Curiosity: Mankind Rising (2012) - full transcript
we are the most complex creature on this planet
a big brain two-legged mammal
we've risen from the raw materials of the earth
to dominate and shape it
wind the clock backwards
and the story of how we got to be us
is a puzzle that defies all logic
through nearly 4 billion years
of evolutionary twists and turns
disasters strike
predators threaten to wipe us out
from rodent to reptile
we face extinction at every turn
from the land into the water
fighting to survive every step of the web
from fish to worm back to the very first
spark of life
to a single simple cell
this is the most extraordinary
improbable story ever told
the story of mankind rising
[Music]
four billion years ago a ball of rock
and dust spins in the frozen vacuum
of space
this isn't Mars or Venus
this hell is earth
this seething lifeless mass of molten lava
will become home to nearly
nine million living species
but generating light from this
will take a chain of events
that defies the laws of probability
there are many theories
nobody knows exactly how or where life began
but it couldn't happen without water
experts believe asteroids or comets
delivered it here
the water is turning with
chemical and organic compounds
lightning strikes the chemical soup
at the right place and the right time
billions of volts of electricity
trigger a chain of improbable coincidences
the chemicals atoms join up in a precise sequence
creating a bundle of genetic material
these fragile genes don't stand
a chance in this extreme environment
[Music]
but luck strikes again
a blob of oily material engulfs a single chain
to create the first ever cell
now the gene send out messages
chemical instructions
and 3.5 billion years ago
they do something extraordinary
they copy themselves and the cell
to create a perfect clone
this is the very first living thing
every human every animal
every bug every plant
can trace its origins to this single cell
the genes tell each cell to reproduce
guaranteeing their survival as they pass
from one generation to the next
for two billion years the only living things
are simple single cells
but a random accident changes everything
two cells merge their genes combine
the merge cell clones itself
its offspring contains genes from not one
but two cells two parents
we call this accident sex
sex introduces variation
[Music]
occasionally things go wrong
as the cells reproduce genes get deleted
duplicated
these cells are mutants
mutations pile up
differences increase until the cells
become so different their separate species
The Tree of Life branches out
into billions of species
but only one will lead to us
mutating and diversifying
spreading out through the oceans
getting bigger more complex
until our ancestor is a 3-inch long water worm
this is us five hundred and fifty
million years ago
mutations create distinct male and
female sexes we produce more offspring
passing on more genes
Mars and Venus boy-meets-girl
it all starts here
but finding a partner is almost impossible
when every living thing is blind
in this sea of darkness
the ability to see will give us
a critical advantage
nature's most perfect innovation
begins to take shape
a handful of skin cells mutate now
we can tell dark from light find more prey
dodge more predators we live longer
and produce more offspring
soon creatures with light-sensitive cells
dominate the population
over countless generations
more mutations refine the cells
this is natural selection in action
the process that allows every living thing
to adapt to the world
and that gives our ancestor eyes
[Music]
we can see and everything we can see
is descended from that first single cell
but we need to make sense of what we're seeing
behind our eyes a tiny collection
of nerve cells clustered together
they're no bigger than a pinhead
one day this will be nature's most complex
and mysterious organ
521 million years ago
this is the very first brain
we are a fish-like creature called Myllokunmingia
our brain can make simple decisions
process basic information
but we can't outwit or outrun
this Anomalocaris
the great white of the ancient oceans
our odds of extinction are far higher
than survival
of all the species that have ever lived
99% of them are extinct
but a lucky roll of the genetic dice
helps Myllo toughen up
your jaws your teeth
they exist because over 400 million years ago
we face the wrath of a primeval monster
jaws and teeth mean more food
and a bigger stronger body
until 375 million years ago
we're a footlong armored fish
we look invincible
but we're not
now the choice is simple
get out of his way or die
[Music]
we're safe in the shallow water
or are we on the water stagnant
there's not enough oxygen
starved of oxygen cells shut down
toxic carbon dioxide saturates the blood
we can't go back we can't stay here
there's only one place left for us to go
[Music]
it takes over 3 billion years
for our ancestor to evolve from a single cell
to a footlong armored fish
now our future looks bleak
but natural selection
throws us a lifeline
over millions of years thousands of generations
our body adapts to we do something
no fish has done before
breathe air
the air travels into a new organ a lung
take a breath and remember it's because
a monster fish chased our ancestor
into the stagnant water
forcing them to breathe air
we're an Ichthyostega
we can breathe air or water
closing off our windpipe
to switch between lungs and gills
today our gills are gone
but the mechanism remains
and sometimes it spasms giving us the hiccups
365 million years ago
we stick our head out of the water
there's a swamp behind us paradise ahead
the choice is simple
but the consequences are immense
we pull ourselves out of the water
and change the course of history
this is the moment we leave the water
for a new life on land
but all this food comes at a price
the fierce sun dries out our skin
the hard terrain tears at our soft feet
Ichthyostega is a fish out of water
we dodged extinction in a stagnant swamp
only to slam straight into
another deadly environment
[Music]
countless creatures perish
but natural selection helps our ancestor adapt
[Music]
thicker skin protects us from the sun
and tough claws that will one day
become our fingernails
help us move across the rough terrain
until we're Casineria
we've adapted to life on land
but our eggs haven't
they need a tough shell to stop them drying out of the sun
the problem is males can't fertilize an egg
through a tough shell
but they can fertilize it before the shell forms
inside the female's body
sex as we know it starts here
the result is a masterpiece of evolution
an egg in a tough shell
with all the nutrients the embryo needs sealed inside
sex is the best way to increase genetic variety
and keep our species alive
[Music]
thanks to sex 340 million years ago
Casineria becomes the first of our ancestors
to live entirely on land
it's a new world
different from anything we've experienced up to now
we breathe air support our own weight
and wrestle with an onslaught of new smells sounds sights
bombarded with information our brains evolve
we're smart and we need to be
from that first creature to set foot on land
millions of species have evolved
more competitors mean less food to go round
a mutation gives us bigger morepowerful jaw muscles
it's a critical advantage
we can eat more food faster
and it shows
[Music]
we're Varanops
a slab of pure meat-eating power
this little creature is a Protorosaurus
once a competitor
now he's prey
with Varanops for an ancestor
our success seems certain
[Music]
but our story is a rollercoaster ride
and there's a big dip coming
250 million years ago
thousands of miles away in Siberia
the earth tears itself apart
a giant plume of magma surges up
from deep inside the planet molten rock
boozes through cracks in the Earth's crust
covering an area the size of the United States
under a layer a thousand feet deep
and it continues for half a million years
trillions of tons of noxious carbon dioxide
trapped the sun's heat inside the atmosphere
temperatures soar to over a hundred degrees
plants the plant-eaters
and eventually the meat-eaters perish
95% of all species died
only a tiny handful hang on
among them us and another species
that will one day become the dinosaurs
as the fight for survival winds down
the battle for supremacy begins
30 million years
since volcanic eruptions
wiped out 95% of all living things
when the eruption struck
we look like a large lizard
now we're a cat-size creature
covered in fur called Ecteninion
imagine you've survived the apocalypse
and today is the day it's finally safe
to venture out of hiding
you discover you're not alone
the last thing you want to see
is a dinosaur
a five foot tall Herrerasaurus
she evolved from one of the small reptiles
that survived the mass extinction
her ancestors adapted faster than ours
putting the dinosaurs ahead in the game
and leaving us playing catch-up
[Music]
this one's fast strong and hungry
[Music]
we're staring down the barrel
of an evolutionary gun
our only hope natural selection
over millions of years we get smaller
so we're harder to catch
we become nocturnal making us harder to see
we're cold and scared
tiny muscles around the base of each hair contract
making our first stand on end
trapping air as insulation
that's why today when we're cold or startled
we get goose bumps
our sense is sharpened so we can see
hear and smell a dinosaur
before a dinosaur sees us
inside our brain a new structure evolves
the neocortex the home of complex thought
that allows us to analyze a situation
and respond it will one day
give us the power to imagine
create and communicate
66 million years ago
we're Batodon
a two-inch long shrew-like creature
living on our wits in the ancient forests of Montana
humanity's future depends on Batodon
sharp senses and supercharged brain
if these fail we may never exist
[Music]
the dinosaurs maybe the best thing
that ever happened to us
thanks to them we have powerful senses
and brilliant brains without them
we could still be laying eggs
to protect our offspring from hungry dinosaurs
we evolved to give birth to live young
instead of leaving them to fend for themselves
we nurture them with milk
sweat glands evolved to become mammary glands
it's a major milestone in our journey from cell to human
the birth of a new kind of animal
one that will branch out
into more than four thousand species
from the smallest mouse
to the largest whale to us
the mammals have arrived
the dinosaurs help shape who we are
but we lost the battle for supremacy
the dinosaurs reign for over 165 million years
nothing can stop them
or so it seems
Montana 65 million years ago
an asteroid strikes 1,800 miles away
of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
a small rat-like mammal is about to face
the fight of his life
lose and humans may never exist
pulverized rock and dust
engulf the entire planet
[Music]
the only way out is to dig
smoke and ash from the fires block out the sun
temperatures plummet
vegetation dies
the local disaster becomes
a global catastrophe
for the dinosaurs it's a disaster
they're big creatures with big appetites
and now that's a big problem
as the mighty fall the small rise to the top
bugs tough enough to survive the worst catastrophe
gorge on the dead and decaying
and they make the perfect snack
next time you're about to squash a bug
remember that we wouldn't be here
without them
64 million years ago our bug-eating ancestor
is Purgatorius just under six inches long
this little creature
and the rest of his mammal family
are the unlikely inheritors of the dinosaurs crown
mammals become the dominant animals on land
they spread out
across the newly formed continents
our future rests on their tiny shoulders
from the ashes of destruction
new life begins to sprout
60 million years ago
fruit ripens on the trees
[Music]
packed full of nutrients
the more fruit we eat the longer we live
we leave solid ground for a new life in the trees
a new world demands a new body
we've come a long way from that first single cell
now at last we're beginning
to glimpse a family resemblance
we're Altiatlasius
one of the first members of a new group of mammals
the primates
by fifty six million years ago
we've adapted to our world
[Music]
but that world is about to change again
over ten million years
extreme temperature ships ravage the forests
forests get smaller
food gets harder to reach
natural selection intervenes again
our tail shrinks back to the base of the spine
where it stays as the coccyx
a reminder of our days
spent leaping through the trees
instead of leaping we stretch
our arms grow long and flexible
changing temperatures changed our ancestors
and us forever
but the planets not finished yet
deep underground
the African and Arabian plates pull apart
the land between them
drops to form the East African Rift Valley
along its edge a three and a half
thousand mile long mountain chain
rises up
[Music]
rains from the Indian Ocean
once watered all of Africa
now the mountains blocked their path
the trees get even further apart
the food harder to reach
we're starving desperate
4.4 million years ago
the will to survive
that's driven us from a single cell in the ocean
to a complex primate in the forests of Africa
is about to make us do something extraordinary
something no primate
has ever done before
after three billion years of evolution
we hit an evolutionary dead end
we are Ardipithecus ramidus
four feet tall at 80 pounds
with a brain the size of an orange
our dense rainforest home
has become patchy forest
we can stand on branches move along them
but to reach more food we need to let go
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
4.4 million years ago
these are our first steps on two legs
walking takes us to the food
and leaves our hands-free to pick it
it catches on fast
Ardipithecus is smart enough
to copy and learn
walking gets passed from parent to child
over the next 1.2 million years
our body evolves so that we can walk
further and faster
[Music]
finding shelter a mate and food gets easier
but childbirth gets harder
with a narrower pelvis giving birth
to a fully developed infant becomes impossible
babies have to come out early
when their heads are smaller
and they're barely developed
that's why we are one of the few species
to spend years caring for our offspring
protecting them feeding them
and keeping them out of trouble
[Music]
3.2 million years ago
we're an Australopithecus
our brain is the size of a grapefruit
and we walk on two legs all the time
[Music]
we got lucky the lion has already eaten
this time
we can't outrun our predators
the only way to survive is to outthink
the smarter we get the longer we live
natural selection promotes the mutations
that improve our brain power
like weaker jaw muscles
released from the muscles vice-like grip
the brain is free to grow it doubles in size
2.3 million years ago
this is Homo habilis also known as 'Handy Man'
walking on two legs with a big brain
we're the first of an entirely new type of creature
we're the first man
we're bigger stronger and hungry than ever before
there's food out there
but it's more likely to eat us
before we can eat it
we're a scavenger working alone
we eat whatever we can find
the edge is razor sharp
we have just made the very first tool
armed with this we will change the world
East Africa 2.3 million years ago
after over three billion years of evolution
we take our fate into our own hands
we are the first species to make tools
in this hostile environment
we need every advantage we can get
we must fight off predators
starvation
and our own relatives
[Music]
there's no meat left
it looks like we're going hungry again
but there's bone marrow locked inside
packed with energy
the tool is the key to a whole new way of life
we'll use it to grow crops
build cities and travel into space
our thumbs become stronger
hold a cup pick up a pen we can do this
because 2 million years ago
tool use changed our bodies
and the course of evolution
we've pieced together our ancestors story
from their bones
but from the vastness of Africa
all the bones of our early human ancestors ever found
would fit into the back of a pickup
less than one bone in a billion becomes a fossil
factor in the chances of finding those bones
across millions of square miles
and it's clear
most of what has lived has been lost
our family tree is a giant puzzle
with most of the pieces missing
but 1.8 million years ago
a piece falls into place
and we find a new species on the scene
Homo erectus
until this point we were scavengers
but now we're hunters
and we've learned how to work
with other members of our species
[Music]
the hunt is on
the Impala can run fast
but we can run further
low shoulders and long torso stabilizes
powerful buttock muscles
contract expand and push us forward
[Music]
sweat stops us from overheating
covered in fur the Impala is exhausted
fire
it sparks an idea
that will make our ancestors human
warm life safety is within reach
nature's power is in our hands
[Music]
protected from the terrors of the dark
our extended family gather round
by working together these earliest families
get food more often so we live longer
this is the advantage of family life
the reason most of us live
as we do today
meat is too precious to waste
and cooked me is easier to chew
the powerful molars used to chew
tough raw food retreat back into the gums
where they'll stay as our wisdom teeth
35% of us never even grow them
a sign that they may be evolving out of existence
with less energy spent on chewing
our ancestors have energy to spare
the brain increases to the size of a softball
50% larger than before the invention of cooking
Erectus is the cleverest
most cooperative ancestor today
but with several adult males
in an extended family
rivalries are inevitable
communicate and will live longer
natural selection kicks in
our tongue changes shape
and moves down our throat
carrying the larynx with it
allowing us to form different shapes in our mouths
making different sounds and ultimately words
speech is our greatest tool
it's the last piece of the puzzle that turns
our ancestors into us
200,000 years ago
after a 3.3 billion year battle for survival
we've arrived
we are Homo sapiens meaning 'Wise Man'
pound-for-pound we have the largest
brain of any creature on earth
armed with tools speech and superior intelligence
we spread out across every continent
we evolve and adapt to new environments
new challenges until we become
the undisputed masters of the world
wind the clock of life back to the beginning
and the chances of us evolving again
are practically zero
change one thing
one predator one lucky mutation
and we wouldn't be here to tell the tale
to piece together the extraordinary story
of our four billion year journey
a big brain two-legged mammal
we've risen from the raw materials of the earth
to dominate and shape it
wind the clock backwards
and the story of how we got to be us
is a puzzle that defies all logic
through nearly 4 billion years
of evolutionary twists and turns
disasters strike
predators threaten to wipe us out
from rodent to reptile
we face extinction at every turn
from the land into the water
fighting to survive every step of the web
from fish to worm back to the very first
spark of life
to a single simple cell
this is the most extraordinary
improbable story ever told
the story of mankind rising
[Music]
four billion years ago a ball of rock
and dust spins in the frozen vacuum
of space
this isn't Mars or Venus
this hell is earth
this seething lifeless mass of molten lava
will become home to nearly
nine million living species
but generating light from this
will take a chain of events
that defies the laws of probability
there are many theories
nobody knows exactly how or where life began
but it couldn't happen without water
experts believe asteroids or comets
delivered it here
the water is turning with
chemical and organic compounds
lightning strikes the chemical soup
at the right place and the right time
billions of volts of electricity
trigger a chain of improbable coincidences
the chemicals atoms join up in a precise sequence
creating a bundle of genetic material
these fragile genes don't stand
a chance in this extreme environment
[Music]
but luck strikes again
a blob of oily material engulfs a single chain
to create the first ever cell
now the gene send out messages
chemical instructions
and 3.5 billion years ago
they do something extraordinary
they copy themselves and the cell
to create a perfect clone
this is the very first living thing
every human every animal
every bug every plant
can trace its origins to this single cell
the genes tell each cell to reproduce
guaranteeing their survival as they pass
from one generation to the next
for two billion years the only living things
are simple single cells
but a random accident changes everything
two cells merge their genes combine
the merge cell clones itself
its offspring contains genes from not one
but two cells two parents
we call this accident sex
sex introduces variation
[Music]
occasionally things go wrong
as the cells reproduce genes get deleted
duplicated
these cells are mutants
mutations pile up
differences increase until the cells
become so different their separate species
The Tree of Life branches out
into billions of species
but only one will lead to us
mutating and diversifying
spreading out through the oceans
getting bigger more complex
until our ancestor is a 3-inch long water worm
this is us five hundred and fifty
million years ago
mutations create distinct male and
female sexes we produce more offspring
passing on more genes
Mars and Venus boy-meets-girl
it all starts here
but finding a partner is almost impossible
when every living thing is blind
in this sea of darkness
the ability to see will give us
a critical advantage
nature's most perfect innovation
begins to take shape
a handful of skin cells mutate now
we can tell dark from light find more prey
dodge more predators we live longer
and produce more offspring
soon creatures with light-sensitive cells
dominate the population
over countless generations
more mutations refine the cells
this is natural selection in action
the process that allows every living thing
to adapt to the world
and that gives our ancestor eyes
[Music]
we can see and everything we can see
is descended from that first single cell
but we need to make sense of what we're seeing
behind our eyes a tiny collection
of nerve cells clustered together
they're no bigger than a pinhead
one day this will be nature's most complex
and mysterious organ
521 million years ago
this is the very first brain
we are a fish-like creature called Myllokunmingia
our brain can make simple decisions
process basic information
but we can't outwit or outrun
this Anomalocaris
the great white of the ancient oceans
our odds of extinction are far higher
than survival
of all the species that have ever lived
99% of them are extinct
but a lucky roll of the genetic dice
helps Myllo toughen up
your jaws your teeth
they exist because over 400 million years ago
we face the wrath of a primeval monster
jaws and teeth mean more food
and a bigger stronger body
until 375 million years ago
we're a footlong armored fish
we look invincible
but we're not
now the choice is simple
get out of his way or die
[Music]
we're safe in the shallow water
or are we on the water stagnant
there's not enough oxygen
starved of oxygen cells shut down
toxic carbon dioxide saturates the blood
we can't go back we can't stay here
there's only one place left for us to go
[Music]
it takes over 3 billion years
for our ancestor to evolve from a single cell
to a footlong armored fish
now our future looks bleak
but natural selection
throws us a lifeline
over millions of years thousands of generations
our body adapts to we do something
no fish has done before
breathe air
the air travels into a new organ a lung
take a breath and remember it's because
a monster fish chased our ancestor
into the stagnant water
forcing them to breathe air
we're an Ichthyostega
we can breathe air or water
closing off our windpipe
to switch between lungs and gills
today our gills are gone
but the mechanism remains
and sometimes it spasms giving us the hiccups
365 million years ago
we stick our head out of the water
there's a swamp behind us paradise ahead
the choice is simple
but the consequences are immense
we pull ourselves out of the water
and change the course of history
this is the moment we leave the water
for a new life on land
but all this food comes at a price
the fierce sun dries out our skin
the hard terrain tears at our soft feet
Ichthyostega is a fish out of water
we dodged extinction in a stagnant swamp
only to slam straight into
another deadly environment
[Music]
countless creatures perish
but natural selection helps our ancestor adapt
[Music]
thicker skin protects us from the sun
and tough claws that will one day
become our fingernails
help us move across the rough terrain
until we're Casineria
we've adapted to life on land
but our eggs haven't
they need a tough shell to stop them drying out of the sun
the problem is males can't fertilize an egg
through a tough shell
but they can fertilize it before the shell forms
inside the female's body
sex as we know it starts here
the result is a masterpiece of evolution
an egg in a tough shell
with all the nutrients the embryo needs sealed inside
sex is the best way to increase genetic variety
and keep our species alive
[Music]
thanks to sex 340 million years ago
Casineria becomes the first of our ancestors
to live entirely on land
it's a new world
different from anything we've experienced up to now
we breathe air support our own weight
and wrestle with an onslaught of new smells sounds sights
bombarded with information our brains evolve
we're smart and we need to be
from that first creature to set foot on land
millions of species have evolved
more competitors mean less food to go round
a mutation gives us bigger morepowerful jaw muscles
it's a critical advantage
we can eat more food faster
and it shows
[Music]
we're Varanops
a slab of pure meat-eating power
this little creature is a Protorosaurus
once a competitor
now he's prey
with Varanops for an ancestor
our success seems certain
[Music]
but our story is a rollercoaster ride
and there's a big dip coming
250 million years ago
thousands of miles away in Siberia
the earth tears itself apart
a giant plume of magma surges up
from deep inside the planet molten rock
boozes through cracks in the Earth's crust
covering an area the size of the United States
under a layer a thousand feet deep
and it continues for half a million years
trillions of tons of noxious carbon dioxide
trapped the sun's heat inside the atmosphere
temperatures soar to over a hundred degrees
plants the plant-eaters
and eventually the meat-eaters perish
95% of all species died
only a tiny handful hang on
among them us and another species
that will one day become the dinosaurs
as the fight for survival winds down
the battle for supremacy begins
30 million years
since volcanic eruptions
wiped out 95% of all living things
when the eruption struck
we look like a large lizard
now we're a cat-size creature
covered in fur called Ecteninion
imagine you've survived the apocalypse
and today is the day it's finally safe
to venture out of hiding
you discover you're not alone
the last thing you want to see
is a dinosaur
a five foot tall Herrerasaurus
she evolved from one of the small reptiles
that survived the mass extinction
her ancestors adapted faster than ours
putting the dinosaurs ahead in the game
and leaving us playing catch-up
[Music]
this one's fast strong and hungry
[Music]
we're staring down the barrel
of an evolutionary gun
our only hope natural selection
over millions of years we get smaller
so we're harder to catch
we become nocturnal making us harder to see
we're cold and scared
tiny muscles around the base of each hair contract
making our first stand on end
trapping air as insulation
that's why today when we're cold or startled
we get goose bumps
our sense is sharpened so we can see
hear and smell a dinosaur
before a dinosaur sees us
inside our brain a new structure evolves
the neocortex the home of complex thought
that allows us to analyze a situation
and respond it will one day
give us the power to imagine
create and communicate
66 million years ago
we're Batodon
a two-inch long shrew-like creature
living on our wits in the ancient forests of Montana
humanity's future depends on Batodon
sharp senses and supercharged brain
if these fail we may never exist
[Music]
the dinosaurs maybe the best thing
that ever happened to us
thanks to them we have powerful senses
and brilliant brains without them
we could still be laying eggs
to protect our offspring from hungry dinosaurs
we evolved to give birth to live young
instead of leaving them to fend for themselves
we nurture them with milk
sweat glands evolved to become mammary glands
it's a major milestone in our journey from cell to human
the birth of a new kind of animal
one that will branch out
into more than four thousand species
from the smallest mouse
to the largest whale to us
the mammals have arrived
the dinosaurs help shape who we are
but we lost the battle for supremacy
the dinosaurs reign for over 165 million years
nothing can stop them
or so it seems
Montana 65 million years ago
an asteroid strikes 1,800 miles away
of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
a small rat-like mammal is about to face
the fight of his life
lose and humans may never exist
pulverized rock and dust
engulf the entire planet
[Music]
the only way out is to dig
smoke and ash from the fires block out the sun
temperatures plummet
vegetation dies
the local disaster becomes
a global catastrophe
for the dinosaurs it's a disaster
they're big creatures with big appetites
and now that's a big problem
as the mighty fall the small rise to the top
bugs tough enough to survive the worst catastrophe
gorge on the dead and decaying
and they make the perfect snack
next time you're about to squash a bug
remember that we wouldn't be here
without them
64 million years ago our bug-eating ancestor
is Purgatorius just under six inches long
this little creature
and the rest of his mammal family
are the unlikely inheritors of the dinosaurs crown
mammals become the dominant animals on land
they spread out
across the newly formed continents
our future rests on their tiny shoulders
from the ashes of destruction
new life begins to sprout
60 million years ago
fruit ripens on the trees
[Music]
packed full of nutrients
the more fruit we eat the longer we live
we leave solid ground for a new life in the trees
a new world demands a new body
we've come a long way from that first single cell
now at last we're beginning
to glimpse a family resemblance
we're Altiatlasius
one of the first members of a new group of mammals
the primates
by fifty six million years ago
we've adapted to our world
[Music]
but that world is about to change again
over ten million years
extreme temperature ships ravage the forests
forests get smaller
food gets harder to reach
natural selection intervenes again
our tail shrinks back to the base of the spine
where it stays as the coccyx
a reminder of our days
spent leaping through the trees
instead of leaping we stretch
our arms grow long and flexible
changing temperatures changed our ancestors
and us forever
but the planets not finished yet
deep underground
the African and Arabian plates pull apart
the land between them
drops to form the East African Rift Valley
along its edge a three and a half
thousand mile long mountain chain
rises up
[Music]
rains from the Indian Ocean
once watered all of Africa
now the mountains blocked their path
the trees get even further apart
the food harder to reach
we're starving desperate
4.4 million years ago
the will to survive
that's driven us from a single cell in the ocean
to a complex primate in the forests of Africa
is about to make us do something extraordinary
something no primate
has ever done before
after three billion years of evolution
we hit an evolutionary dead end
we are Ardipithecus ramidus
four feet tall at 80 pounds
with a brain the size of an orange
our dense rainforest home
has become patchy forest
we can stand on branches move along them
but to reach more food we need to let go
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
4.4 million years ago
these are our first steps on two legs
walking takes us to the food
and leaves our hands-free to pick it
it catches on fast
Ardipithecus is smart enough
to copy and learn
walking gets passed from parent to child
over the next 1.2 million years
our body evolves so that we can walk
further and faster
[Music]
finding shelter a mate and food gets easier
but childbirth gets harder
with a narrower pelvis giving birth
to a fully developed infant becomes impossible
babies have to come out early
when their heads are smaller
and they're barely developed
that's why we are one of the few species
to spend years caring for our offspring
protecting them feeding them
and keeping them out of trouble
[Music]
3.2 million years ago
we're an Australopithecus
our brain is the size of a grapefruit
and we walk on two legs all the time
[Music]
we got lucky the lion has already eaten
this time
we can't outrun our predators
the only way to survive is to outthink
the smarter we get the longer we live
natural selection promotes the mutations
that improve our brain power
like weaker jaw muscles
released from the muscles vice-like grip
the brain is free to grow it doubles in size
2.3 million years ago
this is Homo habilis also known as 'Handy Man'
walking on two legs with a big brain
we're the first of an entirely new type of creature
we're the first man
we're bigger stronger and hungry than ever before
there's food out there
but it's more likely to eat us
before we can eat it
we're a scavenger working alone
we eat whatever we can find
the edge is razor sharp
we have just made the very first tool
armed with this we will change the world
East Africa 2.3 million years ago
after over three billion years of evolution
we take our fate into our own hands
we are the first species to make tools
in this hostile environment
we need every advantage we can get
we must fight off predators
starvation
and our own relatives
[Music]
there's no meat left
it looks like we're going hungry again
but there's bone marrow locked inside
packed with energy
the tool is the key to a whole new way of life
we'll use it to grow crops
build cities and travel into space
our thumbs become stronger
hold a cup pick up a pen we can do this
because 2 million years ago
tool use changed our bodies
and the course of evolution
we've pieced together our ancestors story
from their bones
but from the vastness of Africa
all the bones of our early human ancestors ever found
would fit into the back of a pickup
less than one bone in a billion becomes a fossil
factor in the chances of finding those bones
across millions of square miles
and it's clear
most of what has lived has been lost
our family tree is a giant puzzle
with most of the pieces missing
but 1.8 million years ago
a piece falls into place
and we find a new species on the scene
Homo erectus
until this point we were scavengers
but now we're hunters
and we've learned how to work
with other members of our species
[Music]
the hunt is on
the Impala can run fast
but we can run further
low shoulders and long torso stabilizes
powerful buttock muscles
contract expand and push us forward
[Music]
sweat stops us from overheating
covered in fur the Impala is exhausted
fire
it sparks an idea
that will make our ancestors human
warm life safety is within reach
nature's power is in our hands
[Music]
protected from the terrors of the dark
our extended family gather round
by working together these earliest families
get food more often so we live longer
this is the advantage of family life
the reason most of us live
as we do today
meat is too precious to waste
and cooked me is easier to chew
the powerful molars used to chew
tough raw food retreat back into the gums
where they'll stay as our wisdom teeth
35% of us never even grow them
a sign that they may be evolving out of existence
with less energy spent on chewing
our ancestors have energy to spare
the brain increases to the size of a softball
50% larger than before the invention of cooking
Erectus is the cleverest
most cooperative ancestor today
but with several adult males
in an extended family
rivalries are inevitable
communicate and will live longer
natural selection kicks in
our tongue changes shape
and moves down our throat
carrying the larynx with it
allowing us to form different shapes in our mouths
making different sounds and ultimately words
speech is our greatest tool
it's the last piece of the puzzle that turns
our ancestors into us
200,000 years ago
after a 3.3 billion year battle for survival
we've arrived
we are Homo sapiens meaning 'Wise Man'
pound-for-pound we have the largest
brain of any creature on earth
armed with tools speech and superior intelligence
we spread out across every continent
we evolve and adapt to new environments
new challenges until we become
the undisputed masters of the world
wind the clock of life back to the beginning
and the chances of us evolving again
are practically zero
change one thing
one predator one lucky mutation
and we wouldn't be here to tell the tale
to piece together the extraordinary story
of our four billion year journey