David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough: is possibly the best-known naturalist and popularizer in the world, with a career spanning almost 5 decades, after which it can be said that he is the most respected face and voice of nature and natural history programs (a proof This is why, for example, there are 4 species of animals and plants that bear his name: the dinosaur Attenborosaurus conybeari, the fossil fish Materpiscis attenboroughi, the echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi and the Philippine plant Nepenthes attenboroughii).

Summary

[ disguise ]

• 1 Biographical summary
• 2 TV Series
• 3 Opinions and supports
• 4 Religions and creationism
• 5 Other causes
• 6 Sources

Biographical summary

David Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926, in London, United Kingdom. He grew up in College House on the campus of University College, Leicester, where his father, Frederick Attenborough, was headmaster.[1] He is the second child of three (his older brother, Richard, became an actor and director; his younger brother, John, is CEO of Alfa Romeo). During World War II, his parents adopted two Jewish refugee girls from conflict zones. Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils, rocks and other natural specimens that helped him greatly (helping nature). He received much encouragement at the age of 7, when the young archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes admired the “museum” of him. A few years later, one of his adoptive sisters gave him a piece of amber that included fossil insects. Fifty years later, this amber rock was the focus of the program titled “The Amber Time Machine.” Attenborough studied at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys, located in Leicester, and managed, after his primary studies, to enter Clare College, Cambridge, where he obtained a Degree in Natural Sciences. In 1947, he was appointed to the National Service in the English Navy and spent years in North Wales and the Firth of Forth. In 1950, he married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel; Her marriage lasted until her death in 1997, and they had two children: Robert and Susan.

TV series

Most of David Attenborough’s production is nature TV documentaries that he has presented and written in the series called Life, which begins with the trilogy: Life on Earth (1979). ), The Living Planet (1984) and The Trials of Life (1990). In them he examines in detail not only the living organisms existing on Earth from different points of view, but also visually elaborates a taxonomic and ecological classification in different states of life. These initial productions were followed by other more specialized programs, such as Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds birds) (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002), Life in the Undergrowth (2005), which deals exclusively with terrestrial invertebrates. The most recent is Life in Cold Blood (2008), a monograph on reptiles and amphibians, winner of the 2009 BAFTA TV Award in the “Best Specialist Factual” category. In the Spanish dubbed version of his documentary series, David Attenborough’s voice-over and presentation has almost always been that of the Spanish dubbing actor José Ángel Juanes Seseña. (The Living Planet, Life on Earth, Life on test, The life of mammals, Frozen planet…). Later José María del Río has also done it on numerous occasions (Planet Earth, Life, Madagascar, Africa…).

Opinions and supports

In defense of the environment

From the beginning, Attenborough’s major series have included some content about the impact of human society on the natural world. The latest episode of The Living Planet, for example, focuses almost exclusively on human destruction of the environment and the ways in which it could be stopped or reversed. Despite this, her programs have been criticized for not making her message in favor of the environment more explicit. Some environmentalists believe that programs like Attenborough’s give a false idyllic image of nature and do not do enough to publicize that these areas are increasingly being invaded by humans. However, his closing message from State of the Planet was resounding: The future of life on Earth depends on our ability to take action. Many people are doing what they can, but true success can only come if there is a change in our societies, our economy and in our politics. I have been fortunate in my life to see some of the greatest natural spectacles the world has to offer. Without a doubt, we have the responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy, habitable for all species.

 

Religions and creationism

In December 2005, in an interview with Simon Mayo on BBC Radio Five Live, Attenborough said that he considers himself an agnostic. When asked whether his observation of nature has given him faith in a creator, he usually responds with some version of this story: My answer is that when creationists talk about God creating each individual species as a separate act, they always cite as an example hummingbirds, orchids, or sunflowers and pretty things. But instead I tend to think of a parasitic worm boring into the eye of a child sitting on the bank of a river in West Africa, a worm that is going to blind him. And I ask them, are you telling me that the God that you believe in, that you always say is merciful, that he cares for each of us individually, are you saying that God created this worm that can’t live anywhere else but in the eye of an innocent child? Because this does not seem to me to coincide with a God full of mercy. He has explained that he feels that the evidence from around the planet clearly shows that evolution is the best way to explain the diversity of life, and that “as far as I’m concerned, if there is a supreme being, he chose organic evolution as the way of bringing the natural world into existence.” In an interview on BBC Four with Mark Lawson, Attenborough was asked if he had ever had any religious faith. He simply responded, “No.” However, he expressly denies being an atheist, as the opposite of agnostic. In 2002, Attenborough joined an effort led by leading clerics and scientists to oppose the inclusion of creationism in the curriculum of state-funded and privately sponsored independent schools in the United Kingdom, such as the Schools Foundation. Immanuel. In 2009 Attenborough stated that the Book of Genesis, by saying that the world was there for people to dominate, had taught generations that they could “dominate” the natural environment, and that this had led to the devastation of large areas. enviroment. Attenborough further explained to the scientific journal Nature: This is why Darwinism, and the fact of evolution, is of great importance, because it is that attitude that has led to so much devastation, and we are in the situation where that we are. Also in early 2009, the BBC broadcast Attenborough’s one-hour special, Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life. Referring to the programme, Attenborough said: People write to me saying that evolution is just a theory. Well, it’s not a theory. Evolution is as solid a historical fact as you can conceive. There is evidence everywhere. What is a theory is whether natural selection is the mechanism and whether it is the only mechanism. That is a theory. But the historical reality that dinosaurs gave rise to birds and mammals gave rise to whales, that is not theory. He strongly opposes creationism and its offshoot “intelligent design”, saying that a study that found that a quarter of science teachers in state schools believe creationism should be taught alongside evolution in science classes was “really terrible.” In March 2009 Attenborough appeared in Friday Night, with Jonathan Ross. Attenborough said that he felt that evolution does not rule out the existence of a God and accepted the title of agnostic saying: “My view is: I don’t know one way or another, but I don’t think that evolution works against a belief in God.” ”

Other causes

In May 2005, Attenborough was named patron of the UK Blood Pressure Association, which provides information and support to people with high blood pressure. Attenborough is also an honorary member of BSES Expeditions, a young non-profit organization that drives challenging scientific research expeditions in remote and wild environments.