Alan Alda talks to scientist Dan Lieberman about why the human ability to run could be an important prerequisite for the evolution of our bigger brains -- and the emergence of our human spark. In "The Human Spark," Alan Alda visits dozens of scientists on three continents -- and even undergoes an examination of his own brain -- to find the answer to one question: What makes us human?
Tags:Topics:
-
Now Playing
The Human Spark | Running = Big Brains? | PBS
Alan Alda talks to scientist Dan Lieberman about why the human ability to run could be an important prerequisite... 03:56
-
The Human Spark | Brain Matters | PBS (#103)
Full Program: Peer into Alan Alda's head as we uncover where our most human abilities reside. 54:12
-
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
-
The Human Spark | A Matter of Size | PBS
A look at the brains of a rat, monkey, chimp and human. 03:03
-
The Human Spark | Brain Matters | Social... (#103)
At Oxford University, Alan Alda finds out from Robin Dunbar how human social networks compare to those of chimps,... 02:47
-
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
-
The Human Spark | Becoming Us | PBS (#101)
Full Program: Alan Alda explores why our ancestors flourished, while our Neanderthal cousins died out. 54:41
-
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
-
The Human Spark | Becoming Us | Wear Grandma's...
Alan Alda vists the rock shelter of Abri Castanet in Southwest France, where he is shocked to learn about some of our... 03:35
-
The Human Spark | Becoming Us | Stone-Age...
Alan Alda joins John Shea at Stony Brook University for a lesson on Primitive Technology. Alan makes hand axes like a... 03:01
-
The Human Spark | Part 1: Becoming Us | Trailer... (#101)
Series host and narrator, Alan Alda, confronts the puzzle of why our ancestors in Africa got the Spark and evolved... 00:33
-
The Human Spark | I Like to be Mimicked | PBS
Alan Alda becomes a research subject for scientist Tanya Chartrand as she studies how mimicry affects our social... 05:15
-
The Human Spark | Cooperation | PBS
A brief look at the cooperative and social nature of humans. 00:19
-
The Human Spark | To Make A Spear | PBS
Archaeologist John Shea demonstrates the construction of a primitive spear. 04:32
-
The Human Spark | Human Nature | PBS
A look at the ways in which monkeys and apes are similar to humans. 04:45
-
The Human Spark | The Brain in Action | PBS
A look at the regions of the brain that are activated during different tasks. 06:50
-
The Human Spark | Scanning the Brain | PBS
An introduction to MRI scans. 06:50
-
The Human Spark | Links in the Evolutionary...
Full Program: An exploration of some of the different characteristics that distinguish the hominid. 04:30
-
The Human Spark | Insight and Imagination | PBS
An overview of how insight and imagination distinguish humans from others. 02:15
-
The Human Spark | Brain Matters | Kermit Loves... (#103)
Alan Alda meets Harvard University cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke, who is testing the representational... 03:08
- Watch more video from this program
Post Date: September 25, 2009
Downloads and Plug-Ins
This section of IPTV.org uses free plug-ins to enhance your experience.
More technical information can be found on our Downloads and Plug-Ins page.