Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: WGBH Boston
• VHS Release Date: October 16, 2001
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005OSPK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,863 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and thought provoking, October 13, 2007

By 

Dwight N. Rousu "razzoo2" (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution: Why Sex [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Professionally done, interesting, informative.
Various topics include lizards, fish, birds, monkeys, and humans.
Why are males necessary if some organisms have females who reproduce without males? This suggests there is an evolutionary survival aspect to having males and females. The answer seems to be that evolutionary variability gives a defense against rapidly evolving diseases. The selection of mates is related to evolutionary survival. The dedication to the next generation is an evolutionary survival trait. The variability in selecting mates who display health, or display social helpfulness is explored, including some subconscious functions in humans.
The evolutionary story of why chimps are abusive and war-like whereas the bonobos are generally peaceful and make love, not war although they are close genetic relatives is an interesting construction.

It is educational on the biological nature of humans.
It speaks at a very basic biological level of the benefits of socialization in the question of war and peace.
It addresses an understanding of the evolutionary function of gender roles and violence against females.
It could engender discussions of implications of evolution in the question of social evolution to create social structures to promote peace and justice. For example: If the scientific and social means of conducting war are evolving into more lethal and dangerous forms, similar to a bacteria or virus; then does that call for using mental capabilities to evolve social and scientific means of countering war and injustice as a means of survival of the species?
The movie openly portrays evolution as valid and explanatory and so helps promote acceptance of science, as a counter to superstition and ignorance on this subject.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for biology classes!, February 5, 2002

By 

A Biology Teacher (Floyd, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution: Why Sex [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video is great for both evolutionary descriptions and for the importance of sex in creating diversity in populations. It is quick moving , very interesting and has lots of good science - animal behavior, evolution and reproduction. I highly recommend it along with others I have seen in this series for use in high school and basic college science classes and for personal viewing.