The epic story and ultimate big history of how human society evolved from intimate chimp communities into the sprawling civilizations of a world-dominating species If a chimpanzee ventures into the territory of a different group, it will almost certainly be killed. But a New Yorker can fly to Los Angeles--or Borneo--with very little fear. Psychologists have done little to explain this: for years, they have held that our biology puts a hard upper limit--about...

"Fossil Men is the riveting science-adventure story of the brilliant team who discovered the "Ardi" skeleton, a human more than a million years older than the famous Lucy, and their 20-year quest to redefine our understanding of human evolution"--

Team Human is a manifesto-a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff's most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together-not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once...

Though sometimes in conflict with each other, the Wodaabe and Tuareg have a common enemy in the arid lands of central western Africa they call home. Filmed in part during the height of the dry season, this program offers insights into both of these warrior tribes through two of their major celebrations. For the polygynous Wodaabe it is the worso, a flamboyant courtship festival that frequently ends in the "abduction" of an additional wife. And for...

Award-winning filmmaker Phil Agland returns to the African rainforest to find the pygmy family who captivated viewers around the world as the stars of his acclaimed documentary Baka: People of the Rainforest. Twenty-five years on, Agland is back in Cameroon to chart the experiences of the Baka family's next generation. Discovering that pressures beyond their forest world are irrevocably changing their centuries-old way of life, Agland witnesses the...

Whether it's because we're time-poor or just disinterested in cooking, statistics show that the demand for convenience foods continues to grow. This program examines the evolution of the convenience food industry, from basic cake mixes to complete heat-and-eat meals. It looks at the impact microwave technology has on the types of food products being made and examines the correct way to use microwave ovens to reheat and cook food. The difference between...

Cannibalism has long been considered a dark, if isolated occurrence in human history. Now science uncovers an ancient Germanic culture known for systematically consuming its fellow man. Witness the first of the Earth's Neolithic farmers and the burial pit they left behind, found filled with expertly butchered human remains. Archaeologists have never seen anything like it. Is it possible that cannibals are hidden in Europe's ancestral closet? An ongoing...

Forensic anthropologist John Verano has been called to solve a nearly 2,000-year-old mystery of gruesome proportions. Mass graves have been discovered at an ancient Peruvian temple complex known as the Temple of the Moon, and the remains there shout accusations of violent ritual sacrifice. The Moche-a pre-Columbian agricultural civilization thriving from 100 BC to AD 800-are one of the best-known pre-Columbian cultures of South America. These remarkable...

When a trove of high-quality negatives dating back to the 19th century surfaced in a New Zealand attic, the discovery sparked much controversy over cultural sensitivity and ownership rights. In the manner of the famous Curtis photographs of Native Americans, the images depicted individual Maori people and had been used as tourist postcards during the Victorian Era's craze for all things "exotic." This program documents the discovery of William Partington's...

Reaching agreement on the legal meaning and the "spirit" of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, has led to fierce debate and violent conflict between European settlers and the Maori peoples since its signing in 1840. This program examines the events leading up to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, consequences of the signing, the key points of difference in the two versions of the treaty, the treaty in the twentieth century,...