{"id":30396,"date":"2023-07-17T16:45:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T14:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=148262"},"modified":"2023-07-17T17:39:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T15:39:48","slug":"chris-packham-on-the-mind-blowing-science-of-new-bbc-earth-series-and-his-tv-legacy-im-not-proud-of-anything","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/chris-packham-on-the-mind-blowing-science-of-new-bbc-earth-series-and-his-tv-legacy-im-not-proud-of-anything\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Packham on the mind-blowing science of new BBC Earth series, and his TV legacy: \u2018I\u2019m not proud of anything!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After conquering wildlife TV, presenter Chris Packham is taking on the planet in Earth, a BBC series that sheds new light on the history of our home. He talks us through the show\u2019s biggest surprises \u2013 and getting pooped on by a giant condor. <\/p>

By Noa Leach\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 17 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The camera pans around a purple mountain rising through a lush green forest. But the film glitches\u2026 something is wrong. The scene flickers with a hellish inverse: a deadly volcanic eruption. The Earth\u2019s crust splits and red light bleeds from its opening. Deadly rivers of lava veil the now-black rock, and ash and toxic gases spill into the air.<\/p>\n

This fiery inferno is the deadliest volcanic event in Earth\u2019s history, around 250 million years ago. It\u2019s just one of many moments that have brought the planet we call home close to death \u2013 and one of the five key events that shape the BBC\u2019s new Earth<\/em> series.<\/p>\n

This is the BBC Natural History Unit\u2019s usual output reborn as a forensic crime thriller, with fossils as evidence. With Chris Packham presenting, Earth<\/em> exposes the clues hidden in fossil records that reveal all the times the planet \u2013 and our long-gone ancestors \u2013 have almost<\/em> been destroyed over the last 4.5 billion years.<\/p>\n

In this way, Earth<\/em> aims to show that our future has already happened, with the current climate crisis eerily echoing the past. But will we survive it this time around? We got the verdict from Chris Packham himself\u2026<\/p>\n

Your new series covers billions of years of history. How on, ahem, earth did you fit that into one series?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our mission was to present the series as a biography of our planet. It\u2019s not just about how Earth was born, but its bumpy life journey \u2013 akin to how it met its first girlfriend, got married, divorced, and happily remarried.<\/p>\n

We wanted to highlight the moments that had a significant impact on the planet \u2013 the key geological, planetary and life forces. And how they interact.<\/p>\n

For example, when the lava<\/a> was beneath the surface of the planet, it was burning coal, which raised the temperature of the planet by 10\u00b0C. This was catastrophic. But now here we are digging it up and burning it again!<\/p>\n

However, Earth<\/em> is very much a science series \u2013 it\u2019s not just about climate breakdown. There\u2019s a lot of variety in there, with a lot of surprising facts thrown into the mix.<\/p>\n

Try us. Blow our socks off with some science facts<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Well, there used to be alligators at the North Pole<\/a> during a planetary warming event. On another occasion, the whole planet almost froze in what\u2019s called a Snowball Earth event \u2013 it was pretty much glaciated down to the equator!<\/p>\n

And what did you personally learn that was new?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A lot. One thing was that fungi<\/a>, not plants, originally dominated the land \u2013 it\u2019s fascinating! Millions of years ago, plants were effectively trapped in the sea and couldn\u2019t get onto the land.<\/p>\n

It was fungi that took those first steps due to their autotrophic nature \u2013 they can essentially remove ingredients from bare rock. One of these species, Prototaxites, had fungal spikes that were eight metres high (26 feet).<\/p>\n

Funnily enough, fossils of this fungi were hidden in museums for ages \u2013 we just didn\u2019t know it. They were thought to be tree remains, but it took one person to think, \u201cI\u2019ll have another look at that.\u201d Using new technology, they found it wasn\u2019t a plant fossil, but a fungi fossil.<\/p>\n

\""Chris\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Chris Packham stood in front of Antelao, one of the Dolomite mountains in the Italian Alps. Photo credit: BBC Studios<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Did learning so much leave you with more questions than answers?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I think so. This happens when you love learning new things. It\u2019s really exciting that, due to contemporary technology and its affordability, we are learning a lot, and more quickly than ever before. I likely know more about the Earth than my father or grandfather in their lifetimes because I can comfortably pick up something like BBC Science Focus<\/em> and see some staggering new story.<\/p>\n

But the greatest thrill is that you and I will go to our graves not having all the answers. It leaves room for the imagination.<\/p>\n

What was your favourite moment during filming?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I got pooped on \u2013 by a giant condor! Magnificent birds! This massive condor floated down while I stood on an escarpment in Chile. As the bird passed by, it looked right into my eyes\u2026 and then evacuated its bowels all over me.<\/p>\n

I was elated! Absolutely elated! If you get pooed on by an animal, you know you\u2019re really close to it \u2013 that\u2019s what wildlife is all about!<\/p>\n

Earth<\/em> covers the start of the planet\u2019s history, but what about its end? Does that worry you much?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We know the planet<\/em> will end when the Sun<\/a> expands and Earth gets too hot. But that\u2019s a long way off.<\/p>\n

I think most people see mountain ranges as having some kind of permanence. But they\u2019re very new in geological time \u2013 and really fragile!<\/p>\n

We\u2019re a fortunate species to have evolved at a point where there\u2019s been incredible stability in the environment. However, that stability could be undone at any point by an asteroid<\/a> or supervolcano<\/a>. If Yellowstone just cracked open and got going, it really wouldn\u2019t be atypical of Earth\u2019s history. Although it would certainly change our role on the planet!<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it\u2019s all unpredictable. And I don\u2019t mind that. I don\u2019t like to think humans are the be-all and end-all of life and the Universe. We should respect our own species\u2019 fragility. We\u2019re really very special and lucky. We ought to appreciate that a bit more.<\/p>\n

As part of this, do you a feel personal responsibility to highlight how our climate is changing?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Of course. I do see it as my job to amplify the science.<\/p>\n

As an older person, I feel incredibly guilty. But it\u2019s a great fuel. I don\u2019t feel I\u2019ve done enough, it\u2019s like I\u2019m asleep at the wheel, and I\u2019ve got to do more while I have the time. So I hope<\/em> other people feel as guilty as I do, because we have failed and now we need to fix it.<\/p>\n

The reason I make my programmes is to try and get people to help make a difference, basically. It\u2019s why you won\u2019t catch me doing cookery shows, because they\u2019re not going to save the world, are they?<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n