Educational Media Reviews Online

In this engaging presentation Alan Alda explores what separates us from our closest evolutionary relations, the Neanderthals and chimpanzees. What makes us different? What is the human spark that allows us to communicate using language, think about abstract concepts, use symbols, make tools, anticipate the actions of others, think about history, the future, and so on? A visit to a Neanderthal archaeological excavation in Southern France offers an opportunity to explore what is known about these extinct relatives of ours and how they differed from modern humans. And what of chimpanzees? They are smart but very limited, unable to figure out things that even very young human children can. Through high-tech imaging we are able to witness Alda’s brain functioning. He demonstrates, for instance, that the areas used for language are involved in tool use as well, leading scholars to infer a developmental linkage. Humans are profoundly social animals, needing each other to survive. So fundamental and necessary is this need that even very small children are able, using subtle signs, to differentiate between cooperative attitudes vs non-cooperative. Scholars explore the depth and complexity of human experience citing language, music, dance, religion, insight, imagination, and social interaction to speculate on just what the human spark is that sets us apart. Technical quality of this production is very high. This film will be useful in teaching evolution, anthropology, and the Stone Age. Highly recommended for high school and public libraries, recommended for college libraries.