(Life On Earth [VHS] series, Part 13)
David Attenborough ends the series by tracing the origins of human beings in Africa three million years ago and the impact of man's talent for communication on the environment. Features parts 26 & 27 of the 16mm film version of the 'Life on Earth' series.
Part 26, Upright Man: Millions of years ago, herds of grazing animals and tree-dwelling apes ventured into the grasslands to search for food. Rendered relatively defenseless by their poor sense of smell, the apes relied heavily on their eyesight, thus taking an upright position in order to see over greater distances than their four-legged predators. Alterations of bones in the lower body took place to enable a more erect stance, thus Homo erectus arrived. They hunted in teams, employing foresight and planning as weapons to supplement their tools. There is evidence of speech and language through studying the brain structure of early Homo sapiens. A monumental evolutionary change is observed in the ancient cave paintings of southern France (25 minutes).
Part 27, Compulsive Communicators: David Attenborough studies man, the most expressive mammal, in the last film of the series. He poses the question, are expressions learned or inherited? In order to shed light on the topic, he surveys natives in Central New Guinea who have never been exposed to the outside world. As review he traces the development of the sea and land creatures which evolved into mankind and then examines the human being's need for communication (26 minutes).
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