The Real Eve

[Danustouch]

The Discovery Channel has a great program coming up, about the History of the Human race, as descended from one woman. Who was the "Real Eve". And where do we come from? I can't wait to see this documentary...here is a page about it!

http://www.discoveryeurope.com/uk/discoverychannel/features/realeve/home.htm

[seawitch]

i've seen this advertised, it looks great!
and i am taping it for some friends.
i just love discovery channel. i watched a good one this week. women pharoes. it was very interesting

[Naillosotarrain]

Hmmm ... I don't think I could talk you into mailing me a copy could I?

[Danustouch]

Hmmmmm..possibly. I'll have to see if I can find something to tape it on. And...I'd have to find out how much postage would be.

[Chibi-Fallon]

This is why I need cable!

[Naillosotarrain]

I believe Media Mail through the Post Office is for a video casette is $2.50, maybe less.

[Danustouch]

Okay..i'll see if I can find a tape. One warning, our VCR sound is a little muffled. You just need to turn the volume up really high when you watch the tape.

[Danustouch]

Omg! Who else watched it? I just finished watching it now, and found it amazing. They logically explained how every human being shares the same mitochondric DNA, derived from ONE source.

I think the most impressive part of the Documentary, came at the end. They linked a woman who's parents came from Greece, to a Cree Indian. That they both shared the same mitochondric DNA, which put their roots both back in Siberia 30,000 years before.

Amazing.

In my opinion, this discovery, could have amazing implications. I know this finding will still be negated by many who wish to cling to their predjudices...however, anyone with a rational mind, seeing this compelling evidence, must be shaken into somewhat of a realization, that we are indeed, all related.

How amazing!

[Loon]

I thought the show was fascinating! I liked the holistic perspective, combining scientific findings with archeological evidence and knowledge of ancient climate to come to the conclusion of how humans migrated and spread throughout the world. It's amazing that the species managed to survive all of the trials they encountered. Other species and lineages became extinct, but one line endured, and it just blows me away that they're able to pin-point the original Mother of (modern) humanity. I was also impressed with the way they reconstructed the 120,000 year old skull. I saw the picture on the Discovery web site last night, and I thought it was so awesome that they're able to create that image.

[Faery-Wings]

I missed that one- We watched the Search for Eden which was on TLC right before. Then by the time I got the kids to bed, I was exhausted. I hope they show it again. My hubby watched the women pharoahs over the weekend and told me I would have loved it.

[Azure]

I thought the Real Eve was great - most interesting bit of trivia to me was the fact that there is less genetic diversity between any two humans than between a group of chimpanzees that have been together a long time.

It was nice to see the documentary laid out like that, because I remember a few years ago when this information was hitting the public, the creationist types wanted to use it to justify the biblical creation story literally.

I think video tapes of most of their programs can be bought online at discovery.com

[Danustouch]

Yes..i thought that part about human dna having less variances than Chimpanzee DNA very fascinating myself. With any luck, these findings will revolutionize the way we think about our differences, and realize that we all have far more in common than previously thought.

[Earthcup]

I missed it but it sounds great! I'll have to watch and see if it comes on again...

[Theres]

i thought it was excellent!
and me too, about the human/chimp thingy.
i also found it interesting when they said that as the ancient tribe's diet became more fish oriented, their lifespan increased.

[Danustouch]

Yes..and not only did their lifespan increase, but so did their rate of successful births.

I posted something in Fertility forum, i think, a long time ago, talking about the healthy benefits of some sorts of fish eaten during pregnancy. Will have to see if I can look it up.

[seawitch]

i really enjoyed it.
it was well done,
and something i have been telling my husband for years. that we all came for the same place.
i thought i was great how we beachcombed our way around the world. settling here and there, then moving on.
very interesting.

[Theres]

truly an 'Endless Summer'!

[Éric]

Just to present the other side of the issue...

Half the world's scientific community doesn't agree that we're all from Africa. And the mtDNA evidence presented in the show is *very* subjective...Chinese scientists are currently using it to "prove" that man first arose in Asia. The point of the program, despite the misnomer of title, wasn't that all humanity sprang from this "Eve"...simply that her descendents were successful enough to pass their genetic material down to the modern population. If you were to study an nDna mapping similar to the mtDNA mapping done for the backstory of the program, it would quickly become evident that homo erectus developed into homo sapiens in multiple parts of the world, rather than the rather simplistic understanding of human development most people have. Doesn't make for that great television in comparison to the simpler (and highly debated, despite Discovery's pandering) monogenesis misunderstanding, though. :)

[Calixto]

Well, they sort of dismiss the arguments that modern humans arose from H. Erectus in several places.

My guess is that the skeleton in that dry lake bed in Australia is an example...as H. Erectus was there for a long time before going extinct, IIRC.

I know the Chinese are strong proponents of the idea that there were several independent evolutions of H. Sapiens Sapiens, as are some other Western Scientists.

I was waiting for some discussion of this theory, esp. wrt that Australian find but found none.

I also found the superfluous pyrotechnics for the Tombe eruption annoying.

I do think it odd that so much of the show depends on one paleontologist's interpretation of how humans came out of Africa, via the Straight of Aden. Almost all others think it was up the Nile valley and out the Sinai. Additionally for much of this time the Med. wasn't even there... a vast valley it was.

I'd also find it odd that one Ice Age turns the Sahara into a verdant area, while others make it into an even more desolate and deadly desert.

I'd also find it hard to believe that Eve 1st descendents wouldn't leave Africa to mingle with Eve 2nd's .