Biology Today

The first edition, published by Communications Research Machines, Inc. (CRM) and written by a small editorial team and large set of prominent "contributing consultants", is notable for its lavish illustrations and its humanistic approach.

", by Albert Szent-Györgyi—a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and, as the essay's biographical tag explains, a protester against "the irrational pursuit of war and politics that characterizes our Western culture" as well as an advocate of using technology "to create a psychologically and socially progressive world where humanistic values are paramount".

According to a review in The American Biology Teacher, The Origin of Life and Evolution used "creative cinematography to recreate current views" and won awards at "two major education film festivals".

While the reviewer considered it the best of its kind (in 1977) and praised it both for educational value and captivating "visual imagery", he noted that it was too sophisticated for the full range of its intended audiences and that "basic knowledge of DNA is a prerequisite for gaining maximum usefulness from the film.

A reviewer judged it "well-written, pedogogically sound, and, generally, scientifically accurate", but lacking the stylistic flair (and the seven Nobel Prize-winning contributors) of the original.

Cover of the first edition
Noah's Ark , by Kerstin Apelman Öberg, was used in the chapter on "Human Sexual Behavior"; this and other objectionable images led to limited adoption of the first edition and were removed in later editions.