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 August 30, 2011 / Modified aug 30, 2011 4:44 p.m.

How Did They Become Us?

NOVA: Becoming Human, a Three-part Special A New Story of the Birth of Humanity Wednesday, August 31, 8 - 11 p.m. on PBS-HD Channel 6 by Wendy Erica Werden

How did they become us? Astounding discoveries tell a new story of the birth of humanity. NOVA presents a comprehensive three-part, three-hour special investigating explosive new discoveries that are transforming the picture of how we became human. Shot "in the trenches" as discoveries were unearthed throughout Africa and Europe, each hour of Becoming Human unfolds with a forensic investigation into the life and death of a specific hominid ancestor. Dry bones spring back to vivid life with stunning animation, the product of a unique NOVA collaboration between top anthropologists and a talented team of movie animators. This special series airs on Wednesday, August 31st from 8 – 11 p.m. on Arizona Publice Media, PBS-HD Channel 6. For the complete series preview go here

NOVA: First Steps at 8 p.m.

This first episode explores fresh clues about our earliest ancestors in Africa, including the stunningly complete fossil nicknamed "Lucy's Child." These three-million-year-old bones from Ethiopia reveal humanity's oldest and most telltale trait - upright walking, rather than a big brain. Link to the video

NOVA: Birth of Humanity at 9 p.m.

Episode two tackles the mysteries of how our ancestors managed to survive in a savannah teeming with vicious predators, and when and why we first left our African cradle to colonize every corner of the earth. Link to the video

NOVA: Last Human Standing at 10 p.m.

The final episode, Last Human Standing, probes a wave of dramatic new evidence. Based partly on cutting-edge DNA analysis that reveals new insights into how we became today's creative and "behaviorally modern" humans, and what really happened to the enigmatic Neanderthals who faded into extinction. Link to the video

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