Alan Alda becomes a research subject for scientist Tanya Chartrand as she studies how mimicry affects our social interactions and behavior. 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?
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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
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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
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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
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The Human Spark | Human Nature | PBS
A look at the ways in which monkeys and apes are similar to humans. 04:45
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The Human Spark | The Brain in Action | PBS
A look at the regions of the brain that are activated during different tasks. 06:50
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The Human Spark | A Matter of Size | PBS
A look at the brains of a rat, monkey, chimp and human. 03:03
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The Human Spark | Scanning the Brain | PBS
An introduction to MRI scans. 06:50
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The Human Spark | Brain Matters | Kermit Loves... (#103)
Alan Alda meets Harvard University cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke, who is testing the representational... 03:08
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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
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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 | Human Language | PBS
A look at the difference between human language and others. 01:35
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The Human Spark | Cooperation | PBS
A brief look at the cooperative and social nature of humans. 00:19
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The Human Spark | To Make A Spear | PBS
Archaeologist John Shea demonstrates the construction of a primitive spear. 04:32
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The Human Spark | Beyond the Present | PBS
A look at humans' unique ability to reflect upon events. 00:52
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The Human Spark | Links in the Evolutionary...
Full Program: An exploration of some of the different characteristics that distinguish the hominid. 04:30
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The Human Spark | Insight and Imagination | PBS
An overview of how insight and imagination distinguish humans from others. 02:15
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The Human Spark | Becoming Us | PBS (#101)
Full Program: Alan Alda explores why our ancestors flourished, while our Neanderthal cousins died out. 54:41
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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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Post Date: October 12, 2009
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