Human Spark
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The Human Spark | So Human, So Chimp | PBS (#102)
Full Program: Alan Alda explores how much humans and chimps have in common, and what sets us apart. 54:42
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The Human Spark | So Human, So Chimp | Monkey... (#102)
Alan Alda visits Yale University's Laurie Santos at a small Caribbean island where she is studying rhesus monkeys'... 03:34
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The Human Spark | So Human, So Chimp | Chimps... (#102)
Put to work at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, Alan Alda finds out how... 02:27
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The Human Spark | Part 2: So Human, So Chimp |... (#102)
Alan Alda joins researchers studying human children and chimpanzees to discover why we share some skills with our... 00:32
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The Human Spark | Human Language | PBS
A look at the difference between human language and others. 01:35
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Series Description: THE HUMAN SPARK explores one central question: what makes humans unique? Three and a half billion years of evolution have produced uncountable billions of living species. But only one -- humans -- can think in symbols; recombine those symbols into infinite meanings; invent a technology to disseminate the message; worry how others might react to it; ponder the past; speculate about the future; and imagine the unknown. This three-part series is hosted by actor, author and science buff Alan Alda. He travels the world and speaks to a wide variety of experts who share their original thoughts about our most human characteristics. Along the way, Alda forms his own intriguing personal view of what our spark is and where it lies.
All Episodes
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Becoming Us (1 of 3) (#101)
Alan Alda visits sites where Neanderthals once lived, exploring bones and ancient cave paintings. [56 minutes]
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So Human, So Chimp (2 of 3) (#102)
Alan Alda explores the similarities and differences between humans and chimps, our primate cousins. [56 minutes]
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Brain Matters (3 of 3) (#103)
Highly detailed brain scans and high-tech EEGs offer insight into language centers in the brain. [56 minutes]
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