First Man (2017) Movie Script
25 million years ago,
a new species appeared on earth:
the great apes.
Among them was one family
with extraordinary abilities.
They were our distant ancestors.
Through evolution they gave rise to new,
more advanced species.
They ventured far and wide and invented hunting,
power, tools, love,
and soon war.
They competed with the great beasts,
conquered the planet, adapted to every climate.
They became us, Homo sapiens,
modern man.
Where and when did our lineage begin?
Who was the first of us?
What is that quality that makes us human?
The difference that sets us
apart from other animals?
Thanks to the latest scientific discoveries,
we are about to take a journey
into the depths of time
to find out which of our ancestors took
the decisive step
and gave birth to the first man.
Our family story begins 25 million years ago
at at time of intense global warming,
with the vast Tethys Ocean fragmenting
and closing off in the near east,
humid forests spread north from Africa.
Our distant ancestors followed the forest
and rapidly populated the ancient world.
They ruled the canopy, a
hundred different species.
Gigantopithecus,
Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus,
stretched from Europe to modern-day China.
This is the age of the planet of the apes.
Which of these great primates
is our common ancestor?
The Mediterranean coast 13 million years ago
in modern-day Spain.
A humid tropical forest.
Here lives a creature with exceptional abilities.
This acrobat is Pierolapithecus.
The animal kingdom has never seen such a marvel.
This great ape is the origin
of our family, but how?
What makes him our great grandfather?
We are only beginning to understand.
Pierola lives in the trees
and mainly eats fruit.
He is too heavy to walk on the branches,
so he hangs.
Though he does sometimes end up on two feet.
He can walk.
Contrary to common belief,
the ability to walk upright wasn't developed
on the ground, but up in the branches.
Bipedalism was not man's invention, but the apes.
This Pierola is a young male.
He left his family several days ago.
He now faces a difficult task:
being adopted by a new group.
And he's just discovered one.
His fate will be decided here.
But each group has its own territory
and intruders are rarely welcome.
A young female and her infant.
Mothers are especially weary.
Not easy to approach.
Up there, there is an older female.
Much easier to make contact.
A large male, clearly a dominant alpha male.
He seems calm,
but it is far too dangerous to approach.
To be accepted, he must first be noticed.
A tense moment.
Has the young female picked up his scent?
She's the most beautiful Pierola he's ever seen.
It seems to be going all right.
But there's another story with the alpha male.
He could kill him.
But for now it's just physical intimidation.
The young male's first attempt ends in failure.
But his mood provokes an unexpected reaction.
Our ancestors possessed a new quality
previously unknown in the animal kingdom.
Something shared by a very few species.
Empathy.
Understanding the emotions of others.
Even extraordinary, they are affected by
the feelings of others.
Sympathy.
It's happening to the older female.
She feels the distress of the young male
and it makes her anxious.
She must act.
She wants to find out more about him.
Empathy is a powerful force.
It is the thing that allows us to live
in a society today.
Why does he need to be adopted by strangers?
It relates to the social structure of Pierolas.
The females never leave the group while
the males are forced to leave in adolescence.
What do the old female's gestures mean?
Will he be able to stay?
Not yet.
The young male keeps his distance.
He needs to sleep.
Most mammals only sleep for
a few minutes at a time.
Not Pierolas.
In terms of sleeping, they are revolutionaries.
The Pierolas have come up with
an extraordinary invention.
They build nests in the treetops.
But it takes a long time to learn
how to build a nest,
and the only way to learn is from mother.
They young male always slept in his mother's nest.
He still doesn't know how to make his own.
Up here, Pierolas are protected from predators,
and their leaf mats stop them from falling.
They can sleep all night without fear.
Long restorative nights.
Thanks to the miracle of sleep,
Pierolas improve their mental faculties.
Sleep allows our brains to sort information.
Not all of it received during the day is useful.
Our brain puts some in the trash
and stores the essential part in our memory.
All that while we sleep.
Remarkable.
Pierolas have passed this down to us.
Without this invention,
we could never have become humans.
This morning the group have come down
to the forest floor.
The young male followed them.
He wants to make contact with the group again.
Pierolas love the sweet taste of fruit,
but they have an advantage over other species.
Their stomachs can digest all sorts of food.
Well, they still have their favorites.
There they are.
The young male has made his choice
and will approach the older female.
Out of all the different foods in the forest,
some are highly poisonous.
How do they know what is
edible and what is poisonous?
For Pierolas the answer is sharing experiences.
The mother teaches her young how to choose,
how to pick.
This knowledge is passed from
generation to generation.
The beginning of a culture.
The older female can have a new contact.
Like all Pierolas, the young
male knows how to give gifts.
Figs.
Will she accept them?
It's a good sign.
Now he can begin the conversation.
The language of the Pierolas
mainly consists of grooming.
Grooming and caresses say far more than words.
But touching females in the group risks
angering the alpha male.
The females defend the young
male against the alpha.
Their numbers make them stronger.
The alpha must back down.
Among Pierolas, the females have the power.
The young male has taken an important step.
He has become the old female's favorite.
Now it's the female's turn to caress.
But this seems like more than caressing.
What exactly does she want?
The young male has no experience of pleasure.
To relax the atmosphere,
Pierolas have invented a totally new behavior.
Laughing.
This development which resolves conflicts
is not a human invention, but an inheritance.
Our ancestors lived in an earthly paradise.
Fruits in abundance, fresh
water available everywhere,
and in all seasons.
The only real dangers are the predators
that roam the floor of the great forest.
To detect them, Pierolas read
the signs of the forest.
They have a deep understanding
of their environment.
The cry of a bird alerts them.
The alarm sounds.
A tiger.
They have a different call for each predator.
That means the alert is lifted.
They can go back now.
Pierolas live in a golden age for the great apes,
but this period of prosperity cannot last.
Great upheaval is on the horizon.
Africa is on a collision course with Europe.
Tectonic activity that will
soon destroy the environment.
The young male remains outside the group.
He is cautious.
The alpha is still dangerous.
To be completely adopted,
he needs the alpha's consent.
He's perhaps not the best nest builder,
but he comes from a group that knows
how to catch tasty, little insects.
An amazing technique the golden-eyed female
has never seen before.
He uses this tech to catch termites.
There is nothing tastier than termites.
This invention is crucial.
The stick is the first tool.
An extension of the hand which allows us
to perform new tasks.
An idea that will be invaluable to us.
They have understood.
The young male is now the
main attraction of the group.
The infant is a victim of his greed.
He forgot his mother's teaching
and has been poisoned.
A fate suffered so often by the young.
The young male recognizes this poison.
The Pierolas already have some knowledge
of the curative powers of plants.
This knowledge varies between groups
and allows them to cure some ailments.
The young male seems to have
some knowledge on this matter
that the group does not.
There are many different types.
Plants that put tapeworms to sleep.
Plants covered in tiny spines that trap
the sleeping worms.
Pierolas were herbalists.
The tale of this young Pierola may seem secondary,
but it tells another more powerful story.
The spread of knowledge.
Societies that force their young adults to leave
possess this quality.
The young depart with the knowledge of their group
and transmit it to other groups.
The infant is saved.
Thanks to the young male.
The young female has made her choice.
He must become part of the group.
It's her will against the alpha.
Pierola alpha males resist
the pressure of the females
as long as possible.
But the females always win.
The alpha consents.
From now on the young male is part of the group.
It's a sign.
The earth is moving and the great period
of climatic cooling is approaching.
Our ancestors had to leave to escape this place.
And so the great exodus begins.
Africa is on a collision course with Europe.
The climate of the planet
is changing dramatically.
The humid forests of Europe are disappearing.
The same is happening in large parts of Asia,
where the forests of China
and Japan are fragmenting.
The Asiatic great apes migrate towards South Asia.
They give rise to the ancestors of the gibbons
and the orangutans.
The African continent has just closed
the Strait of Gibraltar,
cut off from the water of the Atlantic.
The Mediterranean dries out
and becomes a dead sea.
Pierolas and their relatives
cross the dry Mediterranean.
They migrate towards Africa
where the forest is spreading,
notably on the vast green plains of the Sahara.
Pierolas evolved and became a new species
with new more astonishing abilities.
This new ancestor was called
Sahelanthropus, or Toumai.
Further south, we rejoin the path of our lineage,
seven million years later.
Toumai lived on the shores of Lake Chad.
They were probably our common ancestor
with modern chimpanzees.
Their inventions will make them amongst
the most dangerous and intelligent species
on the planet.
With them, the march towards
humanity gathers space.
Toumais still sleep in the trees,
but have found plenty to do on the ground.
A much more varied food supply,
even if it's a little trickier to get to.
The descendant of the young
female is now a Toumai.
Her appearance has changed,
but she has kept her golden eyes
passed down through her DNA.
Her son still has much to learn.
An infant's education now takes much longer
as well as knowing what to eat.
He must learn how to eat it.
Toumai use different tools for different foods,
but mastering each tool takes hours of practice.
Toumai try to benefit from all nature's gifts.
The females have a greater practical
instinct than the males.
They imagine and invent new techniques.
Toumai have also improved this strange way
of getting around.
Walking on two feet.
It has many advantages,
such as being able to carry
objects long distances.
The descendant of the alpha
still dominates the group.
There have been considerable changes in
our ancestor's social structure.
Now the males have the power.
There is a hierarchy and the alpha knows
it must be respected.
He often feels the need to remind everyone.
It's usually the weakest that feel his force.
A society dominated by males
is a never-ending series of rivalries.
The alpha is a type of ultra-dominant male
who always feels the need to show his force.
Is this young one still alive?
He's okay, just a bit shaken up.
The alpha doesn't just rely on strength
to stay on top.
He builds friendships with several allies.
He praises a male, knowing he
could be a threat one day.
He sweet talks the other female.
That good will could come in useful.
Alliances, strategies, betrayal,
conquest and power.
This type of society has
given rise politics.
The males spend most of their day plotting.
It is left to the females to find ways to feed
and educate their young.
No wonder that the females have become
more resourceful than the males.
To the alpha, ruling the group also means
having access to the female.
The problem with bipedalism is that the male
can't see the females genitals as clearly.
How does he know if she's interested?
Before being able to mate,
he now has to check the willingness of the female.
She's not interested.
The new territory of the Toumai includes water
and all the food it contains.
Our ancestors are just getting
used to this new element
and will encounter an abundance of riches.
The Toumai's greatest invention,
however, is preference.
The male and the female can decide to
get away from the group
just to spend some time together.
For these two juveniles,
it's the first time.
A big step in relationships
between males and females.
Before there was only sniffing, then mating.
It only lasted a minute.
Now they can spend time together
and exchange gestures of affection.
The great apes begin to feel their hearts beating,
their hair standing on end.
The great game of seduction.
She seeks his gaze.
He is transfixed.
She smells him.
They feel desire.
They give kisses and invent a new way of mating:
face-to-face.
No one has noticed that the infant has
strayed from the bank.
Too late.
The little one's frail body is limp, lifeless.
Toumai are well aware of the
importance of the group.
The loss of a member is heartbreaking.
Life on the ground does have its advantages,
but there are far more
predators than in the canopy.
That's why Toumai still depend on the trees.
Something strange is happening in
our ancestor's minds.
The young female should've
left the lifeless body behind,
but she refused.
Why?
What does she feel?
Something happened this morning.
Several unknown individuals were spotted
on the other side of the hill.
The three males of the group are very excited.
There under the large fig tree,
another group of Toumai.
The first time they've seen them.
Two very enticing females.
They have been eating overripe figs
and are now drunk.
This group have come here for the fermented fruits
that rot on the ground.
The alpha wants the females.
He wants what he sees.
But they belong to other males.
And he's an absolute giant.
What can he do?
A cunning plan is formulating
inside the alpha's head.
A previously unimagined idea.
An idea that will make us the most dangerous
predator on the planet.
The idea is to kill.
Killing one's own species.
Killing with premeditation in an organized way.
Killing to take the goods of others.
The Toumai have just invented war.
They have conquered a new territory.
And with it, a tree full of fruit
and a few females.
War has its advantages.
From now on, the alpha group
will occupy this land.
The young female still has a worrying
connection to her infant.
She is refusing to accept reality,
because reality has become unbearable.
The infant is motionless,
but his body is still there.
What is it that lives in us
and vanishes so suddenly?
Toumai are starting to understand
the concept of death, the loss of life,
the loss of a being.
They know that their own lives will end.
Faced with suffering and confusion,
they gather around the body
of the departed friend.
Gathering, the feeling of being in a group,
united in space and time.
The beginning of a ritual,
a first funeral ceremony.
For many years, we believed that awareness
of death made us human.
Not anymore.
Today we know that we share this knowledge
with many other species, including chimpanzees.
Awareness of the passage of time
is a huge leap forward in our family history.
Five million years ago Africa began to dry out.
The great forests of the Sahara
receded and placed pressure on
the descendants of the Toumai.
They separate into several families,
some evolve along the lines of
the chimpanzees and gorillas.
They abandon bipedalism and invent a new way
of getting around on four feet.
Others evolve along the line of humans.
They are spread throughout Africa,
especially in the east.
Here we find the great family of Australopithecus.
Between four and two million years ago,
there is a great diaspora.
Afarensis,
able,
africanus, Kenyanthropus,
anamensis,
garhi.
Around two million years ago,
a new character appeared in South Africa.
He would go on to radically alter our history.
We named him sediba.
Is he an Australopithecus or the first man?
That question hasn't been solved.
Sediba lived in the south
of the African continent.
Drought increasingly affects this part of Africa,
and will play a considerable role
in the development of our ancestors.
Despite spending the majority
of their time on the ground,
sediba are still dependent on the trees,
the only protection from the man-eating beasts
that roam the land at that time.
They never stray too far.
The dry season is at its peak.
There's no more fruit on the trees.
The only food is underground.
Roots and bulbs are difficult to find
and dig out of the ground,
and they need a lot of chewing
before they can be swallowed.
But that's all there is.
Hours are spent chewing this tough food.
This young male is still part of the group,
though he has no female.
The females now live in harem with
the strongest males.
These two females are part of the alpha's harem.
When a carcass is left by the larger predators,
there's only enough for the alpha and his females.
A few bones to suck,
but only the strongest have access.
That's why the females have
accepted this new arrangement.
Less power for more protection.
Sediba don't live very long.
This old female can no longer chew.
The marrow is all she can swallow.
The alpha doesn't share with the others.
The old female would already be dead
without the young male.
By chewing her food, he keeps her alive.
Empathy at work again.
This extreme scarcity of food is driving
out our species to extinction.
If they don't find an alternative,
they will all die.
They must adapt.
Fortunately, sediba possesses
a highly developed brain
and an array of tools and techniques.
Inside the brain of one of them,
a revolutionary idea is taking shape.
If the meat won't come to them,
they will have to go to it.
Over there.
The alpha's female wants to take the risk.
The young male is ready to.
None before them have tried this.
Against the wishes of the alpha,
they will attempt the impossible.
How could they be so foolish?
Neither of them has never
been so far from the trees.
The desire to eat meat outweighs the dangers
of the savanna.
The brave ones that took this reckless decision
could not have known the profound effect
it would have on the history of our species.
A fresh carcass.
An abundance of meat.
They've never seen so much.
The first pieces they choose
are those that contain fat, the tastiest.
Fat is so rare in nature,
and yet so rich in energy,
and important for the
digestion of animal proteins.
The sediba pick out the parts
that contain the most.
The marrow, the entrails,
the brain, the tongue, the eyes.
The two explorers are back,
their arms laden with the most wonderful food.
Food for everyone.
What a success.
A solution for the future of the species?
But the alpha is not ready
to digest this humiliation.
The female is part of his harem.
She has betrayed him.
Sometimes the females do swap males,
but a possessive alpha like him
can't lose one of his females.
It's a threat to his power.
The young male can do nothing.
Here might is right.
He humiliates her in front of everyone,
punishes her and isolates here from the others.
The old female has nothing to lose.
She's the only one that can come to her help.
The harshness of this life
does not favor the females.
They have lost a lot of their power
to the benefit of the large males.
The first effects of the meat are immediate.
It's easier to digest than roots
and the body feels lighter.
Meat gives the sensation of well-being
and a sounder sleep.
The second effect will take hundreds
of thousands of years.
Less energy consumed by the stomach
means more energy for the brain.
Thanks to that, our mental capacity will
improve and our bodies become taller and slimmer.
Although physical force still dominates,
it won't be enough to adapt.
A new generation is coming
whose ingenuity will prove the decisive advantage.
Sediba already use rocks to break and crush roots.
But he has a new thought.
The young male has an idea
that could change their lives.
Maybe even the future of his species.
If he can cut the carcasses of animals
killed by predators into smaller pieces,
they can carry them to a safe place.
If it works, they will have
provisions for several days.
For this they will need a range of new tools
to cut and slice the flesh, break the bones.
He shapes them out of a rock.
These shards are as sharp as razors.
It will take thousands of years
to master the technique.
One of the great advantages of our ancestors
relied on their capacity for imagination
and on the language they were
beginning to articulate.
They were capable of conceiving a project,
weighing up different aspects,
and anticipating future needs.
The young male has decided to train the group
to find carcasses and bring them back.
He lays out his vision.
His words evoke images of abundant feasts.
He captures their attention.
He wins them over with his words.
The alpha understands that his
dominance is under threat,
his physical force no longer sufficient.
So he takes the young male's idea.
The dream of plentiful food
is leading them into dangerous territory.
Sediba are prey.
Without their trees they are vulnerable.
And yet they march into the unknown,
driven by an urge greater than any other to eat.
They explore a continent
inhabited by great carnivores
on their hunt for carcasses left by
the kings of the savanna.
Who would think that this band of scavengers
would soon dominate the planet?
When a carcass is found,
everyone should take their turn.
First the top predators.
Then the hyenas.
The vultures, and the rest.
It's crucial to get there at the right time.
The alpha doesn't know that yet.
Their tree.
They should never have left their tree.
It is perhaps at this moment
that the fate of the entire human race
hangs in the balance.
They could retreat to the safety of the tree
and risk dying of starvation.
Or they could head into the unknown,
risking being attacked,
but having the chance to eat.
What should they do?
The young female doesn't know what to choose.
Everything is telling them to seek shelter.
Is there another life beyond the trees?
The group splits into two factions.
Some follow the young female while the others
head back to the tree.
In fact, it is the weaker ones that will
make the right choice.
They will risk everything for a better life.
The strong, never one to give up their privileges.
Those that leave are guided by the imagination.
Open spaces, prey in abundance,
food for everyone.
They dream of another world,
a better world up there over the mountains.
Even the old female, her
energy nearly spent,
is galvanized by hope.
This world does exist.
A vast land of riches.
If some of us hadn't had this astonishing courage,
we wouldn't be here today.
Those that have chosen to stay near the trees
will survive for a time.
They will be known as Paranthropus,
or almost humans.
But they will not be able to adapt
to the next climatic changes.
We thought that Lucy, the
most famous Australopithecus,
was the grandmother of humanity.
We were wrong.
Lucy was in fact one of these almost humans
and her descendants died
out a million years later.
Those that left the savanna
freed themselves from a life in the trees,
and had to invent a new way of living.
The world isn't exactly as they imagined.
There are riches all around,
but there are just as many traps.
Limitless space lies ahead of us
and nothing will stop our advance.
Is this how man became free?
Is this how we became truly human?
Some believe so.
But is there still something missing?
After the sediba, a new species emerges,
a very mobile man.
The next character in our story is
an unparalleled explorer, Homo erectus.
Five million years ago the two Americas collided.
This led to the creation of the Gulf Stream.
This warm current travels from the Gulf of Mexico
up towards the Arctic and plunges into the ocean,
taking the heat with it.
The polar icecap formed,
the earth cooled and entered the Ice Age.
The green plains of the Sahara dried out.
Two million years ago,
populations of herbivores left Africa
in search of new pastures.
Homo erectus followed.
Some of our ancestors migrated to Europe,
others to Asia.
They crossed mountains and deserts,
forests and swamps.
They traveled unthinkable
distances into the unknown.
Driven by the spirit of conquest
passed down to them from their ancestors,
they migrate to the far east.
The north of China, home of
the Chinese Homo erectus.
Homo erectus possesses the anatomy of a champion.
This man of the plains is born to run.
A vertical body propelled by his long legs
and balanced by his arms.
He is equipped with an extraordinary internal
cooling system, a body covered in short hairs,
sweat glands that allow perspiration,
and in his brain a
blood-purifying system
that regulates body temperature.
This gives him the most stamina
of any living creature.
Homo erectus has now become a big game hunter.
Like wolves they track their prey
across great distances.
They are slower, but can run a lot longer
than their prey.
When the prey is exhausted,
they set the trap.
For Homo erectus, power is not reserved
for the males.
The difference in size between males
and females has reduced.
The rule of the strongest has been replaced
by the leadership of the cleverest.
In this group, a female is in charge.
Her ability to anticipate,
her intelligence and her political skill
have made her their chief.
No longer scavengers competing with vultures,
thanks to their weapons and
collective organization,
Homo erectus now compete with the top predators.
But they have become dependent on their prey.
They must follow them wherever they go.
They have become nomads.
And so they build shelters on their travels.
Their ancestors adapted to their environment.
They are transforming it.
Finding a site to set up camp.
They are building the first shelters.
Sometimes enclosed by fences,
camps that allow them to protect themselves.
Homo erectus has created a more complex society.
Each member of the group now has a role
often according to their particular skills.
Some are skilled at shaping rocks.
Others for cutting meat.
Social functions appear for tanning hides
or building shelters.
Work and the distribution of tasks
are now a part of human life,
with all the pressures and
conflicts that come with them.
Clearly some do more than others.
The leader of the group must maintain justice.
The most important moment of the day
is when the food is shared out.
Serving some first with the best cuts,
giving a little extra to
someone she may need soon,
establishing a hierarchy and nurturing alliances.
The fine details of the social life
require political skill.
To protect their bodies,
Homo erectus have clothes made from plants,
hides, and bark.
But this brings its own problems.
Parasites have found a new home.
A body covered in thin visible skin
is easy and enticing prey for bloodsuckers.
They no longer fear predators.
But another enemy now stalks them.
More dangerous, more ruthless.
The world is still full of unexplained phenomena.
Homo erectus has an inquiring mind,
trying to make sense of the mysteries
that surround him.
One of the greatest is about to be revealed.
It's here.
This savage beast appears in some dry
seasons to take lives.
It is a huge creature.
They must prepare to fight.
They are defeated.
They save whatever they can.
In a few hours, the fire
has destroyed their world.
Their camp has gone up in smoke
and the herds have deserted the landscape.
But Homo erectus is about to make a discovery.
What is that powerful odor?
What are these mouth-watering smells?
An animal has been trapped in the fire.
Its flesh is still good and has a delicious taste.
This is perhaps how Homo erectus discovered
this remarkable property of fire
to cook food.
As well as the taste, they will soon notice
that the meat is easier to chew and digest.
And what about those awful roots?
Cooked they are delicious.
They require 16 times less energy to digest.
An amazing discovery.
Cooked food will allow us to reduce the size
of our jaw muscles and develop our brains.
We will walk with a lighter
step and think clearer.
Our brains will become high-powered machines
capable of associations,
constructed thoughts, and new emotions.
It is likely that the aesthetic sense
developed at this time.
Shapes and lights elicited new sensations.
We were affected by the beauty of the world.
They are all dreaming about that delicious food,
but lack the key ingredient.
Fire.
If only they knew how to obtain it.
That one looks more and seems alone.
Maybe they can capture it.
Another group.
They have captured the beast.
Technology.
In this new world nothing is more important.
They are ready to fight to obtain it.
They could fight, but the young chief
has a different idea.
His clan know how to control fire.
The other has a greater skill in working
hides and accessories.
This period saw the first instances of trade.
Through objects, the techniques that go with them
travel between clans.
A new era for humanity.
The exchange of knowledge.
Thanks to traditions and language,
knowledge accumulates and the
spread of skills accelerates
over vast distances.
From now on everything will move a lot faster.
No wonder the use of fire appeared so
suddenly and across the entire world.
The young chief is attracted to this woman.
Her face stirs something in him.
At this point in our history,
the first real couples begin to appear.
Selecting, desiring, and seeking
intimate moments alone.
Aesthetics now play a role
in sexual relationships.
Bodies are covered in colors.
Styles, decorations to arouse.
Sexuality brings people together,
but something else is happening.
A story of bonds that build and grow and last.
The story of love is still being told.
The domestication of fire changed the lives
of the first humans and gave them warmth,
protection from insects and predators,
cured their ailments, illuminated the dark,
sharpened the points on their spears,
made them stronger.
But the greatest advance was in
the domain of speech.
Thanks to the development of our left brain
and a small evolution in the throat,
the larynx, our speech became so articulate
that we could evoke the past,
speak of the future,
recount stories,
imagine.
The old woman is a storyteller.
Who are we?
Where are we from?
She tells the story of these people
and their exploits.
These tales give meaning to their lives.
Perhaps it is this that makes us human.
The first man is the one that can tell his story.
Homo erectus will continue to populate the earth.
With their skills they will
adapt to every climate.
Different populations begin to diverge
genetically and give rise to new types of man.
In furthest China, Homo erectus would become
Beijing Man, a giant.
In Indonesia, Solo Man.
At his edges on Flores Island,
a tiny man of no more than a meter.
In central Asia, he is Denisova Man.
In the cold of Europe,
Homo erectus has become a Neanderthal,
a massive heavy man of incredible strength.
He can withstand extreme cold.
His skin whitens to better absorb
the weak sunlight.
His eyes and hair grow lighter.
In Africa, he becomes Homo sapiens,
and it is through him that the greatest
changes will occur.
At least six species of humans
populate the ancient world.
Each develops according to their environment
and creates its own culture.
But this multi-faceted humanity won't last long.
Homo sapiens will soon replace them all.
Around a 100,000 years ago,
Homo sapiens turned the world of man upside down,
invented more complex societies,
and proved more inventive in every area.
How will he go on to invent art, skill,
beliefs, magic,
writing, medicine and science?
His extraordinary imagination certainly helps,
but so does the knowledge accumulated
by his forefathers.
The Pierola, Toumai,
sediba, and Homo erectus.
They have left us a heritage of millions
of years of evolution,
one through the impulse to live
and a fierce desire to learn.
With this knowledge passed down through the ages,
this great dreamer gave rise to the diversity
of peoples today.
A hundred thousand years ago,
Homo sapiens left, just like his ancestors,
to conquer the world.
He left Africa and spread out across the globe.
He mastered navigation.
Crossed the seas and vast spacial expanses.
He traveled to Australia,
to America over the Bering Strait
and soon inhabited the entire planet.
He occasionally intermingled with those
that went before, but everywhere he went
the other species of man disappeared.
His appearance changed according
to climate and place.
His skin, his hair, the shape of his eyes.
From him arose a multitude of peoples,
all looking different,
but deep down the genes are the same.
Genes developed through
millions of years of evolution.
He is the father of the entire human race
on earth today.
He is the only human on earth,
but his presence shines with a million fires.
a new species appeared on earth:
the great apes.
Among them was one family
with extraordinary abilities.
They were our distant ancestors.
Through evolution they gave rise to new,
more advanced species.
They ventured far and wide and invented hunting,
power, tools, love,
and soon war.
They competed with the great beasts,
conquered the planet, adapted to every climate.
They became us, Homo sapiens,
modern man.
Where and when did our lineage begin?
Who was the first of us?
What is that quality that makes us human?
The difference that sets us
apart from other animals?
Thanks to the latest scientific discoveries,
we are about to take a journey
into the depths of time
to find out which of our ancestors took
the decisive step
and gave birth to the first man.
Our family story begins 25 million years ago
at at time of intense global warming,
with the vast Tethys Ocean fragmenting
and closing off in the near east,
humid forests spread north from Africa.
Our distant ancestors followed the forest
and rapidly populated the ancient world.
They ruled the canopy, a
hundred different species.
Gigantopithecus,
Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus,
stretched from Europe to modern-day China.
This is the age of the planet of the apes.
Which of these great primates
is our common ancestor?
The Mediterranean coast 13 million years ago
in modern-day Spain.
A humid tropical forest.
Here lives a creature with exceptional abilities.
This acrobat is Pierolapithecus.
The animal kingdom has never seen such a marvel.
This great ape is the origin
of our family, but how?
What makes him our great grandfather?
We are only beginning to understand.
Pierola lives in the trees
and mainly eats fruit.
He is too heavy to walk on the branches,
so he hangs.
Though he does sometimes end up on two feet.
He can walk.
Contrary to common belief,
the ability to walk upright wasn't developed
on the ground, but up in the branches.
Bipedalism was not man's invention, but the apes.
This Pierola is a young male.
He left his family several days ago.
He now faces a difficult task:
being adopted by a new group.
And he's just discovered one.
His fate will be decided here.
But each group has its own territory
and intruders are rarely welcome.
A young female and her infant.
Mothers are especially weary.
Not easy to approach.
Up there, there is an older female.
Much easier to make contact.
A large male, clearly a dominant alpha male.
He seems calm,
but it is far too dangerous to approach.
To be accepted, he must first be noticed.
A tense moment.
Has the young female picked up his scent?
She's the most beautiful Pierola he's ever seen.
It seems to be going all right.
But there's another story with the alpha male.
He could kill him.
But for now it's just physical intimidation.
The young male's first attempt ends in failure.
But his mood provokes an unexpected reaction.
Our ancestors possessed a new quality
previously unknown in the animal kingdom.
Something shared by a very few species.
Empathy.
Understanding the emotions of others.
Even extraordinary, they are affected by
the feelings of others.
Sympathy.
It's happening to the older female.
She feels the distress of the young male
and it makes her anxious.
She must act.
She wants to find out more about him.
Empathy is a powerful force.
It is the thing that allows us to live
in a society today.
Why does he need to be adopted by strangers?
It relates to the social structure of Pierolas.
The females never leave the group while
the males are forced to leave in adolescence.
What do the old female's gestures mean?
Will he be able to stay?
Not yet.
The young male keeps his distance.
He needs to sleep.
Most mammals only sleep for
a few minutes at a time.
Not Pierolas.
In terms of sleeping, they are revolutionaries.
The Pierolas have come up with
an extraordinary invention.
They build nests in the treetops.
But it takes a long time to learn
how to build a nest,
and the only way to learn is from mother.
They young male always slept in his mother's nest.
He still doesn't know how to make his own.
Up here, Pierolas are protected from predators,
and their leaf mats stop them from falling.
They can sleep all night without fear.
Long restorative nights.
Thanks to the miracle of sleep,
Pierolas improve their mental faculties.
Sleep allows our brains to sort information.
Not all of it received during the day is useful.
Our brain puts some in the trash
and stores the essential part in our memory.
All that while we sleep.
Remarkable.
Pierolas have passed this down to us.
Without this invention,
we could never have become humans.
This morning the group have come down
to the forest floor.
The young male followed them.
He wants to make contact with the group again.
Pierolas love the sweet taste of fruit,
but they have an advantage over other species.
Their stomachs can digest all sorts of food.
Well, they still have their favorites.
There they are.
The young male has made his choice
and will approach the older female.
Out of all the different foods in the forest,
some are highly poisonous.
How do they know what is
edible and what is poisonous?
For Pierolas the answer is sharing experiences.
The mother teaches her young how to choose,
how to pick.
This knowledge is passed from
generation to generation.
The beginning of a culture.
The older female can have a new contact.
Like all Pierolas, the young
male knows how to give gifts.
Figs.
Will she accept them?
It's a good sign.
Now he can begin the conversation.
The language of the Pierolas
mainly consists of grooming.
Grooming and caresses say far more than words.
But touching females in the group risks
angering the alpha male.
The females defend the young
male against the alpha.
Their numbers make them stronger.
The alpha must back down.
Among Pierolas, the females have the power.
The young male has taken an important step.
He has become the old female's favorite.
Now it's the female's turn to caress.
But this seems like more than caressing.
What exactly does she want?
The young male has no experience of pleasure.
To relax the atmosphere,
Pierolas have invented a totally new behavior.
Laughing.
This development which resolves conflicts
is not a human invention, but an inheritance.
Our ancestors lived in an earthly paradise.
Fruits in abundance, fresh
water available everywhere,
and in all seasons.
The only real dangers are the predators
that roam the floor of the great forest.
To detect them, Pierolas read
the signs of the forest.
They have a deep understanding
of their environment.
The cry of a bird alerts them.
The alarm sounds.
A tiger.
They have a different call for each predator.
That means the alert is lifted.
They can go back now.
Pierolas live in a golden age for the great apes,
but this period of prosperity cannot last.
Great upheaval is on the horizon.
Africa is on a collision course with Europe.
Tectonic activity that will
soon destroy the environment.
The young male remains outside the group.
He is cautious.
The alpha is still dangerous.
To be completely adopted,
he needs the alpha's consent.
He's perhaps not the best nest builder,
but he comes from a group that knows
how to catch tasty, little insects.
An amazing technique the golden-eyed female
has never seen before.
He uses this tech to catch termites.
There is nothing tastier than termites.
This invention is crucial.
The stick is the first tool.
An extension of the hand which allows us
to perform new tasks.
An idea that will be invaluable to us.
They have understood.
The young male is now the
main attraction of the group.
The infant is a victim of his greed.
He forgot his mother's teaching
and has been poisoned.
A fate suffered so often by the young.
The young male recognizes this poison.
The Pierolas already have some knowledge
of the curative powers of plants.
This knowledge varies between groups
and allows them to cure some ailments.
The young male seems to have
some knowledge on this matter
that the group does not.
There are many different types.
Plants that put tapeworms to sleep.
Plants covered in tiny spines that trap
the sleeping worms.
Pierolas were herbalists.
The tale of this young Pierola may seem secondary,
but it tells another more powerful story.
The spread of knowledge.
Societies that force their young adults to leave
possess this quality.
The young depart with the knowledge of their group
and transmit it to other groups.
The infant is saved.
Thanks to the young male.
The young female has made her choice.
He must become part of the group.
It's her will against the alpha.
Pierola alpha males resist
the pressure of the females
as long as possible.
But the females always win.
The alpha consents.
From now on the young male is part of the group.
It's a sign.
The earth is moving and the great period
of climatic cooling is approaching.
Our ancestors had to leave to escape this place.
And so the great exodus begins.
Africa is on a collision course with Europe.
The climate of the planet
is changing dramatically.
The humid forests of Europe are disappearing.
The same is happening in large parts of Asia,
where the forests of China
and Japan are fragmenting.
The Asiatic great apes migrate towards South Asia.
They give rise to the ancestors of the gibbons
and the orangutans.
The African continent has just closed
the Strait of Gibraltar,
cut off from the water of the Atlantic.
The Mediterranean dries out
and becomes a dead sea.
Pierolas and their relatives
cross the dry Mediterranean.
They migrate towards Africa
where the forest is spreading,
notably on the vast green plains of the Sahara.
Pierolas evolved and became a new species
with new more astonishing abilities.
This new ancestor was called
Sahelanthropus, or Toumai.
Further south, we rejoin the path of our lineage,
seven million years later.
Toumai lived on the shores of Lake Chad.
They were probably our common ancestor
with modern chimpanzees.
Their inventions will make them amongst
the most dangerous and intelligent species
on the planet.
With them, the march towards
humanity gathers space.
Toumais still sleep in the trees,
but have found plenty to do on the ground.
A much more varied food supply,
even if it's a little trickier to get to.
The descendant of the young
female is now a Toumai.
Her appearance has changed,
but she has kept her golden eyes
passed down through her DNA.
Her son still has much to learn.
An infant's education now takes much longer
as well as knowing what to eat.
He must learn how to eat it.
Toumai use different tools for different foods,
but mastering each tool takes hours of practice.
Toumai try to benefit from all nature's gifts.
The females have a greater practical
instinct than the males.
They imagine and invent new techniques.
Toumai have also improved this strange way
of getting around.
Walking on two feet.
It has many advantages,
such as being able to carry
objects long distances.
The descendant of the alpha
still dominates the group.
There have been considerable changes in
our ancestor's social structure.
Now the males have the power.
There is a hierarchy and the alpha knows
it must be respected.
He often feels the need to remind everyone.
It's usually the weakest that feel his force.
A society dominated by males
is a never-ending series of rivalries.
The alpha is a type of ultra-dominant male
who always feels the need to show his force.
Is this young one still alive?
He's okay, just a bit shaken up.
The alpha doesn't just rely on strength
to stay on top.
He builds friendships with several allies.
He praises a male, knowing he
could be a threat one day.
He sweet talks the other female.
That good will could come in useful.
Alliances, strategies, betrayal,
conquest and power.
This type of society has
given rise politics.
The males spend most of their day plotting.
It is left to the females to find ways to feed
and educate their young.
No wonder that the females have become
more resourceful than the males.
To the alpha, ruling the group also means
having access to the female.
The problem with bipedalism is that the male
can't see the females genitals as clearly.
How does he know if she's interested?
Before being able to mate,
he now has to check the willingness of the female.
She's not interested.
The new territory of the Toumai includes water
and all the food it contains.
Our ancestors are just getting
used to this new element
and will encounter an abundance of riches.
The Toumai's greatest invention,
however, is preference.
The male and the female can decide to
get away from the group
just to spend some time together.
For these two juveniles,
it's the first time.
A big step in relationships
between males and females.
Before there was only sniffing, then mating.
It only lasted a minute.
Now they can spend time together
and exchange gestures of affection.
The great apes begin to feel their hearts beating,
their hair standing on end.
The great game of seduction.
She seeks his gaze.
He is transfixed.
She smells him.
They feel desire.
They give kisses and invent a new way of mating:
face-to-face.
No one has noticed that the infant has
strayed from the bank.
Too late.
The little one's frail body is limp, lifeless.
Toumai are well aware of the
importance of the group.
The loss of a member is heartbreaking.
Life on the ground does have its advantages,
but there are far more
predators than in the canopy.
That's why Toumai still depend on the trees.
Something strange is happening in
our ancestor's minds.
The young female should've
left the lifeless body behind,
but she refused.
Why?
What does she feel?
Something happened this morning.
Several unknown individuals were spotted
on the other side of the hill.
The three males of the group are very excited.
There under the large fig tree,
another group of Toumai.
The first time they've seen them.
Two very enticing females.
They have been eating overripe figs
and are now drunk.
This group have come here for the fermented fruits
that rot on the ground.
The alpha wants the females.
He wants what he sees.
But they belong to other males.
And he's an absolute giant.
What can he do?
A cunning plan is formulating
inside the alpha's head.
A previously unimagined idea.
An idea that will make us the most dangerous
predator on the planet.
The idea is to kill.
Killing one's own species.
Killing with premeditation in an organized way.
Killing to take the goods of others.
The Toumai have just invented war.
They have conquered a new territory.
And with it, a tree full of fruit
and a few females.
War has its advantages.
From now on, the alpha group
will occupy this land.
The young female still has a worrying
connection to her infant.
She is refusing to accept reality,
because reality has become unbearable.
The infant is motionless,
but his body is still there.
What is it that lives in us
and vanishes so suddenly?
Toumai are starting to understand
the concept of death, the loss of life,
the loss of a being.
They know that their own lives will end.
Faced with suffering and confusion,
they gather around the body
of the departed friend.
Gathering, the feeling of being in a group,
united in space and time.
The beginning of a ritual,
a first funeral ceremony.
For many years, we believed that awareness
of death made us human.
Not anymore.
Today we know that we share this knowledge
with many other species, including chimpanzees.
Awareness of the passage of time
is a huge leap forward in our family history.
Five million years ago Africa began to dry out.
The great forests of the Sahara
receded and placed pressure on
the descendants of the Toumai.
They separate into several families,
some evolve along the lines of
the chimpanzees and gorillas.
They abandon bipedalism and invent a new way
of getting around on four feet.
Others evolve along the line of humans.
They are spread throughout Africa,
especially in the east.
Here we find the great family of Australopithecus.
Between four and two million years ago,
there is a great diaspora.
Afarensis,
able,
africanus, Kenyanthropus,
anamensis,
garhi.
Around two million years ago,
a new character appeared in South Africa.
He would go on to radically alter our history.
We named him sediba.
Is he an Australopithecus or the first man?
That question hasn't been solved.
Sediba lived in the south
of the African continent.
Drought increasingly affects this part of Africa,
and will play a considerable role
in the development of our ancestors.
Despite spending the majority
of their time on the ground,
sediba are still dependent on the trees,
the only protection from the man-eating beasts
that roam the land at that time.
They never stray too far.
The dry season is at its peak.
There's no more fruit on the trees.
The only food is underground.
Roots and bulbs are difficult to find
and dig out of the ground,
and they need a lot of chewing
before they can be swallowed.
But that's all there is.
Hours are spent chewing this tough food.
This young male is still part of the group,
though he has no female.
The females now live in harem with
the strongest males.
These two females are part of the alpha's harem.
When a carcass is left by the larger predators,
there's only enough for the alpha and his females.
A few bones to suck,
but only the strongest have access.
That's why the females have
accepted this new arrangement.
Less power for more protection.
Sediba don't live very long.
This old female can no longer chew.
The marrow is all she can swallow.
The alpha doesn't share with the others.
The old female would already be dead
without the young male.
By chewing her food, he keeps her alive.
Empathy at work again.
This extreme scarcity of food is driving
out our species to extinction.
If they don't find an alternative,
they will all die.
They must adapt.
Fortunately, sediba possesses
a highly developed brain
and an array of tools and techniques.
Inside the brain of one of them,
a revolutionary idea is taking shape.
If the meat won't come to them,
they will have to go to it.
Over there.
The alpha's female wants to take the risk.
The young male is ready to.
None before them have tried this.
Against the wishes of the alpha,
they will attempt the impossible.
How could they be so foolish?
Neither of them has never
been so far from the trees.
The desire to eat meat outweighs the dangers
of the savanna.
The brave ones that took this reckless decision
could not have known the profound effect
it would have on the history of our species.
A fresh carcass.
An abundance of meat.
They've never seen so much.
The first pieces they choose
are those that contain fat, the tastiest.
Fat is so rare in nature,
and yet so rich in energy,
and important for the
digestion of animal proteins.
The sediba pick out the parts
that contain the most.
The marrow, the entrails,
the brain, the tongue, the eyes.
The two explorers are back,
their arms laden with the most wonderful food.
Food for everyone.
What a success.
A solution for the future of the species?
But the alpha is not ready
to digest this humiliation.
The female is part of his harem.
She has betrayed him.
Sometimes the females do swap males,
but a possessive alpha like him
can't lose one of his females.
It's a threat to his power.
The young male can do nothing.
Here might is right.
He humiliates her in front of everyone,
punishes her and isolates here from the others.
The old female has nothing to lose.
She's the only one that can come to her help.
The harshness of this life
does not favor the females.
They have lost a lot of their power
to the benefit of the large males.
The first effects of the meat are immediate.
It's easier to digest than roots
and the body feels lighter.
Meat gives the sensation of well-being
and a sounder sleep.
The second effect will take hundreds
of thousands of years.
Less energy consumed by the stomach
means more energy for the brain.
Thanks to that, our mental capacity will
improve and our bodies become taller and slimmer.
Although physical force still dominates,
it won't be enough to adapt.
A new generation is coming
whose ingenuity will prove the decisive advantage.
Sediba already use rocks to break and crush roots.
But he has a new thought.
The young male has an idea
that could change their lives.
Maybe even the future of his species.
If he can cut the carcasses of animals
killed by predators into smaller pieces,
they can carry them to a safe place.
If it works, they will have
provisions for several days.
For this they will need a range of new tools
to cut and slice the flesh, break the bones.
He shapes them out of a rock.
These shards are as sharp as razors.
It will take thousands of years
to master the technique.
One of the great advantages of our ancestors
relied on their capacity for imagination
and on the language they were
beginning to articulate.
They were capable of conceiving a project,
weighing up different aspects,
and anticipating future needs.
The young male has decided to train the group
to find carcasses and bring them back.
He lays out his vision.
His words evoke images of abundant feasts.
He captures their attention.
He wins them over with his words.
The alpha understands that his
dominance is under threat,
his physical force no longer sufficient.
So he takes the young male's idea.
The dream of plentiful food
is leading them into dangerous territory.
Sediba are prey.
Without their trees they are vulnerable.
And yet they march into the unknown,
driven by an urge greater than any other to eat.
They explore a continent
inhabited by great carnivores
on their hunt for carcasses left by
the kings of the savanna.
Who would think that this band of scavengers
would soon dominate the planet?
When a carcass is found,
everyone should take their turn.
First the top predators.
Then the hyenas.
The vultures, and the rest.
It's crucial to get there at the right time.
The alpha doesn't know that yet.
Their tree.
They should never have left their tree.
It is perhaps at this moment
that the fate of the entire human race
hangs in the balance.
They could retreat to the safety of the tree
and risk dying of starvation.
Or they could head into the unknown,
risking being attacked,
but having the chance to eat.
What should they do?
The young female doesn't know what to choose.
Everything is telling them to seek shelter.
Is there another life beyond the trees?
The group splits into two factions.
Some follow the young female while the others
head back to the tree.
In fact, it is the weaker ones that will
make the right choice.
They will risk everything for a better life.
The strong, never one to give up their privileges.
Those that leave are guided by the imagination.
Open spaces, prey in abundance,
food for everyone.
They dream of another world,
a better world up there over the mountains.
Even the old female, her
energy nearly spent,
is galvanized by hope.
This world does exist.
A vast land of riches.
If some of us hadn't had this astonishing courage,
we wouldn't be here today.
Those that have chosen to stay near the trees
will survive for a time.
They will be known as Paranthropus,
or almost humans.
But they will not be able to adapt
to the next climatic changes.
We thought that Lucy, the
most famous Australopithecus,
was the grandmother of humanity.
We were wrong.
Lucy was in fact one of these almost humans
and her descendants died
out a million years later.
Those that left the savanna
freed themselves from a life in the trees,
and had to invent a new way of living.
The world isn't exactly as they imagined.
There are riches all around,
but there are just as many traps.
Limitless space lies ahead of us
and nothing will stop our advance.
Is this how man became free?
Is this how we became truly human?
Some believe so.
But is there still something missing?
After the sediba, a new species emerges,
a very mobile man.
The next character in our story is
an unparalleled explorer, Homo erectus.
Five million years ago the two Americas collided.
This led to the creation of the Gulf Stream.
This warm current travels from the Gulf of Mexico
up towards the Arctic and plunges into the ocean,
taking the heat with it.
The polar icecap formed,
the earth cooled and entered the Ice Age.
The green plains of the Sahara dried out.
Two million years ago,
populations of herbivores left Africa
in search of new pastures.
Homo erectus followed.
Some of our ancestors migrated to Europe,
others to Asia.
They crossed mountains and deserts,
forests and swamps.
They traveled unthinkable
distances into the unknown.
Driven by the spirit of conquest
passed down to them from their ancestors,
they migrate to the far east.
The north of China, home of
the Chinese Homo erectus.
Homo erectus possesses the anatomy of a champion.
This man of the plains is born to run.
A vertical body propelled by his long legs
and balanced by his arms.
He is equipped with an extraordinary internal
cooling system, a body covered in short hairs,
sweat glands that allow perspiration,
and in his brain a
blood-purifying system
that regulates body temperature.
This gives him the most stamina
of any living creature.
Homo erectus has now become a big game hunter.
Like wolves they track their prey
across great distances.
They are slower, but can run a lot longer
than their prey.
When the prey is exhausted,
they set the trap.
For Homo erectus, power is not reserved
for the males.
The difference in size between males
and females has reduced.
The rule of the strongest has been replaced
by the leadership of the cleverest.
In this group, a female is in charge.
Her ability to anticipate,
her intelligence and her political skill
have made her their chief.
No longer scavengers competing with vultures,
thanks to their weapons and
collective organization,
Homo erectus now compete with the top predators.
But they have become dependent on their prey.
They must follow them wherever they go.
They have become nomads.
And so they build shelters on their travels.
Their ancestors adapted to their environment.
They are transforming it.
Finding a site to set up camp.
They are building the first shelters.
Sometimes enclosed by fences,
camps that allow them to protect themselves.
Homo erectus has created a more complex society.
Each member of the group now has a role
often according to their particular skills.
Some are skilled at shaping rocks.
Others for cutting meat.
Social functions appear for tanning hides
or building shelters.
Work and the distribution of tasks
are now a part of human life,
with all the pressures and
conflicts that come with them.
Clearly some do more than others.
The leader of the group must maintain justice.
The most important moment of the day
is when the food is shared out.
Serving some first with the best cuts,
giving a little extra to
someone she may need soon,
establishing a hierarchy and nurturing alliances.
The fine details of the social life
require political skill.
To protect their bodies,
Homo erectus have clothes made from plants,
hides, and bark.
But this brings its own problems.
Parasites have found a new home.
A body covered in thin visible skin
is easy and enticing prey for bloodsuckers.
They no longer fear predators.
But another enemy now stalks them.
More dangerous, more ruthless.
The world is still full of unexplained phenomena.
Homo erectus has an inquiring mind,
trying to make sense of the mysteries
that surround him.
One of the greatest is about to be revealed.
It's here.
This savage beast appears in some dry
seasons to take lives.
It is a huge creature.
They must prepare to fight.
They are defeated.
They save whatever they can.
In a few hours, the fire
has destroyed their world.
Their camp has gone up in smoke
and the herds have deserted the landscape.
But Homo erectus is about to make a discovery.
What is that powerful odor?
What are these mouth-watering smells?
An animal has been trapped in the fire.
Its flesh is still good and has a delicious taste.
This is perhaps how Homo erectus discovered
this remarkable property of fire
to cook food.
As well as the taste, they will soon notice
that the meat is easier to chew and digest.
And what about those awful roots?
Cooked they are delicious.
They require 16 times less energy to digest.
An amazing discovery.
Cooked food will allow us to reduce the size
of our jaw muscles and develop our brains.
We will walk with a lighter
step and think clearer.
Our brains will become high-powered machines
capable of associations,
constructed thoughts, and new emotions.
It is likely that the aesthetic sense
developed at this time.
Shapes and lights elicited new sensations.
We were affected by the beauty of the world.
They are all dreaming about that delicious food,
but lack the key ingredient.
Fire.
If only they knew how to obtain it.
That one looks more and seems alone.
Maybe they can capture it.
Another group.
They have captured the beast.
Technology.
In this new world nothing is more important.
They are ready to fight to obtain it.
They could fight, but the young chief
has a different idea.
His clan know how to control fire.
The other has a greater skill in working
hides and accessories.
This period saw the first instances of trade.
Through objects, the techniques that go with them
travel between clans.
A new era for humanity.
The exchange of knowledge.
Thanks to traditions and language,
knowledge accumulates and the
spread of skills accelerates
over vast distances.
From now on everything will move a lot faster.
No wonder the use of fire appeared so
suddenly and across the entire world.
The young chief is attracted to this woman.
Her face stirs something in him.
At this point in our history,
the first real couples begin to appear.
Selecting, desiring, and seeking
intimate moments alone.
Aesthetics now play a role
in sexual relationships.
Bodies are covered in colors.
Styles, decorations to arouse.
Sexuality brings people together,
but something else is happening.
A story of bonds that build and grow and last.
The story of love is still being told.
The domestication of fire changed the lives
of the first humans and gave them warmth,
protection from insects and predators,
cured their ailments, illuminated the dark,
sharpened the points on their spears,
made them stronger.
But the greatest advance was in
the domain of speech.
Thanks to the development of our left brain
and a small evolution in the throat,
the larynx, our speech became so articulate
that we could evoke the past,
speak of the future,
recount stories,
imagine.
The old woman is a storyteller.
Who are we?
Where are we from?
She tells the story of these people
and their exploits.
These tales give meaning to their lives.
Perhaps it is this that makes us human.
The first man is the one that can tell his story.
Homo erectus will continue to populate the earth.
With their skills they will
adapt to every climate.
Different populations begin to diverge
genetically and give rise to new types of man.
In furthest China, Homo erectus would become
Beijing Man, a giant.
In Indonesia, Solo Man.
At his edges on Flores Island,
a tiny man of no more than a meter.
In central Asia, he is Denisova Man.
In the cold of Europe,
Homo erectus has become a Neanderthal,
a massive heavy man of incredible strength.
He can withstand extreme cold.
His skin whitens to better absorb
the weak sunlight.
His eyes and hair grow lighter.
In Africa, he becomes Homo sapiens,
and it is through him that the greatest
changes will occur.
At least six species of humans
populate the ancient world.
Each develops according to their environment
and creates its own culture.
But this multi-faceted humanity won't last long.
Homo sapiens will soon replace them all.
Around a 100,000 years ago,
Homo sapiens turned the world of man upside down,
invented more complex societies,
and proved more inventive in every area.
How will he go on to invent art, skill,
beliefs, magic,
writing, medicine and science?
His extraordinary imagination certainly helps,
but so does the knowledge accumulated
by his forefathers.
The Pierola, Toumai,
sediba, and Homo erectus.
They have left us a heritage of millions
of years of evolution,
one through the impulse to live
and a fierce desire to learn.
With this knowledge passed down through the ages,
this great dreamer gave rise to the diversity
of peoples today.
A hundred thousand years ago,
Homo sapiens left, just like his ancestors,
to conquer the world.
He left Africa and spread out across the globe.
He mastered navigation.
Crossed the seas and vast spacial expanses.
He traveled to Australia,
to America over the Bering Strait
and soon inhabited the entire planet.
He occasionally intermingled with those
that went before, but everywhere he went
the other species of man disappeared.
His appearance changed according
to climate and place.
His skin, his hair, the shape of his eyes.
From him arose a multitude of peoples,
all looking different,
but deep down the genes are the same.
Genes developed through
millions of years of evolution.
He is the father of the entire human race
on earth today.
He is the only human on earth,
but his presence shines with a million fires.