American Experience: Dinosaur Wars

[Pangloss]

Just wanted to post a quick heads-up that this week's episode of the PBS series "American Experience" is a fascinating look at the feud between 19th century paleontologists Edward Cope and O.C. Marsh. The entire episode is available for viewing online, and runs about an hour. It's quite well done, with the main focus on the personal and professional consequences of their conflict, but also looking at how their discoveries provided some of the earliest critical evidence supporting Darwin's Theory of Evolution, as well as putting American science on the map. It also includes a look at the founding of the US Geological Survey and the political ramifications of funding in that era.

 

Interviews include Ted Daeschler of the Academy of Natural Sciences and the always-colorful Bob Bakker of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. The Web site also includes a photo gallery of the famous collection of dinosaur paintings by Charles R. Knight.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dinosaur/player/

[JohnB]

Just watched it online. What an amazing program.

 

Anybody with an interest in the field, or in the evolution of science in general should watch this piece.

 

I have to give it 5 stars.

 

(So does Theresa)