First Peoples

S01E02 Africa

Approximately 200,000 years ago, Homo sapiens emerged in Africa. While researchers have often envisioned eastern Africa as a true Garden of Eden, new studies indicate that our species likely evolved simultaneously in various regions across the continent. DNA extracted from a 19th-century African-American slave is prompting geneticists to reconsider the beginnings of humanity. It’s believed that our ancestors interacted, interbred, and mixed with other human species in Africa, leading to an increasing diversity within Homo sapiens.