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Poster for Planet In Focus: The Hunt for the Oldest DNA

Planet In Focus: The Hunt for the Oldest DNA

Midnite weekend screenings happen on Friday & Saturday nights,. so please be sure to arrive on Friday and/or Saturday night by 11:45pm for seating and the screening will start after midnight.

Director: Niobe Thompson Run Time: 54 min. Release Year: 2024

Three million years ago, camels roamed through Greenland’s endless forests and our ancestors lived in the trees. It all came to an end with the Ice Ages. What died and what survived, as natural selection shaped the evolutionary tree during this epochal shift from hot to cold? Until now, scientists have known less about the natural world before the Ice Age than they did about the age of dinosaurs, which ended 64 million years ago. A new discovery is set to reveal this lost world, species by species. Led by Danish gene-hunter Eske Willerslev, a team of scientists for the first time in history is sequencing DNA from before the Ice Age. The picture that emerges is of a hot planet, when forests blanketed the Arctic and carbon levels matched those in our atmosphere today. Is this a portrait of our own climate future?

 

Danish evolutionary geneticist Eske Willerslev’s singular obsession with sequencing DNA fragments buried in Greenland’s permafrost has unlocked secrets of ancient ecosystems that parallel our own climate, asking important questions about our own survival.

Danish evolutionary geneticist Eske Willerslev is known for his pioneering work sequencing DNA fragments buried in Greenland’s permafrost, unlocking secrets of ancient ecosystems. In The Hunt for Ancient DNA, director Niobe Thompson examines the drive it takes to create preeminent scientific work, delving into the story of a scientist whose singular obsession with creating prestigious research has come with both great success and cost. Dr. Willerslev and his research team have made major revelations about the rich and diverse world of the mild Pliocene era, drawing parallels to the current warming climate, asking important questions about
our own survival. – PLANET IN FOCUS

Preceeded by: The Everlasting Pea

An enchanting exploration of plant life that blends scientific inquiry with ancient ruins and mysterious dreamscapes. Through the eyes of a scientist questioning plant consciousness, a pea plant dreaming of its past in Rome’s Colosseum, and a botanist unravelling a mystery, The Everlasting Pea invites a profound reimagining of our relationship with the vegetal world. – PLANET IN FOCUS

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime. 

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