Ape to Man (01×01)

The History Channel’s Ape to Man is an interesting look into the origins of the human race as told through a timeline investigation and reenactments of some of science’s biggest discoveries in the last 130 years.

The program stretches from Eugene Dubois’ discovery of Homo erectus in the late 19^th century through the Piltdown hoax and beyond as the origins of Homo sapiens come into light with the remarkable discovery of "Lucy" the oldest ancestor of humans.

The hoax, referenced above, was formulated in the 1912 when scientists were looking for the “magical link” between apes and man that would bridge the mental and physiological traits of both species into an intermediary specimen. The hoax, revealed decades later caused the findings of later scientists to be dismissed, even though they were correct. What was the perpetration for the hoax? A huge rivalry between Britain and Germany and the British drive to have the “middle man/ape” be British.

As a firm supporter of Darwin’s theories of evolution I found the program to be entertaining and informative especially to see a visual representation of the human evolutionary “tree” branching out into many directions, some ending, and some leading into centuries of evolution. The recreated footage of primitive man and ape also provides a visual representation of what many of the programs interviewees describe.

Ape to Man premieres on The History Channel August 7th at 9pm (ET/PT)/8pm (CT).