The Human Animal, by Desmond Morris (1994) BBC Four

The Immortal Genes

Episode 5: The Immortal Genes

Desmond Morris looks at the natural history of the human parent and child. Why do homo sapiens devote more time to raising their young than any other animal? What makes parents sacrifice so much for their children, and why, once the offspring have been raised, don't humans simply die off as other creatures do? Desmond reveals how children offer a way of overcoming death itself.



* Life cycle: Infant-parent interaction, Baby signals, Child behavior, Rites of passage, Cultural indoctrination, Fighting aging, Grandparenting, Afterlives

The Human Animal: A Personal View of the Human Species is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by Desmond Morris, first transmitted in the UK from 27 July 1994. The series was produced in associaion with Discovery Channel.



Morris describes it as "A study of human behavior from a zoological perspective." He travels the globe, filming the diverse customs and habits of various regions while suggesting common roots.



I've sometimes been accused of degrading mankind, of insulting human dignity, of making man beastly. This surprised me because I like animals, and I feel proud to call myself one. I've never looked down upon them, so to call human beings animals is not, to me, degrading. It's simply being honest: putting us in our place as part of the scheme of nature on the planet Earth.

– Desmond Morris, Closing statement of episode 1



Episodes

1. "The Language of the Body"



* Gestures: Greetings, Insults, Signals, Gesticulations

* Facial Expressions: Stares, Smiles, Tells



2. "The Hunting Ape"



* Diet: Fondness for sweets, Culinary variety

* Evolution: Arboreal vegetarianism, Savannah meat-eating, Cooperative hunting with weapons, Food preparation, Aquatic ape hypothesis

* Vestigal hunting behavior: Jobs, Sport Hunting, War



3. "The Human Zoo"



* Urban Tribalism: Familiarity, Theft, Uniforms, Rituals, Conflict, Social status, Territory



4. "Biology of Love"



* Courtship: Finding partners, Gender signals, Dating, Tie signs, Pair bonding, Intercourse



5. "The Immortal Genes"



* Life cycle: Infant-parent interaction, Baby signals, Child behavior, Rites of passage, Cultural indoctrination, Fighting aging, Grandparenting, Afterlives



6. "Beyond Survival"



* Creativity: Body adornment, Architectural embellishments, Vehicles, Art

* Artistic progression: Innate scribbling, Realism

* Play: Childhood experimentation, Adult inventiveness, Sports, Thrill-seeking, Symbolic thinking

Source: Wikipedia