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David Attenborough's First Life

2010, Science  -   40 Comments
Ratings: 8.90/10 from 52 users.

David Attenborough's First LifeIn fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough has traveled the globe to document the living world in all its wonder. Now, in the landmark series, David Attenborough's First Life, he completes his journey by going back in time to the roots of the tree of life, in search of the very first animals.

Attenborough's journey begins in a forest near his childhood home in Leicester, where a fossil discovery transformed our understanding of the evolution of complex life. Traveling to the fog bound coastline of Newfoundland and the Australian outback, Attenborough unearths the earliest forms of animal life to exist on Earth.

Attenborough's journey continues in Canada's Rocky Mountains, where fossils document an explosion in animal diversity never seen before or since. Traveling from there to North Africa, the rain forests of Australia and the east coast of Scotland, Attenborough discovers how animals evolved to conquer not only the oceans but also the land and air.

These bizarre and wonderful creatures are brought to life with the help of cutting edge scientific technology and photo-realistic visual effects. From the first animal forms that moved to the first mouths that ate, these were creatures that evolved the traits and tools that allow all animals, including ourselves, to survive to this day.

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40 Comments / User Reviews

  1. Beech Comber

    I found a tooth on the beech does anyone know what see animal it is from with the nature ? It is about 2 - 3 inches to the root and about 1 inch thick

    1. geopolicity


  2. Sajid Rafique

    David Attenborough is a Hero of science.

  3. Douglas Sturm

    I remember a comment on a Youtube channel presently off which said something like:

    "If he (Sir D Attenborough) presented a documentary about an empty box, it would still be made fascinating"

    That's what it feels like watching this documentary. Really enriching and helps getting rid of that idea that 'no one actually knows how macroscopic life came to be'.

  4. Scott Kender

    You guys should check out James Lovelock Gaia theory. Whileit doesnt prove or disprove god, it definitely shows that life is more than rendom mutations luckily finding the right environmental niches to thrive...

    1. over the edge

      @Scott Kender
      You should check out evolutionary theory. While it doesnt prove or disprove god, it definitely shows that life is more than rendom mutations luckily finding the right environmental niches to thrive..

      sorry for the sarcasm but you seem to imply that Gala disproves evolution while misrepresenting evolution itself. now Gala has some interesting data and makes some good predictions it by no means has the volume or quality of evidence that evolution does. Gala has gathered support over the years and someday might force the updating of the evolutionary model however it is not there yet. if you have actual peer reviewed evidence that Gala disproves evolution please post it for me

  5. danae dehoyos

    Why is this in the science section?
    This should be in religion.

    1. over the edge

      @danae dehoyos
      why religion?please state your case

  6. wald0

    Excellent documentary!! Nice to see so many people praising Attenborough as well, he deserves every word of it.

  7. joakim

    Not a bad documentary. We will, however, have to rid scientific documentation of terms like "creature" and "design", both implying a creator of some sort. Very appropriate soundtrack though -And Attenborough is a joy to listen to

    1. Dirk Mcbratney

      They're just metaphors. The same problem results when an organism is said to develop a particular trait "in order to" achieve a particular goal. Mutations obviously have no intention; they just occasionally confer a selective advantage. "Had to develop" implies intentionality, too.

      If you want to rid the language of references to design, you'd also need to remove references to intentionality. But the remaining vocabulary is extremely poor and artificial-sounding, not appropriate for a mass-audience documentary (and I, for one, appreciate the atmosphere and texture of Attenborough's language.)

  8. alans

    Great insights by David Attenborough, although why does he wear a hat that's too small for his head?

    1. Malchik

      No hat can properly fit his brain.

  9. RileyRampant

    wonderful. he gave short shrift to the vertebrates, but that is opposite the usual bias. no one has the gift attenborough does for presenting truth in such an appealing, winsome fashion. his large teeth never were the impediment his original masters at the BBC thought they might.

  10. christopher

    A wonderful seduction.

  11. seasidepress

    makes me wanna go back to the simple days on the sea floor when we moved to find food instead of oil. evolving into complex organisms has turned us into the most aggressive species that ever was. so far...

  12. Guest

    For lovers of orchestral music and its subtleties, done right, this documentary has a very excellent score to accompany it. It adds beauty and emphasis to the narrative exactly where and how it should, without being overbearing or drawing undue attention to itself. This is a melodic, traditional composer (here at least) unafraid to revel in loveliness, and with a very confident hand. I hope they paid him/her very well indeed for this one.

  13. Draw Vinette

    Very interesting documentary on early evolution of life.

  14. Tara Haghighi

    great one, it is very satisfying having a full HD great documentary :-)

  15. knowledgeizpower

    Yes I agree this was beautiful this is something that you can sit down with your family especially with your kids and Enjoy....Peace

  16. idelicnature

    Just when I thought Sir David was convolescing somewhere in the UK , there he is with his hands in Mother Earth needing the soil like bread and continueing to excite with provocative subject matter.
    He is truly one of a kind

  17. Irishkev


  18. william4444

    Another masterpiece from mr Attenborough' Mother nature must be so proud of this truly gifted son.

  19. wheelnut53

    another great documentary

  20. Keith R. Sauerwald.

    The Greatest Show On Earth ? Maybe. But, to me, David Attenborough is the greatest man on earth.Perhaps no other person has given as much knowledge to the people of planet Earth, than this man. I have many of his wonderful documentaries and I continue to buy more.This man is of a huge benefit to all and, sadly, when this mans time comes, he may be one of the worlds greatest losses.David, you are a great man and anyone who has any knowledge of you, must surely agree.There will come a time, as it does to all of us, when you will no longer share your work with us, that time will be a loss to all who love what you do.Keep it up for as long as you can, my friend. We all love what you do. We all thank you for the knowledge you have given to us. Your documentaries are a huge benefit to all who live on our planet. On behalf of those who know you or know of you, we thank you. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL.

  21. BeardHero420

    I aspire to be like David Attenborough; he's got a sharper mind than any man I've ever met.

  22. Aaylsworth

    Great documentary! Classic Sir David Attenborough, his wobbly gestures when he speaks was keeping me grinning the whole time :) He is a true legend and an amazing contribution to society! Gonna miss him when he's gone....

  23. norlavine

    He is a true natural wonder of this world. His obvious love and empathy for all living things shines through.

  24. Morthund

    everything Attenbourgh touches turns to gold, must be his contageous enthusiasm, which is laced with wonder and awe

  25. Christian Klinckwort Guerrero

    Sir David Attenborough. These same words I was given the opportunity to say to Sir Nevil Mariner. Thank you for your contribution to the Joy of life. Sincerely, Christian

  26. Anthony Pirtle

    Lets hope we can keep his head alive in a jar so he can keep narrating.

  27. myfisheye

    Mr. Attenborough needs to be clone and keep forever with us for the best of humanity. I will offer my ovaries if necessairy haha.
    He is a legend, and such an inspiration.... My admiration and fascination of Nature came all from him and his unique way to present the world.

    1. KooKookaChoo

      he's my hero :D

  28. Guest

    Never fails to please :)

  29. Top_Quark

    Saw both the episodes a few months on a BA flight, great series.... good timing Vlatko since Sir Attenborough has just been voted as Britain's greatest living national vote would've been on Stephen Hawking though.

    1. Jack1952

      A case could be made for both men. No matter the choice I don't think a person would be making the wrong one.

      I loved this doc.

    2. McMit

      Judging by your screen name I suspect that you have a background in physics (as do I). So I understand your leanings towards the great Prof. Hawking. I would like to forward the idea that perhaps Attenborough has played a huge roll in keeping Darwin and evolution in the public eye in a way that keeps the extremists calm and educates the interested public.

      Consider the double edged blade of mathematics. We would love to have greater public understanding of physics but the "math barrier" keeps much of the general public at a distance. The theory of evolution and therefore a huge chunk of biology can be understood and discussed by most in the educated public. The anti-evolution nuts THINK they can understand evolution (with little exerted effort) and feel justified in dismissing it, or worse, obfuscating it. As a result topics in biology are being determined in the courts in a way that physics hasn't had to endure since Galileo.

      A bit off topic but something I have been thinking about.

      god bless David Attenborough and Stephen Hawking

    3. Atom Colideer

      And there was me thinking you didn't need a degree in maths to understand evolution, sigh.

    4. spinbutton

      I would definitely vote for Richard Attenborough!! (sir) He crawled into a termite nest in one show...too wonderful!

  30. ocelot81

    The best wildlife presenter in the world! I can watch his series for hours and hours with the same fascination! Mr.Attenborough is trully a living legend. Thanks to him, so many people, including me, became in love with the nature!