Wheredidwecomefrom?Whatmakesushuman?Anexplosionofrecentdiscoveriesshedslightonthesequestions,andNOVAscomprehensive,three-partspecial,BecomingHuman,examineswhatthelatestscientificresearchrevealsaboutourhominidrelatives.Part1,FirstSteps,examinesthefactorsthatcausedustosplitfromtheothergreatapes.TheprogramexploresthefossilofSelam,alsoknownasLucysChild.PaleoanthropologistZerayAlemsegedspentfiveyearscarefullyexcavatingthesandstone-embeddedfossil.NOVAscamerasaretheretocapturetheunveilingoftheface,spine,andshoulderbladesofthis3.3million-year-oldfossilchild.AndNOVAtakesviewersinsidetheskulltoshowhowourancestorsbrainshadbeguntochangefromthoseoftheapes.Whydidleapsinhumanevolutiontakeplace?FirstStepsexploresaprovocativebigideathatsharpswingsofclimatewereakeyfactor.
