Secrets of Bones (2014)
Evolutionary biologist and master skeleton builder Ben Garrod looks at how bones have enabled vertebrates to colonise and dominate practically every habitat on Earth.
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Episode 1 - Size Matters
Release Date: 2014-02-18Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod Ben shows what bone is constructed from and how it can support animals that are both tiny (a frog) and massive (the blue whale).
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Episode 2 - Down to Earth
Release Date: 2014-02-25Ben Garrod discovers how the skeleton has adapted for vertebrates to move on land in many ways and explores the role of the spine in both cheetahs and snakes.
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Episode 3 - Into the Air
Release Date: 2014-03-04Ben Garrod finds out how the skeleton has allowed vertebrates to take to the air, why the pigeon is an exceptional flier and how the albatross makes huge migrations.
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Episode 4 - Sensing the World
Release Date: 2014-03-11Ben Garrod delves into the surprising ways in which bone has evolved to help vertebrates sense the world around them, from wolves and sheep to the great grey owl.
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Episode 5 - Food for Thought
Release Date: 2014-03-18Ben Garrod uncovers the secrets of how vertebrates capture and devour their food using extreme jaws, bizarre teeth and specialised bony tools.
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Episode 6 - Sex
Release Date: 2014-03-25Ben Garrod seeks out the big part that bones can play in reproduction. Through sexual selection, the skeleton has adapted to aid courtship, competition and even copulation.