories of this and subsequent visits in the early 60s, before participating in a musical event of startling impact.. Six orchestras, playing simultaneously but independently, circle with...

This is a feel good story out of Africa. For more than 20 years, an amazing permaculture project has been working in Zimbabwe. Where once the people of the Chikukwa villages suffered hunger, malnutrition and high rates of disease, this community of seven thousand has turned its fortunes around. During this period they have built what is probably the biggest continuous permaculture site in the world today. Complementing permaculture strategies, they...

A remarkable and educational ethnographic documentary on Bertsolaritza, an ancestral, completely improvised form of Basque poetry. This oral tradition has skillfully evolved and adapted to the times, connecting with the youngest generations with its undeniable formal similarities to rap and other improvised music and art forms.. Official Selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Winner of Best Cinematography at the Cine Ceará - National Cinema...

The unique geography of Mesoamerica - the long isthmus that runs from the present-day Panama Canal through Mexico - has driven the region's history over the millennia. Review the geologic formations and plate tectonics that created Mesoamerica, and then turn to its many cultures, including the Olmecs, the Mayans, and the Aztecs.