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Essence of life

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 99

Scope and Contents

William D. Clarke, AMNH curator of invertebrates, reviews the nature and range of life on earth, illustrating how all normal forms of life have five basic properties: responsiveness, the ability to reproduce, growth, metabolism, and movement. A live performance by UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) demonstrates that despite its amazing capabilities, far superior to human clerks, its giant brain falls short of qualifying it as life. A powerful electron microscope is used to show that the five basic properties of life exist even in microscopic life. The problem posed to researchers by the filterable virus, for which the existence of only one of the five basic properties has been verified, is also discussed. Film material of slime molds and one-celled animals are examined as part of the essence of life.

Dates

  • 1955

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Not available through inter-library loan. Contact AMNH Library Special Collections for terms of access.

Extent

1 Film Reel (30 minutes) : sound, black and white ; 16 mm.

1 Videocassette (U-Matic (30 minutes)) : sound, black and white ; 3/4 in.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

3/4 in., U-Matic, viewing copy

Other Finding Aids

Finding aid: script.

General

Original format: 16mm kinescope.

General

Originally aired Mar. 20, 1955 as part of the CBS/AMNH Adventure television series.

General

http://libcat1.amnh.org/record=b1139104

General

Charles Collingwood, host; Mel Ferber, director; Robert Northshield, producer; Jac Venza and Shelby Gordon, assistant producers; Frank de Felitta, script editor; Edward F. Norworth, writer; Grover Cole, production design; Frank Protzman, technical director; Myron Bleam, set director; Hal Anderson, light director.

Title
Essence of life, 1955
Author
Iris Lee
Date
2018
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library Repository

Contact:
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West
New York NY 10024 USA
(212) 769-5420