ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Homo sapiens: the Rise and Fall

From the earliest modern human fossils 315,000 years ago to the seafaring societies that settled the Pacific, this film traces our species’ biological origins, cultural breakthroughs, and global migrations.

Chapters

0:07 Origins of our species
1:34 Cultural explosion and adaptation
3:37 Crossing oceans to the Pacific
5:22 Legacy and reflection

On-screen text

0:07 Origins of our species
0:14 Origins of our species
0:31 Jebel Irhoud fossils, 315 ka, modern face Historical record · Hublin et al., Nature 2017
0:49 Skhul & Qafzeh, Israel, 120‑90 ka Homo sapiens Historical record · Bar‑Yosef, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2002
1:07 mtDNA L0 split ~150 ka in southern Africa The Institute's interpretation · Soares et al., Am J Hum Genet 2009
1:25 Sahara green corridor, 15‑5 ka, enabled migrations The Institute's interpretation · deMenocal, Science 2004
1:34 Cultural explosion and adaptation
1:41 Cultural explosion and adaptation
1:58 Chauvet Cave art, France, ~36 ka Historical record · Chauvet et al., Science 1995
2:16 Sulawesi cave art, ~40 ka, hand stencils Historical record · Aubert et al., Nature 2014
2:34 Kakadu rock art, Australia, ~20 ka Historical record · McDonald, J Anthropol 2008
2:52 Ancient dog burial, Altai, 33 ka Historical record · Frantz et al., Science 2016
3:10 Denisovan genome from Siberia, 50 ka Historical record · Meyer et al., Nature 2012
3:28 Nabta Playa stone circles, ~5.5 ka Historical record · O'Connor & Yates, Antiquity 2002
3:37 Crossing oceans to the Pacific
3:44 Crossing oceans to the Pacific
4:01 Wallacea island tools, 50 ka, evidence of seafaring The Institute's interpretation · Bird et al., Nat. Commun. 2019
4:19 Austronesian origin in Taiwan, ~5 ka The Institute's interpretation · Bellwood, Oxford 2011
4:37 Lapita pottery, Bismarck, ~3.3 ka Historical record · Kirch, World Archaeology 1997
4:55 New Guinea highland farming, ~7 ka Historical record · Denham et al., Science 2003
5:13 Māori tradition of Hawaiki voyages Tradition / scripture · Oral histories of Māori iwi (e.g., Ngāi Tahu)
5:22 Legacy and reflection
5:29 Southern Africa, ~150k years ago The Institute's interpretation · Soares et al., Am J Hum Genet 2009
6:01 Lapita dentate pottery, Bismarck Archipelago Historical record · Kirch, World Archaeology 1997

Sources

Historical record: Hublin et al., Nature 2017 · Bar‑Yosef, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2002 · Chauvet et al., Science 1995 · Aubert et al., Nature 2014 · McDonald, J Anthropol 2008 · Frantz et al., Science 2016 · Meyer et al., Nature 2012 · O'Connor & Yates, Antiquity 2002 · Kirch, World Archaeology 1997 · Denham et al., Science 2003

Tradition / scripture: Oral histories of Māori iwi (e.g., Ngāi Tahu)

The Institute's interpretation: Soares et al., Am J Hum Genet 2009 · deMenocal, Science 2004 · Bird et al., Nat. Commun. 2019 · Bellwood, Oxford 2011

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 79 s of CPU.