Up Next
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
53:51
Join scientists as they grab light from across the universe to prove quantum entanglement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:21
Follow engineers and woodworkers as they rebuild an iconic American covered bridge.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:34
Follow the harrowing operation to rescue 12 boys stranded in a flooded cave in Thailand.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:37
Explore Africa’s sleeping giant—Nyamuragira, one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:37
Climb into the crater of Nyiragongo, a seething and active African volcano.
1:53:20
Discover how Earth’s intricate climate system is changing.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:15
How courage and ingenuity saved Allied troops during the epic Dunkirk operation in 1940.
53:26
Take a mind-blowing voyage to the most powerful and mysterious objects in the universe.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:32
Watch as birds solve puzzles and challenge our basic notions of intelligence.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:10
Scientists uncover geologic evidence of epic floods that tore through ancient landscapes.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:11
Experts reconstruct the Great Hurricane of 1780 to help predict the risk of future storms.