First Peoples

An Impossible Task

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute, a leader in the study of ancient DNA, were the first to crack the genetic code of a Neanderthal. On First Peoples: Europe, Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo describes the challenges faced in reconstructing DNA from millions of degraded genome fragments found in a Neanderthal bone.

An Impossible Task

2m 34s

  • Europe: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Europe

    S1 E5 - 54m 40s

    When Homo sapiens turned up in prehistoric Europe, they ran into the Neanderthals. The two types of human were similar enough – intellectually and culturally - to interbreed. But as more Homo sapiens moved into Europe and the population increased, there was an explosion of art and symbolic thought which overwhelmed the Neanderthals.

  • Australia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Australia

    S1 E4 - 54m 40s

    When humans arrived in Australia, they were, for the first time, truly alone, surrounded by wildly different flora and fauna. How did they survive and populate a continent? There is a close cultural and genetic link between early Australians and modern-day Aborigines; here the ancient and modern story intersect as nowhere else.

  • Asia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Asia

    S1 E3 - 54m 40s

    Discover the ancient humans living across Asia when Homo sapiens arrived. Our ancestors mated with them and their genes found a home within our DNA. More than that, they’ve helped us face down extinction.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.