Back to Show
Watch Preview
NOVA
Great Human Odyssey
Season 43
Episode 12
Our ancient human ancestors once lived only in Africa in tiny bands of a few thousand hunter-gatherers. Then we moved out of our African cradle, spreading rapidly to every corner of the planet. How did we acquire the skills, technology and talent to thrive in every environment on earth? How did our prehistoric forebears cross the Sahara, survive frigid ice ages, and sail to remote Pacific islands?
Support Provided By
53:31
Americans use ancient wisdom and new technology to fight extreme weather.
53:31
See the latest stunning images and discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope.
53:21
Archaeological discoveries reveal traces of ancient civilizations in the Amazon.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:20
Thousands race to build Europe's biggest construction project–London's new railroad.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:32
Discover how the concepts of zero and infinity revolutionized mathematics.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:22
What exactly is crypto, and how does it work? This technology is more than just money.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:31
Who created the Nazca lines and why? New clues to one of the greatest ancient enigmas.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:43
A team tackles the restoration of iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.
53:43
Ancient footprints provide new evidence of humans and extinct giant beasts of the Ice Age.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:20
How could a single ship cause a major supply chain crisis around the globe?
53:16
Sir David Attenborough explores a site with traces of ancient mammoths and Neanderthals.
53:30
In the Arctic, enormous releases of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, threaten the climate