Dinosaurs live again in Attenborough production
David Attenborough is known for narrating documentaries featuring a wide variety of the earth’s animals. He is used to describing living creatures, but his latest natural history venture features beasts that died millions of years ago.
Not that it matters. Viewers of “Prehistoric Planet” will be just as moved by the plight of a baby T-Rex as that cute penguin that gets devoured by a leopard seal in one of Attenborough’s typical ventures.
Now being streamed on Apple+, “Prehistoric Planet’ is the latest offering by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Natural History Unit.
Known for other popular documentaries like The “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth,“ the division produces 100 hours of wildlife film and 50 hours of radio shows per year, for distribution on BBC’s domestic channels and private cable networks.
Breathtaking photography and film crews that are willing to spend time in often dangerous places, populated by wild animals, is a hallmark of the unit. Add Attenborough’s mixture of scientific narration mixed with enthusiastic anthropomorphism and you have a formula that has made BBC animal shows a worldwide runaway sensation.
Applying that method to beasts we mostly know only as browning skeletons in a natural history display is a major challenge.
But thanks to the latest computer-enhanced graphics, these Cretaceous Period animals move smoothly through their environment, mimicking the traits of today’s mammals and marine creatures.
The show’s producers claim the dino images and behavior are based on the latest paleontological evidence. In reality, some of the scenes must be conjecture given that none of today’s researchers were around eons ago to observe these creatures first hand.
But that doesn’t get in the way of a good story, whether it’s a male T-Rex swimming to a distant island along with his brood of baby tyrannosaurs or a pair of enormous sauropods locked in a fatal fight.
Spoiler alert: the older male gets knocked to the ground and killed, only to become a carcass capable of feeding other prehistoric predators. Life was tough 60 million years ago.
And then there’s Attenborough himself. His presence alone is enough to convince us that everything we are seeing is true; no mean accomplishment in an era when science itself is being doubted.
A British friend once described Attenborough as a national treasure and this latest production bears that out.
As with other history unit presentations, “Prehistoric Planet’s production values help sell the series. The show’s moody soundtrack was created by a team that included Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and the executive producers include Jon Favreau who created Disney’s popular sci-fi show, “The Mandalorian.”
Along with the five-episode series, viewers can learn more about the latest dinosaur research on the show’s website and even buy fossils on the site’s store.
Sure, there are plenty of show about the land before time, but “Prehistoric Planet” has enough going for it that it’s worth $4.99 for a subscription to Apple+ just to watch it.
For more on the show, visit the “Prehistoric Planet” website. Apple+ subscription terms and information on the site’s other streaming shows can be found here.
Not that it matters. Viewers of “Prehistoric Planet” will be just as moved by the plight of a baby T-Rex as that cute penguin that gets devoured by a leopard seal in one of Attenborough’s typical ventures.
Now being streamed on Apple+, “Prehistoric Planet’ is the latest offering by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Natural History Unit.
Known for other popular documentaries like The “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth,“ the division produces 100 hours of wildlife film and 50 hours of radio shows per year, for distribution on BBC’s domestic channels and private cable networks.
Breathtaking photography and film crews that are willing to spend time in often dangerous places, populated by wild animals, is a hallmark of the unit. Add Attenborough’s mixture of scientific narration mixed with enthusiastic anthropomorphism and you have a formula that has made BBC animal shows a worldwide runaway sensation.
Applying that method to beasts we mostly know only as browning skeletons in a natural history display is a major challenge.
But thanks to the latest computer-enhanced graphics, these Cretaceous Period animals move smoothly through their environment, mimicking the traits of today’s mammals and marine creatures.
The show’s producers claim the dino images and behavior are based on the latest paleontological evidence. In reality, some of the scenes must be conjecture given that none of today’s researchers were around eons ago to observe these creatures first hand.
But that doesn’t get in the way of a good story, whether it’s a male T-Rex swimming to a distant island along with his brood of baby tyrannosaurs or a pair of enormous sauropods locked in a fatal fight.
Spoiler alert: the older male gets knocked to the ground and killed, only to become a carcass capable of feeding other prehistoric predators. Life was tough 60 million years ago.
And then there’s Attenborough himself. His presence alone is enough to convince us that everything we are seeing is true; no mean accomplishment in an era when science itself is being doubted.
A British friend once described Attenborough as a national treasure and this latest production bears that out.
As with other history unit presentations, “Prehistoric Planet’s production values help sell the series. The show’s moody soundtrack was created by a team that included Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer and the executive producers include Jon Favreau who created Disney’s popular sci-fi show, “The Mandalorian.”
Along with the five-episode series, viewers can learn more about the latest dinosaur research on the show’s website and even buy fossils on the site’s store.
Sure, there are plenty of show about the land before time, but “Prehistoric Planet” has enough going for it that it’s worth $4.99 for a subscription to Apple+ just to watch it.
For more on the show, visit the “Prehistoric Planet” website. Apple+ subscription terms and information on the site’s other streaming shows can be found here.
"Bugs" is a surreal trip into the insect world
Most of us think of insects as pests. They sting, crawl all over your picnic lunch and buzz around the room, generally irritating everyone until hunted down with a flyswatter.
But “Bugs” a new exhibit at the California Academy Sciences, may make visitors think of insects in a whole new way. And at the very least, they aren’t likely to forget the experience.
Unlike “Hidden Wonders,” which relies on static displays to inform viewers about the academy’s vast collection of scientific specimens, “Bugs” is anything but tame.
Created by the TE Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, the exhibit is a multi-media, eye popping journey though the arthropod kingdom that makes Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole look tame by comparison.
Multi-colored steampunk-style displays play videos of flying insects. Walk into an enclosed chamber and you are confronted by a larger-than-life orchid mantis perched menacingly before killing her hapless victim.
In another chamber, dreamy new age music plays as a giant egg-shaped sphere opens, revealing 3-D dragonfly models performing a flickering dance created by a Zoetrope machine.
And there’s plenty of hands on activities, like helping honeybees heat up to kill a marauding Japanese hornet invading a hive or testing your reflexes to see if you can match the speed at which a mantis strikes the death blow.
It’s an overwhelming and somewhat surreal experience. Along the way, visitors learn how silk is created, how insects swarm and the significance of a certain kind of moth to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
While the exhibit is unusual and engaging, the high level of showmanship may distract from the valuable insect information it tries to impart.
Etymologist Lauren Esposito studies scorpions and spiders. Insects have a complex world all their own in which they interact with each other and their prey.
While it is normal to be a bit irritated by insects, exhibits like “Bugs” help visitors develop an appreciation for the world of flying, buzzing, crawling and stinging creatures, she said.
“They are not scary anymore. They are not pests anymore. Instead they are something to be wondered at and appreciated because of the unique adaptations they have developed over the years and the challenges they have faced living on earth.”
“Bugs” runs from May 27 to Jan. 22, 2023 on the museum’s second floor.
The museum’s hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibits, programs and shows are free after general admission fee. For ticket prices and more information, visit calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000
But “Bugs” a new exhibit at the California Academy Sciences, may make visitors think of insects in a whole new way. And at the very least, they aren’t likely to forget the experience.
Unlike “Hidden Wonders,” which relies on static displays to inform viewers about the academy’s vast collection of scientific specimens, “Bugs” is anything but tame.
Created by the TE Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, the exhibit is a multi-media, eye popping journey though the arthropod kingdom that makes Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole look tame by comparison.
Multi-colored steampunk-style displays play videos of flying insects. Walk into an enclosed chamber and you are confronted by a larger-than-life orchid mantis perched menacingly before killing her hapless victim.
In another chamber, dreamy new age music plays as a giant egg-shaped sphere opens, revealing 3-D dragonfly models performing a flickering dance created by a Zoetrope machine.
And there’s plenty of hands on activities, like helping honeybees heat up to kill a marauding Japanese hornet invading a hive or testing your reflexes to see if you can match the speed at which a mantis strikes the death blow.
It’s an overwhelming and somewhat surreal experience. Along the way, visitors learn how silk is created, how insects swarm and the significance of a certain kind of moth to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
While the exhibit is unusual and engaging, the high level of showmanship may distract from the valuable insect information it tries to impart.
Etymologist Lauren Esposito studies scorpions and spiders. Insects have a complex world all their own in which they interact with each other and their prey.
While it is normal to be a bit irritated by insects, exhibits like “Bugs” help visitors develop an appreciation for the world of flying, buzzing, crawling and stinging creatures, she said.
“They are not scary anymore. They are not pests anymore. Instead they are something to be wondered at and appreciated because of the unique adaptations they have developed over the years and the challenges they have faced living on earth.”
“Bugs” runs from May 27 to Jan. 22, 2023 on the museum’s second floor.
The museum’s hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibits, programs and shows are free after general admission fee. For ticket prices and more information, visit calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000
Venom is scary but holds promise for medical treatment
An exhibit now showing at the California Academy of Sciences explores a substance most of us would rather avoid: venom.
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
The painful and sometimes fatal chemical found in many animals is the dark side of nature; creatures inject it into victims to keep from being killed or to subdue their prey.
But “Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines” is not all bad news. The chemistry found in snakebites, for example, can lower blood pressure and researchers are finding more medicinal spinoffs from the compounds found in these toxic secretions.
Venom is defined as any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. The substance must be injected into the victim from a stinger like a bee or sharp fangs like those found in snakes. As with so much in nature there are exceptions such as spitting snakes that can transmit deadly liquids by spitting it into the eyes of prey.
Many people use the term poisonous incorrectly to describe venomous creatures. Poisonous animals must be eaten or otherwise ingested to cause harm.
To date, between 175,000 and 200,000 venomous creatures have been identified by science. They run the gamut from spiders and scorpions, sea snakes and their terrestrial kin and even one species of octopus.
The exhibit contains a variety of venomous creatures including a jellyfish, spider, a nest of bees and even coral. It also mentions research into cures that are being found by bio medical researchers exploring the chemistry of venom.
“There are things about venom that are being explored for a wide range of therapeutics including pain killers, nervous system disorders or infections that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics,” said Lauren Esposito, an academy entomologist who is featured in the exhibit.
For more on Lauren, visit Meet the Scientists
