Apache Junction, AZ

We spent this weekend in Arizona, filming by the light of a blazing campfire (and a literal truckload of lights, including our very own moon) a conversation Alan had with archeologist Curtis Marean about how modern humans came to replace the Neanderthals — who’d been doing quite nicely until our ancestors decided to leave Africa and check out Europe.

Keeping warm by the campfire in the chilly desert night air, he and Curtis had a great time together chatting about what our ancestors brought with them to Europe that enabled them to replace its then-inhabitants, the Neanderthals. Not what they brought in their hands, but in their heads — basically a more flexible approach to making a living and a greater capacity for cooperation among themselves. This emphasis on our social nature will be a major theme of The Human Spark.

– Graham Chedd

Here’s Director Larry Engel talking about his plan for filming this nighttime desert scene… and a glimpse of how it all looked in the end.

Scott Watrous is the MRI Technologist in the lab at the University of Oregon where we filmed Alan getting a brain scan. One of Scott’s most important responsibilities is making sure that nothing that can react with a magnet gets anywhere near the MRI machine. Watch this interview to learn more… and then check out the YouTube clips below that demonstrate WHY the “no metal” rule is so key!

Check out these YouTube videos:

• Oxygen bottle in an MRI magnet
• Oxygen Cylinder in MR Scan Room
• Missile Effect
• Chair gets stuck in an MRI machine