Africa -
first peoples

200,000 years ago, a new species appeared on the African landscape -- Homo sapiens. Scientists imagined eastern Africa was a real-life Garden of Eden, but the latest research suggests we evolved in many places across the continent at the same time. Diversity is etched into our biological blueprint. DNA from a 19th Century African-American slave is forcing geneticists to re-think the origins of our species. The idea is that our ancestors met, mated and hybridized with other types of human in Africa -- creating ever greater diversity within our species.

Duration: 55 minutes and 21 seconds

Episode Number: 102

About First Peoples:

See how the mixing of prehistoric human genes led the way for our species to survive and thrive around the globe.

Archaeology, genetics and anthropology cast new light on 200,000 years of history, detailing how early humans became dominant.

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