The Human Spark - Season 1

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Becoming Us

1 - Becoming Us

Air Date: January 6, 2010

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?

So Human, So Chimp

2 - So Human, So Chimp

Air Date: January 13, 2010

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.

Brain Matters

3 - Brain Matters

Air Date: January 20, 2010

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.