Origins: The Journey of Humankind

- Season 1

(2017)

Travel back in time to explore moments that have made mankind modern. What were the greatest landmarks in the development of our species? And what can our past tell us about our future?

The human species is in an escalating arms race with superbugs and superviruses - living organisms that attack our bodies, adapt to our treatments, evolve and fight back. Though we've made incredible strides in medical science, we may have to look back to move forward. Can the lessons of the past help us defeat these modern-day plagues?

In a society filled with human innovation, one invention stands out above them all: money. From a simple act of trade to today's global economy, the meaning of money and what we value changes as civilization evolves. If modern money is a reflection of who we are, what does it say about us? Host Jason Silva takes us on a tour of commerce throughout history to find out.

This is the story of how our world came to be - how communication defined our species and created the modern age, giving voice to the boundless human imagination, connecting us globally and to the stars. Communication gives us self-expression and collective knowledge - but it can also subvert and corrupt, and even manipulate entire populations.

Despite all our advances, humans keep inventing terrible new ways to kill each other. What if the same thing that gave us civilization also led to an unending cycle of violence? We learned to work together, and we learned to fight together. Much of our technology was created to fight wars. For all its evils, war is the origin of the modern world.

The human race has moved from bone huts to skyscrapers. Today, we are seemingly everywhere ... everywhere we want to be. Our walls and structures dominate the landscape. They don't just protect us, they define us. They represent our dream of the modern world. "Shelter" is the story of how we shaped the world around us, and how that world shaped us back.

When it comes to the edge of the darkness, the bend in the horizon or the distant stars, humans can't help ourselves: exploration is in our nature. We have climbed to the summits of the earth, peered into the depths of the oceans and planted our feet on the moon. Our primal curiosity has sparked new inventions and revealed the mysteries of the universe.

Freedom of movement has given us freedom of mind. The flow of people and materials exposes us to new ideas, new ways of life and new understanding. This is the story of how transportation turned society inside out. How engines and animals powered the rise of civilization. And how the innovations that drive humanity forward made us modern.