
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?
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By

53:31
Explore great ancient Maya cities and why their inhabitants abandoned them.

Unlock with PBS Passport
53:28
Take a tasty look at insect foods that could benefit our health and our warming planet.

53:28
Join the hunt for the universe’s most common—yet most elusive and baffling—particle.

53:36
As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

53:13
A revealing new investigation of one of history’s most iconic aviation disasters.

54:06
Scientists race to help corals adapt to warming oceans through assisted evolution.

53:46
NASA launches its most ambitious search yet for traces of ancient life on Mars.

53:32
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.

53:30
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.

53:31
Discover the fascinating chemistry that makes our world and everything in it—including us.

53:31
Scientists look to geoengineering and other methods to cool the planet.

Unlock with PBS Passport
1:33:41
We can now edit the human genome with a tool called CRISPR. But how far should we go?