PBS
How Did Our Most Famous Ancestor Really Die?
Did our most famous fossil ancestor, Lucy, die by falling out of a tall tree? The answer is part of a decades-long debate over how, exactly, our ancestors transitioned from life in the trees to life on the ground.
PBS
The Humans That Lived Before Us
As more and more fossil ancestors have been found, our genus has become more and more inclusive, incorporating more members that look less like us, Homo sapiens. By getting to know these other hominins--the ones who came before us--we...
PBS
When We First Talked
The evolution of our ability to speak is its own epic saga and it’s worth pausing to appreciate that. It’s taken several million years to get to this moment where we can tell you about how it took several million years for us to get here.
PBS
When We First Walked
Fossilized footprints have proved that human ancestors were already striding across the landscape 3.6 million years ago. But who started them on that path? What species pioneered this style of locomotion? Who was the first to walk?
SciShow
A Brief History of Life: Rise of the Humans
With the non-avian dinosaurs extinct, it was time for mammals to take over. Finally, in the tiniest sliver of the history of life, humans emerge.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Becoming a Fossil
This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy could have been fossilized. Footage courtesy of NOVA: "In Search of Human Origins." [2:34]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Finding Lucy
This Evolution video segment depicts the landmark hominid fossil finds by Don Johanson and his team in Ethiopia. [4:32]
PBS
Pbs Nova: Becoming Human, Part 1
"Where did we come from? What makes us human?" Becoming Human is a three-part comprehensive examination of the latest research on our hominid relatives. Part 1 takes a critical look at what set us on the path from ape to human. The...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Finding Lucy
Discover how paleontologists follow a meticulous process in assembling a skeleton from a collection of bones and bone fragments. Experience the excitement shared by the team that discovered a 3-million-year-old hominid in Ethiopia in the...
Science Friday Initiative
Science Friday: A Relative for Lucy
How well did 'Lucy' walk on two legs? New research says that upright walking may be an ancient skill. Hear about the discovery of a skeleton named 'Kadanuumuu,' or 'Big Man,' whois also an Australopithecus afarensis, but dates from 3.6...