Did you know when the first Homo sapiens emerged on the continent of Africa around 300,000 years ago, they were one of seven human species alive at the time? Now, we are the only humans remaining, and our impact on Earth has been transformational. How did our species come to be the only one that survived?
NOVA and the BBC Studios Science Unit have collaborated to produce a stunningly beautiful five-part series that examines this question. Drawing upon new fossil evidence, DNA sequencing, and other cutting-edge scientific tools, the series takes us back in time to meet these ancestors of the modern world.
“Our goal with Human is to reconnect us with our origins as a species and show the long, complex, and serendipitous journey our ancestors took to get where we are today. And it’s a story we can tell today thanks to the scientific research that is revealing their story — in other words, our story!” said Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt.
“BBC Studios truly knows how to bring the ancient world to life,” explains NOVA Senior Producer Caitlin Saks. “The series journeys to some of the most iconic sites on any paleoanthropologist’s bucket list, helping us, with evocative recreations, envision the lives of the people who once inhabited them.”
We sat down with the host, paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi, to talk about what excites her about the cinematic series, why Homo sapiens were originally the “underdog,” and what we can learn from our ancestors.
Why did you choose to join this production?
EA: I have been obsessed with the subject of human evolution for a long, long time. I had been petitioning people to focus on this topic. How does the public not know that there were multiple species of humans sharing the planet with us? People should know how fantastic our story is. I wanted to put the human back into human evolution, to bring out the emotional side of these stories.
What drew you to the field of paleoanthropology?
EA: I was impressed by the science, but I also found myself moved by our story. I’m constantly amazed by it. We were the underdogs. We just weren’t that impressive. And yet, it’s not just that we survived and out-survived the other species, it’s that we built things no other species has ever built before.
Tell me more about why Homo sapiens would be considered the underdogs?
EA: We were incredibly inexperienced while the other species were already really well-adapted to their environments. We were new, and there was nothing, at the beginning, that made us seem exceptional in any way. Until about 100,000 years ago, it was an even playing field, especially with other human species like the Neanderthals. I often think that if you were going to write an epic story, you couldn’t have written a better protagonist.
What are some of the most recent developments that have changed our understanding of this story?
EA: We’re really in the golden age of paleoanthropology. There are new headlines almost every week, and I think a few things have really contributed to that. The biggest of these is the discovery of ancient DNA. Then, there is the discovery of new species, sometimes through genetics but also through traditional means. The third is the improved technology we have to analyze things. It’s pretty standard now to use high-resolution, medical-grade imaging on things like fossilized teeth. It just gives us much better data. In the past we just had to look at fossils and try to measure them. New technology leads to an explosion of how you can analyze them and ultimately answer questions. For example, we can see how we humans cooperated, how we clearly wanted community, how cities are really a complicated trade-off (both brilliant and a nightmare). From one thing to another, it helps us understand ourselves better.
You mentioned DNA discoveries. How is that DNA technology being used to help tell the story?
EA: Some of it leads to discovering new species, but those are the big one-off kinds of discoveries. Mostly, it’s about understanding relationships. When we find a fossil, we want to know its relationship to us and how it connects to other fossils. It’s like the question of whether we interbred with the Neanderthals. It was a question that had been circulating for a long time. DNA evidence told us conclusively that there was Neanderthal DNA in our species, meaning that clearly our ancestors interbred with them.
What do you hope viewers gain from watching this series?
EA: That they’re moved by this story, that they feel something, that intellectually something’s going on, tingling in their brain to watch this. We look at ritual at one point. We seem to be the only species that it’s conclusive that we have rituals. It’s partly in religion but it’s like everything from New Year’s Eve, birthdays, weddings, etc. It’s interesting to know that our ancestors were obsessed with ritual. So much of who we are today comes from them.
What was the most exciting part for you about working on this film?
EA: The biggest thing for me was being able to see and hold the fossils and visit the locations of the digs I had studied. Around 20 years ago, I remember there was an announcement about the hobbit species, Homo floresiensis. They were humans that were only about three-and-a-half feet tall with brains the size of those of chimpanzees, and yet they built stone tools and seem to have used fire. They walked upright. We were able to visit the site in Indonesia where they were discovered and talk to the scientists involved in that discovery. That kind of access is so special.
Why do you think this story is important right now?
EA: The story of us is an incredible one, and it just hasn’t been given enough time. When astronauts go into space and look back at this tiny blue dot, they talk about how it gives them perspective. When you sit on top of an archaeological site, especially the archaeological sites that are “deep time sites” (sites that cover time predating recorded history), they are filled with so many stories and so much evidence, it is hard to not be moved by that.
I hope [viewers] understand how our backstory is fantastical, but it is real. It just fills me with awe, but also, it gives me perspective. I often say, “time is who we are,” you know? We are cave people with Instagram. We need to give time to our own story. And we are so fortunate that the BBC and PBS are able to make productions like these. Most networks couldn’t or wouldn’t.
NOVA Human will air in five parts.
Wednesdays (9/17 to 10/15) at 9pm on GBH 2 and streaming on pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS app.
