Evolutionary biology
Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes (natural selection, common descent, speciation) that produced the diversity of life on Earth. Simply, it is also defined as the study of the history of life forms on Earth.
7 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Chance and Design
Melvyn Bragg discusses the questions and theories surrounding the idea of a grand design in the universe. Can the concept of the randomness of evolution be compatible with a belief in God?
13 February 2003
Featuring: Simon Conway Morris, Sandy Knapp, John Brooke
Evolution
Melvyn Bragg examines the future of gene therapy and advances in evolutionary biology. Could electronic devices discover the means of self-replication, and what would be the consequences?
15 April 1999
Featuring: John Maynard Smith, Colin Tudge
Evolutionary Psychology
Melvyn Bragg explores the basis for the idea of Evolutionary Psychology and the context for its development as a discipline. What can it tell us about how we behave, and can it be trusted?
2 November 2000
Featuring: Janet Radcliffe Richards, Nicholas Humphrey, Steven Rose
Genetic Mutation
Melvyn Bragg discusses mutation in genetics and evolution, unlocking the secrets of life and death.
6 December 2007
Featuring: Steve Jones, Adrian Woolfson, Linda Partridge
Hybrids
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how some genetically different parents - from different species - can have offspring and what that says about the origin and evolution of species
31 October 2019
Featuring: Sandra Knapp, Nicola Nadeau, Steve Jones
The Evolution of Teeth
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ideas about the origins of teeth, their link to hard scales on fish such as sharks and why some species regenerate theirs but humans do not.
11 April 2019
Featuring: Gareth Fraser, Zerina Johanson, Philip Donoghue
The Origins of Life
Melvyn Bragg discusses how the world’s first organic matter originated, nearly four billion years ago. What is the single common ancestor from which all living matter on our planet derives?
23 September 2004
Featuring: Richard Dawkins, Richard Corfield, Linda Partridge