Ape to Man

Originally broadcast on the History Channel, Ape to Man is a trenchant documentary tracing the birth of anthropology via the serendipitous 1856 discovery of a 40,000-year-old bone in Germany's Neander Valley (which ultimately led to the classification of Neanderthal Man). As more fossils emerged, it became obvious to scientists that these forerunners of Homo sapiens bore more than a coincidental resemblance to simians. Not surprisingly, many early anthropologists were convinced that a “missing link” between apes and humans was the key to the evolutionary process—specifically, a creature that marked the distinct transition from the non-human into the fully-human. Although additional discoveries through the years failed to uncover the missing link, these finds nonetheless provided fascinating clues to the evolutionary cycle (the discovery of Java Man and the landmark Leakey expeditions are also covered here). Ape to Man acknowledges that a couple of jokers stacked the deck to bamboozle the scientific community (most notably the Piltdown Man hoax), but at a time when the theory of evolution is under intense attack from non-scientific forces with political and religious agendas (such as “intelligent design”), this program offers a serious rebuttal to those who would brush away years of careful and detailed scientific research. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)