We're in week two of the Cosmos reboot, and as in the original 1980 series, this episode is all about evolution. Where Carl Sagan began his second episode with a Cosmic view, wondering whether life might be all over the universe, Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us straight to ground level: "This is a story about you, me and your dog." The selective development of dogs from wolves -- beginning with the wolves that tolerated humans enough to scavenge from their camps, humans bred the wolves that were more docile -- is an easy illustration of huge changes in a species through artificial selection. Tyson calls it "survival of the friendliest," and it's a viewer-friendly move: by emphasizing the deliberate selection of specific traits, the show sets up the larger topic of natural selection with a friendly, tail-wagging example. Tyson gets the chance to explain that "cuteness became a selective advantage -- the more adorable you were, the better chance you had to live and pass on your genes to another generation." It's a smart choice, since doggies are loveable, and a conscious contrast to the "red in tooth and claw" version of evolution that people usually think of. There's another cartoon -- ahem,
I used to believe in evolution until I realized a Chihuahua looks nothing like a wolf, just like I used to believe in climate change until it snowed or that the Earth is round until I drove across Kansas on I-70.
I used to believe in evolution until I realized a Chihuahua looks nothing like a wolf, just like I used to believe in climate change until it snowed or that the Earth is round until I drove across Kansas on I-70.
I prefer my lies from the rim of Hell—or as we call it, "Alabama."
Which is why early man befriended dogs. Useful for transporation - they can pull and carry loads.
And a ready source of meat.
I hope the hotdog on that fire isn't a hot dog.
2 shows and each had a dig at the bible thumpers. Makes me smile.
Nobody else gonna say it? Okay, WTF:
SCIENCE, BITCHEZ!!!
Well, SHEET! I found the full Cosmos episodes online: <a href="http://www.fox.com/watch/18..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://www.fox.com/watch/183733315515">http://www.fox.com/watch/18...