Coming to PBS: First Peoples

Tonight on PBS you can catch the premiere of the new series First Peoples.  The program discusses where we came from by sifting through the evidence left behind by our ancestors.  Here is the PBS summary:

200,000 years ago we took our first steps on the African savanna. Today there are 7 billion of us living across planet Earth.

How did our ancestors beat the odds and spread from continent to continent? What was the secret to their success?

This is a global detective story, featuring new fossil finds and the latest genetic research. It’s a story that revolves around a shocking revelation. In prehistoric times, we met and mated with other types of human – like Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo erectus. This mixing of genes helped us survive - and ultimately thrive.

Scientists are beginning to realize that ours is not a pedigree species, but a patchwork. We are all hybrids.  

The first two episodes will appear tonight and the series will run through July 8th.  Episode one is called Americas and covers the initial colonization of the Americas as well as the role of the Kennewick Man.  Episode two is titled Africa and discusses the appearance of Homo sapiens on the African continent as well as the spread of early humans from this region.