Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1757 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-08
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 347 minutes

DVD Description
How did we get here? Following a trail of clues from the latest scientific research, Dr Alice Roberts re-traces the greatest ever journey taken by our ancestors. Thousands of years ago one small group of our species, Homo sapiens, crossed out of Africa and into the unknown. Their descendants faced baking deserts, sweat-soaked jungles and frozen wildernesses and risked everything on the vast empty ocean. Within 60,000 years they colonised the whole world...

How did they do it? Why do we, their descendants all look so different? And what did we have that meant we were the only human species to survive? Using the evidence from genetics, fossils, archaeology and climatology, Dr Alice Roberts uncovers five epic routes our ancestors took across the globe and the obstacles and brutal challenges they encountered along the way. It reveals how our family tree grew and spread out across the world, producing all the variety we see in the human species today – but despite all that diversity, Alice reveals how astonishingly closely related we all are.

Synopsis
THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN JOURNEY is a fascinating documentary series in which Dr Alice Roberts (COAST, DON'T DIE YOUNG) travels the corners of the Earth in search of the origins of mankind. Utilising state-of-the-art genetic, climate and archaeological evidence, Roberts sets out to discover the five paths our ancestors travelled across the world, and the challenges they face en route; her findings determine where we came from and how the world became colonised by our forefathers.

Customer Reviews

Great Series!!
I originally thought this would be just another series about the divergence of our ancestors from the common ape line, but instead its focus is on Homo sapiens, which is great! All the other docs spend so much time discussing our antecedents and spend the last bit discussing "us". Our story is far richer as well as less speculative, and this series so far is doing it great justice! I am three episodes in and just enthralled!! I don't know why they don't show great docs like this in the US. I'm downloading this series but will buy it on June 8th right here!!

Great Series
I found this series very informative, and excellently presented by Alice Roberts. I learnt new things, and it gave me a sense of the wonder and diversity of our own vast human family.

I think she makes the point well, that an understanding of human prehistory should cause people to come together for the vast journey they share, rather than kill each other for the small differences they notice. I also felt the current fate of some tribal cultures becomes all the more poignant when we learn more of their own remarkable histories of pioneering exploration and survival across tens of thousands of years. I think kids of any ethnic background can find true stories of their ancestors here to be proud of and share.

I don't agree with comments that she made herself out to be a great expert - I am fine with her discussing her own hunches on the theories, as this personal side of the journey was the style of the series. It was clear that local experts have their own national and cultural biases - and the jury is still out on lots of issues.

Yes, her night in the bush was a bit lame - but it seemed they pulled away from that reality format in time - and yes the "fun cartoon" graphics looked like the result of an overly persuasive graphics company. But apart from such small issues I found the program structure managed to keep you moving nicely through sites and scientists (for which the series clearly worked hard to get excellent access).

Alice Roberts herself is charming with the people that she meets, and I think her warm character gave this series an unusual edge. I really enjoyed it.

Required Viewing For All
In a very pleasant and viewer-friendly style especially for the average punter on the street, Dr. Roberts uses the latest scientific findings to explain just how 'under the skin, we are ALL children of Africa'. Differences in physical characteristics (e.g. skin colour) which helas have been and are still being used to drive us humans apart, are found to be nothing more than the evolutionary realignment necessary for the survival of our common ancestors from Africa in their new-found yet often hazardous environment they had to call 'home' (Asia, Europe, Oceania and Americas). But the underlying truth that we are ALL related, and a lot closer than we sometimes dare to admit (today's so-called 'non-Africans' ALL descend from only several hundred Africans!) makes me wish that Dr. Roberts' work be made required study if not viewing for all, or at least for those at secondary school level.