In case it wasn't bad enough having Neil deGrasse Tyson with COSMOS spreading all kinds of sciency stuff, PBS tonight will be starting Your Inner Fish.
Based on a best-selling book by paleobiologist Neil Shubin, this scientific adventure story takes viewers from Ethiopia to the Arctic Circle on a hunt for the many ways that our animal ancestors shaped our anatomical destiny. Shubin has spent much of his life studying our ancient ancestors — searching for the deep pedigree of Homo sapiens. Using both the fossil record and DNA evidence, he traces various parts of our body's structure to creatures that lived long, long ago. Along the way, he makes it clear that we can thank our fishy origins for many human characteristics.
Endowed not just with scientific expertise, but also with natural wit and a talent for storytelling, Shubin puts all these discoveries in context. He travels from fossil-hunting expeditions in the Arctic to the deserts of Ethiopia and to the high plains of South Africa. And he reveals insights from scientists who have identified genes that we still have in common with distant forebears. He weaves together this information from past and present to demonstrate that we humans have a lot more in common than you might think with monkeys, reptiles and even fish.
These evil spawn of Darwin are insidious - they've even put together
teaching materials, the better to destroy the faith of our young'uns. And of course
the Librul Media is on board with this.
Still, it's hard to begrudge any man's quite noble effort to sell complicated science and romanticize the work of scientists. After watching the series, it's difficult not to wonder whether it's too late to become a paleontologist or evolutionary biologist because Shubin and his peers appear to be having a blast. All in all, "Your Inner Fish" reminds us what smart TV really is.
If you have
a PBS station, better check the schedule so you can avoid exposure to this. There's no telling where it could lead.