The Human Spark
After some three and a half billion years of life’s evolution on this planet – and after almost two million years since people recognizable as human first walked its surface – a new human burst upon the scene, apparently unannounced. It was us. Until then our ancestors had shared the planet with other human species. But soon there was only us, possessors of something that gave us unprecedented power over our environment and everything else alive. That something was – is – the Human Spark. What is the nature of human uniqueness? Where did the Human Spark ignite, and when? And perhaps most tantalizingly, why? In a three-part series, Alan Alda takes these questions personally, visiting with dozens of scientists on three continents, and participating directly in many experiments – including the detailed examination of his own brain.
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Seasons & Episodes
1. Becoming Us
Where and when did the Human Spark first ignite? In the caves of France, where 30,000-year-old paintings adorn the walls, as archeologists have long believed? Or at a much earlier time – and on another continent?
2. So Human, So Chimp
Alan Alda sets out to explore the difference between chimpanzees and ourselves, and quickly finds that the scientists studying chimps and other non-human primates are themselves separated into opposing worldviews.
3. Brain Matters
Alan gets a highly detailed scan of his brain. This image is the starting point for a search within his brain – as well as the brains of others – for the essential components of the Human Spark.
