"Human" The First of Us

1 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,319 Where do we come from? 2 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:15,960 When did our story really begin? 3 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,360 Who were the first Homo sapiens? 4 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,159 Not just humans who looked like us, 5 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,320 but people who thought and behaved as we do. 6 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,800 People we would recognise as truly one of us. 7 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:49,120 We, Homo sapiens, first appeared over 300,000 years ago. 8 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,999 We were not the first species of human. 9 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,239 We're not the biggest, we're not the strongest, 10 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,879 we're just the latest in a long line of other humans. 11 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,079 Yet, a few hundred thousand years later, we are the only ones 12 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:12,679 left, and the most dominant form of life on this planet. 13 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,880 How on earth did this happen? 14 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,920 I'm Ella Al-Shamahi, a paleoanthropologist. 15 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,719 People spend their whole lives trying to find 16 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,920 a fossil as significant as this. 17 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:39,079 You might think you know the story of human evolution, but now 18 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:43,920 we are discovering it's stranger and more dramatic than we ever imagined. 19 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,320 This was something that wiped out 13 people in the same family. 20 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,719 Thanks to ground-breaking new science, we are 21 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,280 rewriting the story of our origins. 22 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,120 From our tentative first steps... 23 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,680 ..to the migrations that carried us across continents. 24 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:20,360 And our encounters with other human species we met along the way. 25 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,959 It's small, it's really tiny. 26 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,040 I can see why you would call it the Hobbit. 27 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,200 From the first marks we made on cave walls... 28 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,360 ..to the rise of cities... 29 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:45,559 ..these are the unlikely events that forged us. 30 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,319 Moments of chance, but also ingenuity, 31 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,080 of beauty and destruction. 32 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,759 This is us, this is our story, and it's what happened 33 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:03,839 in the 99% of our history before the invention of writing, when our 34 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,800 story wasn't written in books, but was written in our bones and DNA. 35 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,760 This is the story of how we became... 36 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:21,560 ..human. 37 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:29,074 38 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,680 This story begins in Africa, in a time long ago... 39 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,040 ..in a world before we existed at all. 40 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,840 In many ways, this world would feel familiar... 41 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,040 ..teeming with animals we'd recognise. 42 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,640 But there was one crucial difference. 43 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:31,079 This world was inhabited by not one, 44 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,520 but by many other types of human. 45 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,279 We're used to living in a world filled with other species. 46 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:47,679 Over eight million share our planet with us. 47 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:54,119 But there is only one of us, only one human species, Homo sapiens. 48 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:57,799 And so, it's really easy to forget that it wasn't always like this. 49 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,920 The world before us was alive with other human activity. 50 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,520 Around six million years before Homo sapiens appeared... 51 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:14,880 ..some primates left the trees. 52 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:23,000 They started walking upright and over time, began using stone tools. 53 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,280 These toolmakers became the earliest form of human. 54 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,720 Over millions of years, these humans continued to evolve... 55 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,480 ..forming a diverse family tree of different human species. 56 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,279 Who were these other humans and how are we connected to them? 57 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,239 Well, they're all part of our extended family, 58 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,399 so our parents, grandparents, great-aunts, cousins. 59 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,799 Some were our ancestors, others just relatives. 60 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:09,319 But all of them were part of our lineage, our family tree, 61 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:10,680 that spanned millennia. 62 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,040 Around the time Homo sapiens emerged... 63 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,200 ..there were at least six different human species. 64 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,839 And using the latest scientific data, 65 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:30,160 we can reconstruct what they might have looked like. 66 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,159 There were so many species of human. 67 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,959 You had Homo erectus, an ancestor of ours, and an incredibly 68 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,480 successful species, because they lived for about two million years. 69 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:50,160 Now, Homo erectus was actually the first in our genus to leave Africa. 70 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,800 And we also think that they were the first to use fire. 71 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,519 There's also Homo neanderthalensis, 72 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,720 who you probably know as the Neanderthals. 73 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,279 Neanderthals lived in Europe, all the way into Central Asia. 74 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,200 They were cold-adapted. 75 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,760 And they were expert hunters. 76 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,799 There was also Homo floresiensis, 77 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,400 who some people affectionately call the Hobbit... 78 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,559 ..because they were only about a metre tall, 79 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,440 so that's about three and a half feet. 80 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,160 Tiny, and yet adapted for living on an island. 81 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:53,719 It seems like a fantastical world, and I can't help it, 82 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,399 it reminds me of Lord Of The Rings. 83 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,759 Only, instead of a world with elves and dwarves, 84 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,800 you had a magical place with other humans. 85 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,400 The human family tree had many branches. 86 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,680 But which branch did Homo sapiens first emerge from? 87 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:30,679 We don't know for sure, 88 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,840 but we're getting closer than ever to finding out. 89 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:05,519 For the longest time, we thought we knew the origins of our species. 90 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,600 We thought we began 200,000 years ago in East Africa. 91 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,719 But new revelations from out here in Morocco, 92 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,599 from a part of Africa that people weren't really considering, 93 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,960 are forcing us to rethink our very first steps on this planet. 94 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,079 In a remote cave in North West Africa, 95 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:39,960 a chance discovery uncovered some mysterious human remains. 96 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,360 Someone unexpected was living here... 97 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,800 ..thousands of years earlier than we imagined. 98 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,879 This is Jebel Irhoud 1, and it was a complete mystery, 99 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,959 because some of its features are very much like us, 100 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:58,680 very Homo sapiens, and others are much older, much more primitive. 101 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:05,159 So, if you look at this individual's face, 102 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,559 its face looks a lot like ours. 103 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:12,159 The Homo sapiens face is incredibly gracile. 104 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,919 We have incredibly delicate features. 105 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:19,239 They, kind of, tuck in under our brain case. 106 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,959 If you imagine a prehistoric human, 107 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,159 you kind of always imagine a much, kind of more prognathic, 108 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:27,999 we say, much more kind of jutting forwards face. 109 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,519 This individual's face is much more tucked under, it's much shorter. 110 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,679 But there are some features that aren't us. 111 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:39,239 Notice this brow ridge up here, this supraorbital structure. 112 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:40,879 Now, look at me. 113 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,919 You don't get modern humans walking around today with these 114 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,879 massive things on top of their eyes. 115 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,839 I mean, it would actually be quite terrifying today if we saw that. 116 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,799 Now, the brain case is not us. 117 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,999 You see how round my brain case is? 118 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,959 It's globular, whereas this is almost stretched out. 119 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,159 It's almost like somebody's got my brain case but kind of 120 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:03,879 stretched the back of it out. 121 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:09,999 It's almost like straight-on, the face is Homo sapiens, 122 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:14,840 but from the other angles, it's not us. 123 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,719 These finds posed a mystery. 124 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:30,840 They were anomalies that didn't fit neatly into the human family tree. 125 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,640 They looked partly like Homo sapiens... 126 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,800 ..and partly like an earlier human. 127 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:59,879 So, the question was, was this a different species, 128 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,600 or could it be an early version of us? 129 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,640 Several decades after the initial discoveries came a breakthrough. 130 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:24,560 Archaeologists uncovered another 16 fossils... 131 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,600 ..all with the same blend of features. 132 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,120 With each new find, the evidence grew. 133 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:13,439 These were not some other species, but Homo sapiens, 134 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,720 with hints of an earlier ancestor. 135 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,999 But it wasn't until archaeologists were able to more accurately 136 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:29,600 date the remains that the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. 137 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,079 The archaeologists, using new and improved dating techniques, 138 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:43,759 were able to give us dates for these fossils, and they tell us 139 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,679 that these individuals lived about 300,000 years ago. 140 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,599 And that is mind-boggling, 141 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:55,999 because we thought our species was only about 200,000 years old. 142 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:01,559 What these fossils tell us is that our species, Homo sapiens, 143 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,999 is 100,000 years older than we thought. 144 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,519 We are a third older than we realised. 145 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,999 This fossil went from being enigmatic 146 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:12,839 and basically a mystery, 147 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:18,320 to being one of the most important fossils in our whole field. 148 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:27,199 Thousands of miles from East Africa where we thought we began, 149 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,000 and far older than expected... 150 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:38,319 ..these are the earliest Homo sapiens ever found. 151 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,800 And they have forced us to rethink other finds across Africa... 152 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:51,159 ..which are painting an entirely new picture of our origins, 153 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,360 suggesting that Jebel Irhoud... 154 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,199 ..was just one of many emerging populations, 155 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,160 all in the process of taking shape. 156 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,159 It's... 157 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:11,199 It's a bit like having a peek behind the curtain of evolution. 158 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,360 This is a stage in the journey to becoming us. 159 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,959 I wonder what it would feel like to come face-to-face with 160 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,080 one of the people from Jebel Irhoud? 161 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:43,680 If we were to look into their eyes... 162 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,039 ..into those quite delicate features, 163 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,080 would we see ourselves within them? 164 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,559 The answer is, they were not modern humans like us. 165 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:04,640 Not yet. 166 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,279 They were an earlier stage in our evolutionary journey, 167 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,800 bridging the gap between us and our ancient human ancestors. 168 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,399 Our emergence was actually slow, and honestly, at the beginning, 169 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,919 we were just not that special. 170 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,079 Now, early iterations of Homo sapiens, like Jebel Irhoud, 171 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:39,840 were popping up all over Africa. 172 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:49,759 We once believed in a single origin, a sole cradle of humanity 173 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:55,720 in East Africa, but our story is far richer and more interesting. 174 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,399 The latest evidence suggests we emerged gradually, 175 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:11,400 across thousands of miles, and over hundreds of thousands of years... 176 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,680 ..appearing bit by bit... 177 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:26,440 ..like a series of sparks... 178 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,480 ..igniting across the African continent. 179 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,880 And yet, Homo sapiens could have easily vanished without trace. 180 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:53,480 Because just as we were finding our place in the world... 181 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,320 ..something threatened to wipe us out altogether. 182 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:11,599 It's in East Africa's Great Rift Valley that we can trace 183 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,840 the next chapter of our story. 184 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:24,279 This dynamic landscape holds some of the clearest 185 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:30,600 evidence of the forces that set our species on a radically new path. 186 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,519 When they say the Great Rift Valley of East Africa is a dramatic 187 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,960 place, they're not kidding. 188 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:48,959 I mean, look at it. 189 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:52,279 I can literally hear it bubbling behind me, and it's 190 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:56,479 the result of a geological process that sees three tectonic plates 191 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:01,040 tearing away from each other, which results in a dynamic landscape. 192 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:10,239 And even though this part doesn't look that hospitable, 193 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,640 it has been a home to people for a very long time. 194 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,240 This is one of the most fossil-rich regions in Africa. 195 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:32,519 Its unusual geology has not only preserved human remains, 196 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:36,480 but also offers a glimpse into the forces that drove our evolution. 197 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,759 So, within the lakebeds here, if you dig deep, you can 198 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,000 actually extract sediment cores. 199 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:56,199 Now, one here in Ethiopia was about 280 metres deep, 200 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:00,279 so that represents over 600,000 years. 201 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,759 And within that sediment, it's a bit like a time machine, 202 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,840 because bits of ancient environment are trapped. 203 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,319 By analysing these sediment layers, 204 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,679 scientists have uncovered a window 205 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,519 into the world some of the earliest 206 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,920 Homo sapiens were living in. 207 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:26,479 The information from those sediment cores has been 208 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,959 collated into this graph, and when you zoom out, it actually 209 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:33,519 paints a really interesting picture, because for the first 300,000 210 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,279 years, you see a period of relative climate stability. 211 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:42,719 But then, at around 275,000 years ago, something shifts, 212 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:48,679 and we see a period of fluctuations, volatility, between humid 213 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,759 and arid periods, in a way that just wasn't happening before. 214 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,439 Now, East and West Africa are linked in a kind of climate seesaw. 215 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:01,000 So, when one is humid, the other is arid, and vice versa. 216 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:10,840 Over thousands of years, wild climate swings engulfed Africa... 217 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,280 ..plunging fledgling populations of Homo sapiens... 218 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,360 ..into a world of extremes. 219 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,640 Ecosystems were destroyed. 220 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,760 Rivers and lakes swelled... 221 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:02,840 ..cutting people off from one another. 222 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,560 Elsewhere, grasslands turned to desert. 223 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,000 Survival was a battle against relentless change. 224 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,759 I do think that when we look at these zoomed-out graphs, 225 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,719 we sometimes make a vital error. 226 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,119 We forget to zoom back in. 227 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,039 After all, human evolution is about humans. 228 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,959 There are people like you and me experiencing the peaks 229 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,160 and troughs of those graphs. 230 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,679 People who were suddenly facing droughts, or flash floods, 231 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,040 or perhaps the disappearance of a food source. 232 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,360 Entire communities... 233 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,720 ..found themselves isolated. 234 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,040 Some populations dwindled. 235 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,600 The ones who couldn't adapt died out. 236 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,039 This struggle for survival could have wiped 237 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,120 Home sapiens out altogether. 238 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:15,839 But it didn't. 239 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:17,960 It had the opposite effect. 240 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:20,800 It drove us forward. 241 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,160 Under pressure, isolated populations learnt new skills. 242 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,600 Those who could adapt and innovate had a better chance of survival. 243 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:58,359 Then, as the climate changed, groups came back together. 244 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:02,440 They shared skills and crucially, they interbred... 245 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,480 ..passing beneficial traits on to their children. 246 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,840 It was a process that began to change us permanently. 247 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,440 The people who survived emerged stronger than ever. 248 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,320 Today, most of us live in towns and cities... 249 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,719 ..and so, the reality of being affected by the climate 250 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,239 as a result of being a nomadic person kind of escapes us. 251 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,039 But you've actually got a really good example here, 252 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:14,280 with the Afar people. 253 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,039 They are nomadic, and so they get pushed 254 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,559 and pulled around the landscape. 255 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,199 And it would've been very similar with our ancestors, 256 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,920 but actually in a more extreme fashion. 257 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,799 These different groups, as they were moving around, 258 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,319 would've at times met, and when they did, 259 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:40,960 they would've, of course, shared skills and knowledge and DNA. 260 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,519 It was this mixing of groups that ultimately brought us 261 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,240 closer to becoming the Homo sapiens we are today. 262 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,559 Our origins as a species are so much more complicated and dynamic, 263 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:07,920 involving not just East Africa, but the whole of the African continent. 264 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,879 Africa was a continent rich in diversity, and climate acted 265 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:19,360 as a sort of catalyst, blending these various groups together. 266 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:23,959 And so, we were formed as a result of a mosaic of these 267 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,880 different populations across Africa. 268 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,800 It was our diversity, our resilience in the face of climate change... 269 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,719 ..it shaped us, our minds and our bodies, 270 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,800 and transformed us into a new and evolved human. 271 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,199 We all carry an echo of what happened in Africa 272 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,240 at this pivotal moment... 273 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:05,000 ..because what happened then changed us forever. 274 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,840 What began as diverse, scattered populations... 275 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,840 ..in the face of adversity came together... 276 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:38,960 ..propelling us to become one stronger, smarter species. 277 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,719 This is a museum that houses some of the most important 278 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:05,520 fossils in the human story. 279 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,559 And one of those fossils is Herto 1, easily one of the most 280 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,239 significant Homo sapiens fossils that has ever been found. 281 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,879 And that's because this individual is one of the very first 282 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,679 in our lineage that we can describe as an anatomically modern human. 283 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:29,319 Its physical characteristics 284 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:34,639 and traits are overwhelmingly similar to those of yours and mine. 285 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:38,799 And if you look at this individual compared to Jebel Irhoud, 286 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,599 look how rounded it is. 287 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:47,439 Some people have put forward this intriguing idea that perhaps 288 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:53,720 the shape of the skull reflects a change in brain organisation. 289 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,839 This process of globularisation has been linked to language skills 290 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,279 and coordination. 291 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,479 And it is really exciting to consider that this 292 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:13,359 change in shape reflects a really significant shift in the way 293 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,920 that Homo sapiens were starting to think. 294 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,559 These larger, reorganised brains had slowly 295 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:30,680 but surely opened a gap between Homo sapiens and our ancestors. 296 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:34,599 But it wasn't only the size 297 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,360 and shape of our brains that set us apart. 298 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,399 One of the lines of evidence for this are actually the teeth. 299 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,759 Now, scientists have discovered that if you look very 300 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,079 closely at the teeth, what you find are very fine lines called 301 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,359 perikymata, that represent about a week in the life of an individual. 302 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:57,519 So, that means you can count how long an individual has been 303 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,599 alive, a bit like tree rings. 304 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,959 And so, if you look at a Homo erectus individual 305 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:09,519 and compare it to, say, a Homo sapiens living today, 306 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:15,120 our species takes an incredibly long time to get to sexual maturity. 307 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,679 From the lines in their teeth, we know that Homo sapiens 308 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:24,960 children were growing up much more slowly than earlier humans. 309 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:36,559 The thinking behind it is that we needed a really long time to 310 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,400 learn how to use these brains of ours. 311 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,719 And the longer that you exist in childhood, 312 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,280 the longer you have to learn. 313 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,479 And so, this thing that is a real headache to so many parents 314 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,919 out there today, that our children take so long to become fully 315 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:06,840 formed, that might actually be a huge key to our success. 316 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,079 Reorganised minds and longer childhoods, 317 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:19,920 our brains and bodies had evolved. 318 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:29,960 At last, we were Homo sapiens who physically looked like us. 319 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:39,160 What you might call, Sapiens 2.0. 320 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:52,039 It was some of these anatomically modern Homo sapiens that 321 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,280 began to step out into the wider world. 322 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:01,320 But beyond Africa was already home to other humans. 323 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,560 Neanderthals had spread across Central Asia and Europe. 324 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,479 Other parts of Asia were populated by multiple species, 325 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:18,440 including Homo erectus. 326 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:28,239 And there is evidence in the Middle East 327 00:34:28,240 --> 00:34:30,680 of an early group of Homo sapiens... 328 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:41,400 ..who followed in the footsteps of these other human species. 329 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,119 I do love thinking about those huge moments in our history, 330 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,359 like when Homo sapiens first left Africa. 331 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,719 It was a massive achievement, even though 332 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:02,919 they would've had no idea of the significance of it. 333 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:07,039 And it's amazing to think that it happened so early on in our story. 334 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,560 But it's in the Levant that I think things get really interesting. 335 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:19,839 Evidence has been uncovered of a community of Homo sapiens 336 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:23,320 living in caves, in what is now Israel. 337 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,079 And it's in this place they would 338 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:33,440 have encountered something unexpected. 339 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:40,399 There is one mountain called Mount Carmel where one cave, 340 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,839 called Skhul, has been found with Homo sapiens. 341 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:50,119 And another cave on the same mountain, called Tabun Cave, 342 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:52,920 has been found with Neanderthal individuals. 343 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,560 And these two peoples were living at the same time. 344 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:01,760 It is kind of wonderful to think about. 345 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,359 And of course, the Neanderthals were not an African species, 346 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:13,759 they were used to living outside of Africa, 347 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,920 whereas for us, this was still very, very new. 348 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:27,000 Two species sharing the same mountain. 349 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:30,440 We don't know if they interacted. 350 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:39,439 But we do know that while Neanderthals remained 351 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:45,640 in the region, all traces of this group of Homo sapiens vanished. 352 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:52,080 Their bloodline died out completely. 353 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:02,719 What is most fascinating about these Homo sapiens isn't who 354 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,279 they met, it isn't even what they achieved. 355 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:10,319 It's that all of these early dispersals failed. 356 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:15,559 We know from genetic evidence that those Homo sapiens are not 357 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:20,400 the ones who would go on to ultimately populate the planet. 358 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,200 This failed migration was a stark reminder of our fragility. 359 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:46,520 These people looked like us, but there was something missing. 360 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,920 Because what really defines our species isn't how we look. 361 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,000 It's not even the size of our brains. 362 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:06,240 It's something else altogether. 363 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:17,640 While these early migrants vanished... 364 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:24,840 ..populations in Africa thrived... 365 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:31,360 ..displaying that special essence that makes us who we are. 366 00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:58,320 A way of thinking and behaving that would set Homo sapiens apart. 367 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,679 And some of the earliest traces of it can be found in this 368 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:13,040 remote cave in Botswana. 369 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,880 This is a very large natural outcrop. 370 00:39:28,720 --> 00:39:30,999 And as you can see, it goes on and on. 371 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,920 It's seven metres long. 372 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,319 The front has a natural slit for a mouth, 373 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,119 and a natural depression for an eye. 374 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:45,199 And even if you want to go that far, a nostril up at the front. 375 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:49,319 - Right. - With the head rearing up, it does, 376 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,880 in modern eyes, look like a snake. 377 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:01,799 The overall form has been altered 378 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,080 to make it look even more snake-like. 379 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:12,119 There are over 300 indentations that have been ground into the 380 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:16,480 surface over what is obviously an extended period of time. 381 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,839 When the initial excavations were conducted, 382 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,640 they absolutely revealed a number of questions. 383 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:31,279 One of the things found was an extremely large 384 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:34,919 number of tools that appeared to be manufactured 385 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:37,959 and then just left there in pristine condition. 386 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,599 These look gorgeous. I mean, they absolutely look stunning. 387 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:44,599 Once they were manufactured, then you did one of three things with it. 388 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:49,559 You either manufactured it perfectly and just left it. 389 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:53,000 - Mh-hm. - Or more interestingly, you burnt it. 390 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:01,480 But not burnt to just, like, throwing it in a bonfire. 391 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,280 It's controlled burning. 392 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,959 And the third and most bizarre thing that they did with them 393 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:20,999 is they made it, manufactured it perfectly, 394 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:25,319 and when they were finished, turned it over, smashed it in the middle. 395 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:27,479 - These are offerings, aren't they? - Yeah. 396 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:31,119 The only thing that makes sense, the on... The best fit 397 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:33,959 is that they're sacrifices, they're offerings. 398 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:35,719 They're not doing it for fun. 399 00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:41,719 They feel that coming up and doing this act would satisfy some 400 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:45,960 kind of a need, some kind of, um, a wish, some kind of a desire. 401 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:54,360 Although it's absolutely magnificent during the daytime... 402 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:58,360 ..it comes to life at night. 403 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,400 We can't speak to these people, but this... 404 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:13,919 ..this whole place, it gets us 405 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:18,039 so much closer to what they were thinking, what was going on inside. 406 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:22,639 Yeah. We had always had the impression that this type of 407 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:28,679 abstract thinking would've been beyond the ancestors at that time, 408 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,479 and now we definitely have evidence that that was absolutely wrong, 409 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:37,679 that they obviously had the ability to hold abstract thought. 410 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:41,599 You make an offering and hope for something back. 411 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,359 Asking for probably some of the things that we would ask for - 412 00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:49,799 food, health, children, etc, etc - and you just think, 413 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:53,999 "Oh, my gosh, that's some of the... That's some of the earliest 414 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:58,800 "behaviour that we know so well." 415 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,759 Some believe the people who performed these rituals must 416 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,560 have been holding abstract ideas in their heads... 417 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:16,400 ..imagining things they couldn't see. 418 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:22,080 A clue their minds were sparking and forming connections in a new way. 419 00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:33,599 When I see this, this is what moves me, 420 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:37,479 because this is who we are, in a way 421 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:41,880 that feels more us than bones. 422 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:50,919 See, it is so familiar to us. 423 00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,719 We know this behaviour. This is ritual. 424 00:43:53,720 --> 00:43:56,599 Whether it is religion and spirituality, or things 425 00:43:56,600 --> 00:44:01,399 like the handshake, or birthdays, graduation ceremonies, Burning Man, 426 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:07,279 Glastonbury, New Year's Eve, we are, as a species, obsessed with ritual. 427 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:12,679 It is profoundly and fundamentally Homo sapiens behaviour. 428 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:15,080 It's us. We know it. 429 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:27,519 It was as if they were able to see beyond the tangible. 430 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:31,320 They were thinking beyond what was just in front of them. 431 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:37,480 They were venturing into the unknown and into the unseen. 432 00:44:49,680 --> 00:44:53,880 Behaviour like this marked a new chapter in our species' story. 433 00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:03,600 Our minds were awakening, opening up to a world of possibility. 434 00:45:09,720 --> 00:45:11,760 This wasn't confined to ritual. 435 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:15,680 It touched every part of our lives. 436 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:36,719 Around 70,000 years ago, 437 00:45:36,720 --> 00:45:40,360 new weapons began appearing across Southern Africa. 438 00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:51,200 Homo sapiens were using abstract thought to innovate. 439 00:45:56,360 --> 00:46:00,720 Inventing complex projectile weapons, like the bow and arrow. 440 00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:11,360 We were seeing the world not just as it was, but as it could be. 441 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:16,719 It takes a lot to see the potential in a piece of wood. 442 00:46:16,720 --> 00:46:20,879 Projectile weapons were revolutionary technology for us 443 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:24,239 humans, because up until now, we'd been using close-range 444 00:46:24,240 --> 00:46:28,679 hunting strategies, which were less effective, less lethal, 445 00:46:28,680 --> 00:46:31,800 and yet more dangerous for the person holding the weapon. 446 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:42,519 For over two million years, early humans mostly relied on axes 447 00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:43,840 and spears. 448 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:53,359 But Homo sapiens imagined unseen forces like the power 449 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,080 held in wood and string. 450 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:06,120 Creating something entirely new. 451 00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:13,719 If you look at this bow and arrow, you can 452 00:47:13,720 --> 00:47:15,519 see how much knowledge is required. 453 00:47:15,520 --> 00:47:19,519 You need to know where to get the wood for the bow, you need to 454 00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:23,799 know about the glue, you need to know how taut the string should be. 455 00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:26,559 So many elements that require, not just knowledge, 456 00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:28,919 but the ability to pass that knowledge on. 457 00:47:28,920 --> 00:47:32,879 Something like this is not the result of one person's genius. 458 00:47:32,880 --> 00:47:37,919 It's the result of many, many people, over many generations, 459 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:41,640 inventing, reinventing, perfecting, tinkering. 460 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:50,040 We weren't just inventing. 461 00:47:51,720 --> 00:47:54,640 We were adapting and expanding our knowledge. 462 00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:04,559 Human culture was becoming more complex, 463 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:07,399 that technology was exploding. 464 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:10,159 Now, many of us think that this is a result of something called 465 00:48:10,160 --> 00:48:14,719 cumulative culture, the idea that you accumulate culture, so every 466 00:48:14,720 --> 00:48:19,280 generation builds upon the previous generation's science and technology. 467 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:28,759 With cumulative culture, Homo sapiens were becoming 468 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:32,200 collectively smarter with every generation. 469 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:41,000 And as our numbers increased, this was more powerful than any weapon. 470 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:47,320 A giant leap towards becoming the species we are today. 471 00:49:01,240 --> 00:49:04,200 When was our species truly born? 472 00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:08,880 Was it when we first appeared? 473 00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:15,400 Or when we started to look like modern humans? 474 00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:24,040 Or was it when our minds lit up? 475 00:49:26,960 --> 00:49:31,080 Creating, inventing, and building on our knowledge. 476 00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:39,280 Each was a crucial step in our evolution. 477 00:49:46,040 --> 00:49:50,040 But none would be possible without one special ingredient. 478 00:49:59,720 --> 00:50:03,320 The glue that binds all of our achievements together. 479 00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:08,479 It leaves no direct fossil evidence, 480 00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:13,920 but we can find traces of it in some unexpected places. 481 00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:21,999 In archaeology, sometimes the smallest finds actually tell 482 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:25,119 the grandest of stories. 483 00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:29,959 These are tiny marine shells, 484 00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:33,439 and shells like this have been found in caves in South Africa, 485 00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:37,919 and they are just too small to have been collected for meat. 486 00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:43,839 If you look really closely, what you see is that they have holes in them. 487 00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:46,679 Now, some of these were collected because they already had holes, 488 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:51,240 but others were perforated by Homo sapiens. 489 00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:17,119 And really close examination of the shells in these caves show that they 490 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:21,560 had wear marks on them consistent with having been worn on the body. 491 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:36,559 So, that, along with these holes in them, well, it's really easy to 492 00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:41,520 paint a picture of them having been strung... 493 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:44,960 ..and turned into jewellery. 494 00:51:56,600 --> 00:51:59,760 These weren't just beads, they were emblems. 495 00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:03,480 Symbols of value and meaning... 496 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:08,040 ..shared and understood by everyone. 497 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:22,879 They've been found with pigment on them, 498 00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:27,399 and it's always the same-coloured pigment, it's red ochre. 499 00:52:27,400 --> 00:52:33,160 Even though ochre comes in yellow, black and red, it's always red. 500 00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:41,079 Perhaps you were trading them for food, for goods, 501 00:52:41,080 --> 00:52:44,679 perhaps you'd give them as some kind of a gift at a wedding, 502 00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:47,599 perhaps they were just a sign of friendliness. 503 00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:50,279 And you can also imagine that people would be wearing them 504 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:54,600 to make themselves look good, it would perhaps be a sign of prestige. 505 00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:08,079 The making and sharing of these beads was one more 506 00:53:08,080 --> 00:53:12,440 sign our species had made another revolutionary leap. 507 00:53:14,080 --> 00:53:17,279 The ability to pass on knowledge and technology, 508 00:53:17,280 --> 00:53:19,760 sharing rituals and traditions. 509 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:26,999 All these things suggest Homo sapiens were passing 510 00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:31,200 sophisticated ideas from one mind to another. 511 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:37,720 Our species had unlocked the power of complex language. 512 00:53:41,480 --> 00:53:46,079 The most remarkable thing about these shells is that they 513 00:53:46,080 --> 00:53:50,319 have been found not just in South Africa, but all over Africa, 514 00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:55,239 from the south, all the way to the north, in Morocco and Algeria. 515 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:58,880 Not just along the coasts, but all the way inland. 516 00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:06,919 And that, for me, is so exciting, 517 00:54:06,920 --> 00:54:08,999 because when you look at this, 518 00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:12,119 you might think, "Oh, my God, isn't that amazing? 519 00:54:12,120 --> 00:54:14,919 "Humans have a kind of cultural expression 520 00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:16,880 "that they never had before." 521 00:54:23,440 --> 00:54:27,040 While earlier humans probably had basic language... 522 00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:34,199 ..it's thought Homo sapiens were speaking to each other 523 00:54:34,200 --> 00:54:36,080 in a more complex way. 524 00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:41,840 Weaving a shared culture. 525 00:54:44,800 --> 00:54:49,799 And forging an invisible bond that united our species 526 00:54:49,800 --> 00:54:52,440 across the entire continent. 527 00:54:58,160 --> 00:55:04,679 All over Africa, we understood the cultural symbolism 528 00:55:04,680 --> 00:55:06,199 of these beads. 529 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:11,239 Somebody was telling you, "This shell is important, not that shell. 530 00:55:11,240 --> 00:55:14,519 "Red is important, not the other colours." 531 00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:18,439 We had an understanding that wasn't just you, me, 532 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:22,119 and our three families, you, me, and the village next-door. 533 00:55:22,120 --> 00:55:25,279 We had a kind of symbolism and understanding 534 00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:30,000 and interconnectedness that was continent-wide. 535 00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:34,839 This has never happened before. 536 00:55:34,840 --> 00:55:39,040 For me, this is the birth of our species. 537 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:49,919 Our species' birth wasn't a single moment. 538 00:55:49,920 --> 00:55:52,360 It unfolded over millennia. 539 00:55:55,200 --> 00:55:59,999 Complex language and our powerful shared culture finally set us 540 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:02,800 apart from humans before us. 541 00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:11,080 We had become one connected, cooperative species. 542 00:56:14,280 --> 00:56:16,800 We had become Homo sapiens... 543 00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:20,480 ..the ancestors of us all. 544 00:56:29,880 --> 00:56:33,119 Sometimes in life, things come together, 545 00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:36,160 and this was a coming together for our species. 546 00:56:38,240 --> 00:56:41,159 It was a perfect storm. 547 00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:45,519 You had a change in brain, you had language, increased numbers, 548 00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:49,159 increased connectivity, cumulative culture, better technology 549 00:56:49,160 --> 00:56:51,680 and weaponry, and the right climate. 550 00:56:52,720 --> 00:56:57,759 But through all of this, there is a hidden thread. 551 00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:03,719 Our secret weapon is that we are a social, cooperative species. 552 00:57:03,720 --> 00:57:07,599 Friendliness, it turns out, is our superpower. 553 00:57:07,600 --> 00:57:11,999 We are more than the sum of our parts. 554 00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:15,399 Whether it's ritual, technology, language, 555 00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:19,679 all of it comes down to cooperation, in my opinion. 556 00:57:19,680 --> 00:57:25,559 And that's how you go from a species that started off feebly, 557 00:57:25,560 --> 00:57:29,639 unremarkably, to one that would 558 00:57:29,640 --> 00:57:32,679 become so extraordinary, 559 00:57:32,680 --> 00:57:35,280 one ready to explore this planet. 560 00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:05,399 ..we follow our ancestors as they spread beyond Africa, 561 00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:09,480 taking on extreme environments no others could master... 562 00:58:11,320 --> 00:58:14,439 ..travelling beyond the realm of another extraordinary 563 00:58:14,440 --> 00:58:18,400 species of human - the Hobbit. 564 00:58:19,640 --> 00:58:23,760 And eventually, even reaching the distant land of Australia. 565 00:58:24,305 --> 00:59:24,165 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm