Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Evolution of humans from proto-ape to the modern form 400,000 years ago.
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Example of animal adaptation to environment: the grunion / Possible birthplace of humanity: Ethopia / In 3 million years, animal species haven't changed much but humans have / Australopithecus skull shows evidence of upright walking and being a forager / Athlete in motion is similar to animals, but he runs for the exhilaration, not from instinct / A handful of skulls and fragments from as long ago as 50 million years shows the evolution of primates and man / Theory: Australopithecus were tribal, due to long maturation (10 years) and short lifespan (20 years) / Peking man 400,000 BC, first to use fire / Neanderthals had a modern size brain / H. sapiens appear 1 million BC / Improvements in hand/eye coordination / Australopithecus first meat-eaters / The hunt is a communal activity / "Starve or move" causes migration, from Africa to Asia, then to Europe just as the first Ice Age dawns / 1st age: Peking man in caves / 2nd age: the advancement of Neanderthals / Following reindeer herds, the Lapps are a throwback to early nomadic lifestyle / The master invention: fire / Cave paintings of hunted animals / Theory: weapon and art makers are anticipating the future, looking forward
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The Ascent of Man is a 13-part British documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first broadcast in 1973; it was written and presented by British mathematician and historian of science Jacob Bronowski. Intended as a series of "personal view" documentaries in the manner of Kenneth Clark's 1969 series Civilisation, the series received acclaim for Bronowski's highly informed but eloquently simple analysis, his long, elegant monologues, and its extensive location shoots.
Evolution of humans from proto-ape to the modern form 400,000 years ago.
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Example of animal adaptation to environment: the grunion / Possible birthplace of humanity: Ethopia / In 3 million years, animal species haven't changed much but humans have / Australopithecus skull shows evidence of upright walking and being a forager / Athlete in motion is similar to animals, but he runs for the exhilaration, not from instinct / A handful of skulls and fragments from as long ago as 50 million years shows the evolution of primates and man / Theory: Australopithecus were tribal, due to long maturation (10 years) and short lifespan (20 years) / Peking man 400,000 BC, first to use fire / Neanderthals had a modern size brain / H. sapiens appear 1 million BC / Improvements in hand/eye coordination / Australopithecus first meat-eaters / The hunt is a communal activity / "Starve or move" causes migration, from Africa to Asia, then to Europe just as the first Ice Age dawns / 1st age: Peking man in caves / 2nd age: the advancement of Neanderthals / Following reindeer herds, the Lapps are a throwback to early nomadic lifestyle / The master invention: fire / Cave paintings of hunted animals / Theory: weapon and art makers are anticipating the future, looking forward
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The Ascent of Man is a 13-part British documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first broadcast in 1973; it was written and presented by British mathematician and historian of science Jacob Bronowski. Intended as a series of "personal view" documentaries in the manner of Kenneth Clark's 1969 series Civilisation, the series received acclaim for Bronowski's highly informed but eloquently simple analysis, his long, elegant monologues, and its extensive location shoots.
