Human Spark: So Human, So Chimp & Brain Matters, Selected Segments

Human vs. Chimp Thinking
A discussion about how human thought differs from that of chimpanzees.

Beyond the Present
A look at humans’ unique ability to reflect upon events that have happened in the past and think about things that could possibly happen in the future.

Thinking about Thinking
A discussion about the ability of humans to think about others’ thoughts.

Insight and Imagination

An overview of how insight and imagination distinguish humans from others.

Additional segments which students can use in their research for Learning Activity 2:

A Matter of Size
A look at the brains of a rat, monkey, chimp and human and why some brains are bigger than others.

Cooperation

A brief look at the cooperative and social nature of humans.

Human Language

A look at the difference between human language and other species’ communication systems.

The Art Spark
An exploration of early cave art and what it tells us about our ancestors.

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right click on the video title and click “Save Link As…’ or “Save Target As…”. On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Human vs. Chimp Thinking

Beyond the Present

Thinking about Thinking

Insight and Imagination

Matter of Size

Cooperation

Human Language

The Art Spark

Selected segments of The Human Spark: Becoming Us

If It Ain’t Broke…

Archaeologist John Shea explains the context and construction of one of early humans’ first tools–the stone hand ax.

Pyroengineering

Archaeologist Curtis Marean explains a recent discovery about how early humans used fire in the creation of certain stone tools.

Making Stone Tools is Sooo Millions of Years Ago

Archaeologist Curtis Marean explains a recent discovery about how early humans used fire in the creation of certain stone tools.

To Make A Spear

Archaeologist John Shea demonstrates the construction of a primitive spear and explains its  impact on the social development the early humans who used them.

The Human Spark: Becoming Us, selected segments

Links in the Evolutionary Chain

An exploration of some of the different characteristics that distinguish different branches of the hominid “family tree,” such as brain and face size, ability to make tools, and location.

Human Nature

A look at the ways in which monkeys and apes are similar to humans, not just biologically but mentally and socially.

The Human Spark: Brain Matters, selected segments

A Matter of Size

A look at the brains of a rat, monkey, chimp and human and a discussion of why some brains are bigger than others.

Scanning the Brain

An introduction to MRI scans.

The Brain in Action

A look at the regions of the brain that are activated during different tasks.

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right click on the video title and click “Save Link As…’ or “Save Target As…”. On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

A Matter of Size

Scanning the Brain

The Brain in Action

Chimp Politics

Host Alan Alda and scientist Franz de Waal observe and compare two alpha-male chimpanzees’ different approaches to sharing at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta

Social Networks and the Spark (Click on link to stream video– this clip is streaming only.)

Oxford University’s Alan Dunbar compares human social networks  to those of chimps;  at Yale University, host Alan Alda observes how babies as young as three months old favor cooperative puppets over those that won’t play

How We Learn

Host Alan Alda observes experiments at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology which demonstrate how differently human children orangutans learn how to complete tasks.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. Vicki Horner explains the ways chimps “passively tolerate” learning as opposed the “active” engagement of human teaching.

Cooperation Over Competition

Scientists discuss what may be the uniquely “human spark” which separates us from animals: our ability to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with others.

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To download a video, right click on the video title and click “Save Link As…’ or “Save Target As…”. On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Chimp Politics

Social Networks and the Spark (Click on link to stream video– this clip is streaming only.)

How We Learn

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Cooperation Over Competition

Why would mirror neurons be especially important for human beings to possess?