What Darwin Never Knew (2009): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2009, What Darwin Never Knew is a history and documentary film directed by Sarah Holt, running about 120 minutes. “One hundred and fifty years later, scientists decode nature's greatest mysteries” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Earth teems with a staggering variety of animals, including 9,000 kinds of birds, 28,000 types of fish, and more than 350,000 species of beetles. What explains this explosion of living creatures—1.4 million different species discovered so far, with perhaps another 50 million to go? The source of life's endless forms was a profound mystery until Charles Darwin brought forth his revolutionary idea of natural selection. But Darwin's radical insights raised as many questions as they answered. What actually drives evolution and turns one species into another? To what degree do different animals rely on the same genetic toolkit? And how did we evolve?

Who’s in it. What Darwin Never Knew stars Karl Steudel, Jerry Chu, Kandace Cummings and Ellen Becker Gray.

How it landed. With an audience score of 9.0/10, What Darwin Never Knew sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch What Darwin Never Knew page.

If you liked it. Fans of What Darwin Never Knew tend to enjoy Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge and Green Book.