Great Courses: What Darwin Didn't Know by Professor Scott Solomon

Charles Darwin is famous as the father of the idea of genetic evolution, but there was a lot about evolution that Darwin didn't ever know.  In this 24 lecture series Dr. Solomon illuminates the discoveries made since Darwin's Origin of Species that have confirmed and expanded our understanding of how evolution really works in nature and in our lives. He starts by explaining the basic premises of evolution, and then explores how the field has expanded. He uses a lot of examples of how evolution has favored changes in plant, animal, and microorganisms. He ends the series by projecting how evolution will affect the future of both the biome and the human species. 

Dr. Solomon lectures at a level that I, as a college graduate, was able to follow without much problem.  He uses a lot of interesting examples from nature that are amazing and sometimes bizarre. That being said, it was a little more dry than some of the Great Courses lectures I have learned.  Or maybe, I am just not as interested in the hundreds of species of ants as a I am about, say, the history of Europe. I think the lectures would have been more engaging if I had been able to see the visuals.  Still, I made it though 12 hours of it without feeling tempted to stop. This would be a good series to listen to if you were about to take a college biology class and wanted a quick brush-up on your science facts. (12 hrs. 2020)