By NOVABETA
Added: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 UTC

Thanks to Scott for the link.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/

Program Description
Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA's comprehensive, three-part special, "Becoming Human," examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives.

Part 1, "First Steps," examines the factors that caused us to split from the other great apes. The program explores the fossil of "Selam," also known as "Lucy's Child." Paleoanthropologist Zeray Alemseged spent five years carefully excavating the sandstone-embedded fossil. NOVA's cameras are there to capture the unveiling of the face, spine, and shoulder blades of this 3.3 million-year-old fossil child. And NOVA takes viewers "inside the skull" to show how our ancestors' brains had begun to change from those of the apes.

Why did leaps in human evolution take place? "First Steps" explores a provocative "big idea" that sharp swings of climate were a key factor.

The other programs in the "Becoming Human" series are Part 2: "Birth of Humanity," which profiles the earliest species of humans, and Part 3: "Last Human Standing," which examines why, of various human species that once shared the planet, only our kind remains.


Becoming Human Part 1
First Steps: Six million years ago, what set our ancestors on the path from ape to human? Aired November 3, 2009 on PBS.


Becoming Human Part 2
Birth of Humanity: New discoveries reveal how early humans hunted and formed families. Aired November 10, 2009 on PBS.


Becoming Human Part 3
Last Human Standing: Many human species once shared the globe. Why do we alone remain? Premiers on air and online November 17, 2009.

TAGGED: BEHAVIOR, EVOLUTION, TV