Homo Sapiens: from First Men to the Rise of Civilization | The Saga of our Origins

0:08 Twenty-five million years ago, a new species appeared on Earth. The great apes. Among them was one family with extraordinary abilities. They were our distant ancestors. Through evolution, they gave rise to new, more advanced species. Then ventured far and wide and invented hunting, power, tools, love, and soon war.

1:00 They competed with the great beasts, conquered the planet, adapted to every climate. They became us, homo sapiens, modern man. Where and when did our lineage begin? Who was the first of us? What is that quality that makes us human? The difference that sets us apart from other animals. Thanks to the latest scientific discoveries,

1:45 we are about to take a journey into the depths of time to find out which of our ancestors took the decisive step and gave birth to the first man. Our family story begins 25 million years ago, at a time of intense global warming. With the vast Tethys Ocean fragmenting and closing off in the Near East, humid forests spread north from Africa. Our distant ancestors followed the forest and rapidly populated the ancient world.

2:36 They ruled the canopy, a hundred different species. Gigantopithecus, Ramapithecus, and Sivapithecus stretched from Europe to modern-day China. This is the age of the Planet of the Apes. Which of these great primates is our common ancestor? The Mediterranean coast, 13 million years ago, in modern-day Spain. A humid tropical forest. Here lives a creature with exceptional abilities.

3:24 This acrobat is Pierolapithecus. The animal kingdom has never seen such a marvel. This great ape is the origin of our family, but how? What makes him our great-grandfather? We are only beginning to understand. Pierola lives in the trees and mainly eats fruit. He is too heavy to walk on the branches, so he hangs, though he does sometimes end up on two feet. He can walk.

4:10 Contrary to common belief, the ability to walk upright wasn't developed on the ground but up in the branches. Bipedalism was not man's invention but the apes'. This Pierola is a young male. He left his family several days ago. He now faces a difficult task, being adopted by a new group, and he's just discovered one. His fate will be decided here. However, each group has its own territory and intruders are rarely welcome. A young female and her infant. Mothers are especially wary.

4:57 Not easy to approach. Up there, there is an older female much easier to make contact with. A large male, clearly a dominant alpha male. He seems calm, but it is far too dangerous to approach. To be accepted, he must first be noticed, a tense moment. Has the young female picked up his scent?

5:52 She's the most beautiful Pierola he's ever seen. It seems to be going all right. It's another story with the alpha male. He could kill him, but for now, it's just physical intimidation.

6:50 The young male's first attempt ends in failure, but his mood provokes an unexpected reaction. Our ancestors possessed a new quality, previously unknown in the animal kingdom, something shared by very few species, empathy. Understanding the emotions of others. Even more extraordinarily, they are affected by the feelings of others, sympathy. It's happening to the older female. She feels the distress of the young male and it makes her anxious.

7:36 She must act. She wants to find out more about him. Empathy is a powerful force. It is the thing that allows us to live in a society today. Why does he need to be adopted by strangers? It relates to the social structure of Pierolas. The females never leave the group, while the males are forced to leave at adolescence.

8:24 What do the old female's gestures mean? Will he be able to stay? Not yet. The young male keeps his distance. He needs to sleep. Most mammals only sleep for a few minutes at a time, not Pierolas. In terms of sleeping, they are revolutionaries. The Pierolas have come up with an extraordinary invention. They build nests in the treetops. However, it takes a long time to learn how to build a nest,

9:12 and the only way to learn is from the mother. The young male always slept in his mother's nest. He still doesn't know how to make his own. Up here, Pierolas are protected from predators, and their leaf mats stop them from falling. They can sleep all night without fear. Long restorative nights. Thanks to the miracle of sleep, Pierolas improve their mental faculties.

10:01 Sleep allows our brains to sort information. Not all of it received during the day is useful. Our brain puts some in the trash and stores the essential parts in our memory. All that while we sleep, remarkable. Pierolas have passed this down to us. Without this invention, we could never have become humans. This morning, the group has come down to the forest floor. The young male followed them.

10:48 He wants to make contact with the group again. Pierolas love the sweet taste of fruit, but they have an advantage over other species. Their stomachs can digest all sorts of food. Well, they still have their favorites. There they are. The young male has made his choice and will approach the older female.

11:38 Out of all the different foods in the forest, some are highly poisonous. How do they know what is edible and what is poisonous? For Pierolas, the answer is sharing experiences. The mother teaches her young how to choose and pick. This knowledge is passed from generation to generation. The beginning of a culture. The elder female can't leave her new contact. Like all Pierolas, the young male knows how to give gifts.

12:24 Figs. Will she accept them? It's a good sign. Now he can begin the conversation. The language of the Pierolas mainly consists of grooming. Grooming and caresses say far more than words. However, touching females in the group risks angering the alpha male.

13:33 The females defend the young male against the alpha. Their numbers make them stronger. The alpha must back down. Among Pierolas, the females have the power. The young male has taken an important step. He has become the old female's favorite. Now it's the female's turn to caress. Part of this seems like more than caressing. What exactly does she want?

14:21 The young male has no experience of pleasure. To relax the atmosphere, Pierolas have invented a totally new behavior, laughing. This development, which resolves conflicts, is not a human invention, but an inheritance. Our ancestors lived in an earthly paradise. Fruit in abundance, freshwater available everywhere, and in all seasons. The only real dangers are the predators that roam the floor of the great forest.

15:21 To detect them, Pierolas read the signs of the forest. They have a deep understanding of their environment. The cry of a bird alerts them. The alarm sounds. A tiger. They have a different call for each threat.

16:18 That means the alert is lifted. They can go back down. Pierolas live in a golden age for the great apes, but this period of prosperity cannot last. Great upheaval is on the horizon. Africa is on a collision course with Europe. Tectonic activity that will soon destroy the environment. The young male remains outside the group. He is cautious. The alpha is still dangerous.

17:04 To be completely adopted, he needs the alpha's consent. He's perhaps not the best nest builder, but he comes from a group that knows how to catch tasty little insects. An amazing technique the golden-eyed female has never seen before. He uses the stick to catch termites. There is nothing tastier than termites.

17:52 This invention is crucial. The stick is the first tool. An extension of the hand which allows us to perform new tasks. An idea that will be invaluable to us. They have understood. The young male is now the main attraction of the group. The infant is a victim of his greed.

18:39 He forgot his mother's teaching and has been poisoned. A fate suffered so often by the young. The young male recognizes this poison. The Pierolas already have some knowledge of the curative powers of plants. This knowledge varies between groups and allows them to cure some ailments. The young male seems to have some knowledge on this matter that the group does not.

19:25 There are many different types. Plants that put tapeworms to sleep, plants covered in tiny spines that trap the sleeping worms. Pierolas were herbalists. The tale of this young hero may seem secondary, but it tells another, more powerful story, the spread of knowledge.

20:13 Societies that forced their young adults to leave possess this quality. The young depart with the knowledge of their group and transmit it to other groups. The infant is saved, thanks to the young male. The young female has made her choice. He must become part of the group. It's her will against the alpha.

21:09 Pierola alpha males resist the pressure of the females as long as possible, but the females always win. The alpha can sense. From now on, the young male is part of the group. It's a sign. The earth is moving and the great period of climatic cooling is approaching. Our ancestors had to leave, to escape this place, and so the great exodus begins.

21:59 Africa is on a collision course with Europe. The climate of the planet is changing dramatically. The humid forests of Europe are disappearing. The same is happening in large parts of Asia, where the forests of China and Japan are fragmenting. The Asiatic great apes migrate towards South Asia. They give rise to the ancestors of the gibbons and the orangutans. The African continent has just closed the Strait of Gibraltar. Cut off from the water of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean dries out and becomes a dead sea. Pierolas and their relatives cross the dried Mediterranean. They migrate towards Africa, where the forest is spreading, notably on the vast green plains of the Sahara.

22:45 Pierolas evolved and became a new species with new, more astonishing abilities. This new ancestor was called Sahelanthropus or Toumai. Further south, we rejoin the path of our lineage, 7 million years later. Toumai lived on the shores of Lake Chad. They were probably our common ancestor with modern chimpanzees. Their inventions will make them amongst the most dangerous and intelligent species on the planet. With them, the march towards humanity gathers pace. Toumai still sleep in the trees, but have found plenty to do on the ground.

23:32 A much more varied food supply, even if it's a little trickier to get to. The descendant of the young female is now a Toumai. Her appearance has changed, but she has kept her golden eyes passed down through her DNA. Her son still has much to learn. An infant's education now takes much longer. As well as knowing what to eat, he must learn how to eat it. Toumai use different tools for different foods, but mastering each tool takes hours of practice.

24:29 Toumai try to benefit from all nature's gifts. The females have a greater practical instinct than the males. They imagine and invent new techniques. Toumai have also improved this strange way of getting around,

25:18 walking on two feet. It has many advantages, such as being able to carry objects long distances. The descendant of the alpha still dominates the group. There have been considerable changes in our ancestors' social structure. Now the males have the power. There is a hierarchy and the alpha knows it must be respected. He often feels the need to remind everyone. It's usually the weakest that feel his force.

26:12 A society dominated by males is a never-ending series of rivalries. The alpha is a type of ultra-dominant male who always feels the need to show his force. Is this young one still alive? He's okay, just a bit shaken up. The Alpha doesn't just rely on strength to stay on top. He builds friendships with several allies.

26:58 He praises a male knowing he could be a threat one day. He sweet-talks the elder female. Her goodwill could come in useful. Alliances, strategies, betrayal, conquest, and power. This type of society has given rise to a new activity, politics. The males spend most of their day plotting. It is left to the females to find ways to feed and educate their young. It's no wonder that females have become more resourceful than the males.

27:58 To the alpha, ruling the group also means having access to the female. The problem with bipedalism is the male can't see the female's genitals as clearly. How does he know if she's interested? Before being able to mate, he now has to check the willingness of the female.

28:52 She's not interested. The new territory of the Toumai includes water and all the food it contains. Our ancestors are just getting used to this new element and will encounter an abundance of riches. The Toumai's greatest invention, however, is preference. A male and a female can decide to get away from the group just to spend some time together. For these two juveniles, it's the first time.

29:57 A big step in relationships between males and females. Before there was only sniffing, then mating. It only lasted a minute. Now they can spend time together and exchange gestures of affection. The great apes begin to feel their hearts beating, their hair standing on end. The great game of seduction.

30:45 She seeks his gaze. He is transfixed. She smells him. They feel desire. They give kisses and invent a new way of mating, face to face. No one has noticed that the infant has strayed from the bank.

32:03 Too late. The little one's frail body is limp and lifeless. Toumai are well aware of the importance of the group. The loss of a member is heartbreaking. Life on the ground does have its advantages, but there are far more predators than in the canopy.

32:51 That's why Toumai still depend on the trees. Something strange is happening in our ancestors' minds. The young female should have left the lifeless body behind, but she refused.

33:39 Why? What does she feel? Something happened this morning.

34:25 Several unknown individuals were spotted on the other side of the hill. The three males of the group are very excited. There under the large fig tree, another group of Toumai. The first time they've seen them. Two very enticing females. They have been eating overripe figs and are now drunk. This group has come here

35:11 for the fermented fruits that rot on the ground. The Alpha wants the females. He wants what he sees, but they belong to other males, and he is an absolute giant. What can he do?

35:57 A cunning plan is formulating inside the alpha's head. A previously unimagined idea. An idea that will make us the most dangerous predator on the planet.

37:49 The idea is to kill. Killing one's own species. Killing with premeditation and in an organized way. Killing to take the goods of others. The Toumai have just invented war. They have conquered a new territory, and with it a tree full of fruit and a few females. War has its advantages.

38:38 From now on, the alpha group will occupy this land. The young female still has a worrying connection to her infant. She is refusing to accept reality because reality has become unbearable.

39:27 The infant is motionless, but his body is still there. What is it that lives in us and vanishes so suddenly?

40:36 Toumai are starting to understand the concept of death. The loss of life, the loss of a being. They know that their own lives will end. Faced with suffering and confusion, they gather around the body of their departed friend. Gathering, the feeling of being in a group, united in space and time. The beginning of a ritual, a first funeral ceremony.

41:30 For many years we believed that awareness of death made us human. Not anymore. Today, we know that we share this knowledge with many other species, including chimpanzees. Awareness of the passage of time is a huge leap forward in our family history. Five million years ago, Africa began to dry out. The great forests of the Sahara receded and placed pressure on the descendants of the Toumai.

42:17 They separate into several families. Some evolve along the line of the chimpanzees and gorillas. They abandon bipedalism and invent a new way of getting around on four feet. Others evolve along the line of humans. They are spread throughout Africa, especially in the East. Here we find the great family of Australopithecus. Between four and two million years ago, there is a great diaspora, afarensis, Abel, Africanus, Kenyanthropus, Anamensis, Gary. Around 2 million years ago, a new character appeared in South Africa.

43:03 He would go on to radically alter our history. We named him Sediba. Is he an Australopithecus or the first man? That question hasn't yet been solved. Sediba lived in the south of the African continent. Drought increasingly affects this part of Africa and will play a considerable role in the development of our ancestors. Despite spending the majority of their time on the ground, sediba are still dependent on the trees. The only protection from the man-eating beast that roam the land at that time. They never stray too far.

43:50 The dry season is at its peak. There's no more fruit on the trees. The only food is underground. Roots and bulbs are difficult to find and dig out of the ground, and they need a lot of chewing before they can be swallowed. However, that's all there is. Hours are spent chewing this tough food. This young male is still part of the group, though he has no female. The females now live in a harem with the strongest males.

44:40 These two females are part of the alpha's harem. When a carcass is left by the larger predators, there's only enough for the Alpha and his females. A few bones to suck, but only the strongest have access. That's why the females have accepted this new arrangement. Less power for more protection. Sediba don't live very long. This old female can no longer chew. The marrow is all she can swallow. The alpha doesn't share with the elders. The old female would already be dead without the young male.

45:42 By chewing her food, he keeps her alive. Empathy at work again. This extreme scarcity of food is driving our species to extinction. If they don't find an alternative, they will all die. They must adapt. Fortunately, sediba possesses a highly developed brain and an array of tools and techniques. Inside the brain of one of them, a revolutionary idea is taking shape. If the meat won't come to them, they will have to go to it.

46:35 Over there. The alpha's female wants to take the risk. The young male is ready too. None before them have tried this. Against the wishes of the alpha, they will attempt the impossible. How can they be so foolish? Neither of them has ever been so far from the trees. The desire to eat meat outweighs the dangers of the savannah.

47:27 The brave ones who took this reckless decision could not have known the profound effect it would have on the history of our species.

48:19 A fresh carcass, an abundance of meat. They've never seen so much. The first pieces they choose are those that contain fat. The tastiest. Fat is so rare in nature and yet so rich in energy and important for the digestion of animal proteins. The sediba pick out the parts that contain the most, the marrow, the entrails, the brain, the tongue, and the eyes.

49:56 The two explorers are back, their arms laden with the most wonderful food. Food for everyone. What a success! A solution for the future of the species? However, the alpha is not ready to digest this humiliation. The female is part of his harem. She has betrayed him. Sometimes the females do swap males. However, a possessive alpha like him can't lose one of his females. It's a threat to his power.

50:46 The young male can do nothing. Here, might is right. He humiliates her in front of everyone,

51:31 punishes her, and isolates her from the others. The old female has nothing to lose. She's the only one that can come to her help. The harshness of this life has not favored the females.

52:21 They have lost a lot of their power to the benefit of the large males. The first effects of the meat are immediate. It's easier to digest than roots, and the body feels lighter. Meat gives the sensation of well-being and the sound of sleep. The second effect will take hundreds of thousands of years. Less energy consumed by the stomach means more energy for the brain. Thanks to that, our mental capacity will improve and our bodies become taller and slimmer.

53:08 Although physical force still dominates, it won't be enough to adapt. A new generation is coming whose ingenuity will prove the decisive advantage. Sediba already used rocks to break and crush roots, but he has a new thought. The young male has an idea that could change their lives, maybe even the future of his species. If he can cut the carcasses of animals killed by big predators into smaller pieces, they can carry them to a safe place. If it works, they will have provisions for several days.

53:58 For this, they will need a range of new tools to cut and slice the flesh and break the bones. He shapes them out of a rock. These shards are as sharp as razors. It will take thousands of years to master the technique.

54:45 One of the great advantages of our ancestors is that, they relied on their capacity for imagination and on the language they were beginning to articulate. They were capable of conceiving a project, weighing up different aspects, and anticipating future needs. The young male has decided to train the group to find carcasses and bring them back. He lays out his vision. His words evoke images of abandoned feasts. He captures their attention.

55:36 He wins them over with his words. The alpha understands that his dominance is under threat. His physical force is no longer sufficient, so he takes the young male's idea. A dream of plentiful food is leading them into dangerous territory.

56:26 Sediba are prey. Without their trees, they are vulnerable, and yet they march into the unknown. Driven by an urge greater than any other, to eat. They explore a continent inhabited by great carnivores. On the hunt for carcasses left by the kings of the savannah. Who would think that this band of scavengers would soon dominate the planet?

57:28 When a carcass is found, everyone should take their turn. First the top predators, then the hyenas, the vultures, and the rest. It's crucial to get there at the right time. The alpha doesn't know that yet.

59:43 Their tree. They should never have left their tree. It is perhaps this moment that the fate of the entire human race hangs in the balance. They could retreat to the safety of the tree and risk dying of starvation, or they could head into the unknown, risking being attacked but having the chance to eat. What should they do? The young female doesn't know what to choose. Everything is telling them to seek shelter. Is there another life beyond the tree?

1:00:30 The group splits into two factions. Some follow the young female, while the others head back to the tree. In fact, it is the weaker ones that will make the right choice. They will risk everything for a better life. The strong never want to give up their privileges. Those who leave are guided by their imagination. Open spaces, prey in abundance, and food for everyone. They dream of another world, a better world. Up there, over the mountains. Even the old female.

1:01:17 Her energy, nearly spent, is galvanized by hope. This world does exist. A vast land of riches. If some of us hadn't had this astonishing courage, you wouldn't be here today.

1:02:02 Those who have chosen to stay near the trees will survive for a time. They will be known as Paranthropus or almost humans, but they will not be able to adapt to the next climatic changes. We thought that Lucy, the most famous Australopithecus, was the grandmother of humanity. We were wrong. Lucy was, in fact, one of these almost humans, and her descendants died out a million years later. Those who left the Savannah freed themselves from a life of the trees and had to invent a new way of living. The world isn't exactly as they imagined.

1:02:48 There are riches all around, but there are just as many traps. Limitless space lies ahead of us and nothing will stop our advance. Is this how man became free? Is this how we became truly human? Some believe so, but is there still something missing? After the sediba, a new species emerges, a very mobile man. The next character in our story is an unparalleled explorer, Homo erectus. Five million years ago, the two Americas collided. This led to the creation of the Gulf Stream.

1:03:35 This warm current travels from the Gulf of Mexico up toward the Arctic and plunges into the ocean, taking the heat with it. The polar ice cap formed, the earth cooled and entered the Ice Age. The green plains of the Sahara dried out. Two million years ago, populations of herbivores left Africa in search of new pastures. Homo erectus followed. Some of our ancestors migrated to Europe, others to Asia. They crossed mountains and deserts, forests and swamps. They traveled unthinkable distances into the unknown.

1:04:26 Driven by the spirit of conquest passed down to them from their ancestors. They migrate to the Far East. The north of China, home of the Chinese Homo erectus. Homo erectus possesses the anatomy of a champion. This man of the plains is born to run. A vertical body propelled by his long legs and balanced by his arms. He is equipped with an extraordinary internal cooling system, a body covered in short hairs, sweat glands that allow perspiration,

1:05:16 and in his brain, a blood-purifying system that regulates body temperature. This gives him the most stamina of any living creature. Homo erectus has now become a big game hunter. Like wolves, they track their prey across great distances. They are slower but can run a lot longer than their prey. When the prey is exhausted, they set the trap.

1:06:10 For Homo erectus power is not reserved for the males. The difference in size between males and females has reduced. The rule of the strongest is now replaced by the leadership of the cleverest. In this group, a female is in charge. Her ability to anticipate, her intelligence and political skill have made her their chief.

1:07:08 No longer scavengers competing with vultures, thanks to their weapons and collective organization, Homo erectus now compete with the top predators, but they have become dependent on their prey. They must follow them wherever they go. They have become nomads, and so they build shelters on their travels. Their ancestors adapted to the environment. They are transforming it. Finding a site to set up camp. They are building their first shelters, sometimes enclosed by fences,

1:07:55 camps that allow them to protect themselves. Homo erectus has created a more complex society. Each member of the group now has a role, often according to their particular skills. Some are skilled at shaping rocks. Others for cutting meat. Social functions appear for tanning hides or building shelters. Work, and the distribution of tasks are now part of human life, with all the pressures and conflicts that come with them.

1:08:40 Clearly, some do more than others. The leader of the group must maintain justice. The most important moment of the day is when the food is shared out. Serving some first with the best cuts. Giving a little extra to someone she may need soon. Establishing a hierarchy and nurturing alliances. The fine details of her social life require political skill. To protect their bodies, Homo erectus have clothes made from plants, hides, and bark.

1:09:41 However, this brings its own problems. Parasites have found a new home. A body covered in thin, visible skin, is easy and enticing prey for bloodsuckers. They no longer fear predators, but another enemy now stalks them, more dangerous, more ruthless. The world is still full of unexplained phenomena.

1:10:28 Homo erectus has an inquiring mind trying to make sense of the mysteries that surround it. One of the greatest is about to be revealed. It's here. This savage beast appears in some dry seasons to take lives.

1:11:27 It is a huge creature. They must prepare to fight. They are defeated.

1:12:21 They save whatever they can.

1:13:29 In a few hours, the fire has destroyed their world. Their camp has gone up in smoke, and the herds deserted the landscape. However, Homo erectus is about to make a discovery. What is that powerful odor? What are these mouth-watering smells?

1:14:21 An animal has been trapped in the fire. Its flesh is still good and has a delicious taste. This is perhaps how Homo erectus discovered this remarkable property of fire, to cook food. As well as the taste, they will soon notice that the meat is easy to chew and digest. What about those awful roots? Cooked, they are delicious.

1:15:08 They require 16 times less energy to digest. An amazing discovery. Cooked food will allow us to reduce the size of our jaw muscles and develop our brains. We will walk with a lighter step and think clearer. Our brains will become high-powered machines capable of associations, constructed thoughts, and new emotions.

1:15:59 It is likely that the aesthetic sense developed at this time. Shapes and lights elicited new sensations. We were affected by the beauty of the world. They are all dreaming about that delicious food but lack the key ingredient,

1:16:52 fire. If only they knew how to obtain it. That one looks small and seems alone. Maybe they can capture it.

1:18:04 Another group. They have captured the beast. Technology. In this new world, nothing is more important. They are ready to fight to obtain it.

1:19:15 They could fight, but the young chief has a different idea. His clan knows how to control fire. The other has a greater skill in working hides and accessories.

1:20:08 This period saw the first instances of trade. Through objects, the techniques that go with them travel between clans.

1:21:00 A new era for humanity, the exchange of knowledge. Thanks to traditions and language, knowledge accumulates and the spread of skills accelerates over vast distances. From now on, everything will move a lot faster. No wonder the use of fire appeared so suddenly and across the entire world. The young chief is attracted to this woman. Her face stirs something in him.

1:21:48 At this point in our history, the first real couples begin to appear. Selecting, desiring, and seeking intimate moments alone. Aesthetics now play a role in sexual relationships. Bodies are covered in colors, styles, decorations to arouse.

1:22:50 Sexuality brings people together, but something else is happening. A story of bonds that build and grow and last. The story of love is still being told. The domestication of fire changed the lives of the first humans and gave them warmth, and protection from insects and predators. It cured their ailments, eliminated the dark, sharpened the points of their spears, and made them stronger. However, the greatest advance was in the domain of speech.

1:23:37 Thanks to the development of our left brain and a small evolution in the throat, the larynx, our speech became so articulate that we could evoke the past, speak of the future, and recount stories. Imagine,

1:24:22 the old woman is a storyteller. Who are we? Where are we from? She tells the story of these people and their exploits. These tales give meaning to their lives. Perhaps it is this that makes us human.

1:25:09 The first man is the one who can tell his story. Homo erectus will continue to populate the earth. With their skills, they will adapt to every climate. Different populations begin to diverge genetically and give rise to new types of man.

1:25:56 In furthest China, Homo erectus will become Beijing man, a giant. In Indonesia, Solo man. At its edges on Flores Island, a tiny man of no more than a meter. In Central Asia, he is Denisova man. In the cold of Europe, Homo erectus has become a Neanderthal. A massive, heavy man of incredible strength. He can withstand extreme cold. His skin whitens to better absorb the weak sunlight. His eyes and hair grow lighter. In Africa, he becomes Homo sapiens,

1:26:41 and it is through him that the greatest changes will occur. At least six species of humans populate the ancient world. Each develops according to the environment and creates its own culture. However, this multi-faceted humanity won't last long. Homo sapiens will soon replace them all. Around 100,000 years ago, Homo sapiens turned the world of man upside down.

1:27:29 Invented more complex societies and proved more inventive in every area.

1:28:20 How will he go on to invent art, skills, beliefs, magic, writing, medicine, and science? His extraordinary imagination certainly helps, but so does the knowledge accumulated by his forefathers. The Pierola, Toumai, sediba, and Homo erectus. They have left us a heritage of millions of years of evolution, one through the impulse to live and a fierce desire to learn. With this knowledge passed down through the ages, this great dreamer gave rise to the diversity of peoples today.

1:29:12 A hundred thousand years ago, Homo sapiens left just like his ancestors, to conquer the world. He left Africa and spread out across the globe. He mastered navigation, across the seas and vast glacial expanses. He traveled to Australia, to America over the Bering Strait and soon inhabited the entire planet. He occasionally intermingled with those who went before, but everywhere he went the other species of man disappeared. His appearance changed according to climate and place. His skin, his hair, the shape of his eyes.

1:30:00 From him arose a multitude of peoples, all looking different, but deep down the genes are the same. Genes developed through millions of years of evolution. He is the father of the entire human race on earth today. He is the only human on earth, but his presence shines with a million fires.

1:32:13 Four hundred thousand years ago, a new man enters the world. He's the first representative of an extraordinary species, the Homo sapiens, our family. His children cross the seas and the mountains. They adapt to every climate. Time and again, they lose everything, but they reach beyond their limits and always managed to survive. They discover agriculture and they tame animals. They build villages and change the landscape. Man becomes the most powerful creature in the animal kingdom. They explore their imaginary world and in the process discover art and the magic of dreams.

1:32:59 Over the last 50,000 generations, their knowledge has been passed down to us. We are their children. What's their real story? How do they populate the earth? How did they make our lives what they are today? Here is the story of the dazzling rise of our great family, the Homo sapiens.

1:33:55 How does this story begin? How did our species appear? Where did it come from? Remember, 8 million years ago, the planet suddenly cools. Water is locked into the poles and an enormous ice cap forms over Europe and Asia In the North, life has to acclimatize to the cold. In the tropics, life desperately struggles to survive the drought. In Africa, the great apes see their forests disappear. Two of them, Orrorin and Toumai adapt to the savanna and invent a new way to get around. They stand up.

1:34:41 Four million years ago, they disappear, giving birth to a new, better-adapted species, the Australopithecus. Lucy and her fellow creatures continue to walk upright. They survive by eating hardy plants, but eventually, they die out too. They are no match for their predators. Next, Homo habilis arrives on the scene. This skillful man is the first true representative of the human species. He invents tools and starts to explore and travel the world. His evolution changes him into Homo erectus, the standing man, discoverer of fire. He's not yet king of the animal world, but he's just made a giant leap. Erectus sets out to conquer the world.

1:35:28 He leaves Africa and enters Asia and Europe. Unknowingly, a few thousand little groups of men and women prepare for the arrival of our species. Imagine 400,000 years ago. We are in the heart of the African continent. Homo erectus sometimes walks up to 50 kilometers a day to survive. He chases small animals and picks berries and roots for himself and his people. Sometimes, he dies along the way.

1:36:13 At best, he lives to about 25 or 30. They feel the loss deeply, but it confuses them. Erectus doesn't know anything about the mystery of death. Where has the breath gone? Why doesn't he move? Meanwhile, the threat of danger lurks behind them. Walk or die, it's the law. The body is left to the animals. They'll remember the person for a while and then the memory will fade.

1:37:00 When erectus settles down for the night, first, he makes a shelter to protect himself. Then he builds a fire to keep predators away. He's able to make all sorts of tools, but this is of little use to the woman carrying a child. She's been eating nothing but roots for days now. She needs protein. She doesn't want any more roots. The erectus Chief is well aware that he hasn't succeeded in finding game. He knows that roots are bitter and don't satisfy hunger. He doesn't need to be reminded.

1:37:52 Erectus is curious and always eager to discover new things. Although the Chief has heard this noise before, today, he takes pleasure in the resonant sound. Suddenly, it doesn't resonate. Nothing. There. It's much better with his ear pressed to it. Homo erectus is a hunter. At dawn, the Chief and his brother follow fresh tracks from She who walks on two legs.

1:38:42 They know she's a fast runner, so they hatch a plan. One attracts her attention while the other lays in wait. Ready to attack. Termites, the irresistible yellow ones. The Chief knows all about She who walks on two legs. She's obsessive about her eggs, and knows them all individually. If one were to go missing, she would throw a fit. The chase is on, everything's going according to plan.

1:39:32 What's his brother doing? If she catches him, she'll kill him. Her legs cut like flint. Her beak is like a spear tip. The brother always manages to mess everything up. He can't be trusted. The animal can't escape.

1:40:18 All is well. It's a good day for erectus. Erectus starts by eating the stomach, full of freshly eaten plants. Then he cuts up the animal to transport it back to camp. Images of the capture fill the Chief's head. It was easy after the beast fell into the hole. There's an idea there, but the flies distract him and keep him from thinking about it any longer. Erectus's body is less and less hairy. Insects constantly attack his naked skin, especially the sensitive parts, but the brother's privates are protected.

1:41:04 It's the animal skin. With the protective skin, the flies don't bite. Perhaps this is how Erectus invented clothing. Hierarchy determines the sharing of meat. The hunters are served first. Then, the preferred females, for whom choice pieces are reserved. The woman carrying the child now has meat. Erectus is flushed with pride at having done his duty as Chief and protector.

1:41:50 When in power, you learn to watch your back because there's always someone ready to take your place. The skin. He forgot his skin. It's his skin. It's his place, and he's the Chief. Some things aren't shared. Like the woman carrying the child. Like suffering or hope. The Chief's head is brimming with images. He can't stop thinking of a hole, so he decides to dig one where the animals drink in the hopes that they fall in like the creature on two legs.

1:42:36 Digging in the mud changes their appearance. Surprised, the Chief doesn't recognize his brother. They may well have just invented laughter. Perhaps the first laughs of humanity, but also the discovery of beauty, thanks to an important find, a stone different from the others. He finds it pretty, so the stone becomes something else. A treasure that's a joy to behold. What's it like on him?

1:43:22 Isn't he handsome? Handsome and different, it's his stone now. It's his sign, the sign of the Chief. The Chief wants the one carrying the child to look at the stone, but now's not the time. She's got searing pains in her stomach. The woman wants to be alone when the child comes from her. She knows instinctively what she has to do. The Chief is full of hope. The trap, the skin that protects, and the stone.

1:44:08 The child. Will it come? One time out of two, it's born without breath, like those who fall on the trail. Sometimes the pain kills the woman as well. Will a new life begin? It's alive. It's a little girl. She has a funny head with a straight forehead and no hair on her skin. She looks so fragile and vulnerable. The Chief doesn't want the cold to take her breath away.

1:44:58 He knows now that his skin is no longer for him. His skin is for the child. Without knowing it, they've just given birth to a new species of man, a species that will soon replace them. Homo erectus senses he's done his time and he's holding the future in his arms. Homo erectus will disappear. He'll have lived more than a million years.

1:45:46 Homo sapiens arrives. He will change the life of man and conquer the world. The evolution of erectus into sapiens happened over hundreds of generations. Little by little, his body became more slender, his forehead smooth, and his brain became bigger and more complex. Sapiens leaves Africa and explores the Middle East. He starts to wear clothing, develops a sense of aesthetics, and makes tools. His thoughts and imagination will turn him into a new man. We are at minus 100,000 years.

1:46:38 Electrical storms are the worst. They kill every time. Where does this blinding light come from? Who spits this anger that rattles our skulls? One of us will find an answer to the great mystery of death. He's called Neka, the youth. Ever since he's known how to hunt, Neka protects his mother and little sister. The Clan had walked since daybreak. The wind came up suddenly and the sky began to spit fire. The Chief looked for refuge but found nothing.

1:47:25 We huddled together waiting for nature's fury to pass. Naoki, Neka's sister, got scared and took off. Her mother followed to protect her. That's when tragedy struck Neka's life. A horned beast appeared from the lightning strike. Neka sighed, the animal left, leaving the bodies of his sister and mother on the ground.

1:48:15 They were motionless. Neka had been unable to protect them. He felt responsible, they had to move and get up. The Chief quickly understood that the breath had left them, but Neka didn't want to believe it. He refused to listen or to see what everyone else did. They were dead, and nothing could be done. The Chief wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Neka wanted to stay. He wanted to wait until they woke up.

1:49:06 The Chief didn't understand, but he couldn't abandon Neka, so we stopped there. At the beginning, it was just for one night. Sapiens is nomadic. Now, he makes shelters with skins. His language is more sophisticated. He's got words to talk about abstract concepts like time behind and time ahead. His brain has more memory and is capable of more associations. His imagination is more active and likely his dreams are more impressive.

1:49:52 In his sleep, sapiens believes he travels into another world, a parallel world situated just behind his eyes. The Clan was still sleeping when a horned beast came to drink at the river. The body of an animal this size meant meat for everyone in the Clan. Without a doubt, for Neka, this was the same horned beast, the one who came the day before with the great light.

1:50:40 That time, the Chief wasn't clumsy. The wound would kill her. The Chief was proud. Thanks to him, the Clan would have food for weeks, but Neka had other things on his mind. In the dying breath of the animal, he heard his sister groan. At the same moment the beast died, the inexplicable happened.

1:51:30 As the breath of the animal disappeared, his sister's breath returned. How was it possible? Naoki, breathe. She was coming back to life. That's how Naoki came back to us. We were joyful, but Neka was preoccupied. He wanted to understand what had happened. Did the animal give its breath to his sister?

1:52:19 Did the death of the animal allow Naoki to live? It was a big mystery. The Chief expected thanks for his catch, but instead, the Clan was taken up with Neka and the miracle. Neka found new hope. Maybe the animal's skin held a bit of breath to revive his mother. At the beginning, everyone said Neka had lost his mind. He was obsessed with the idea that the horned beast could give life back to his mother.

1:53:11 We hoped that Neka's mother would come back too. However, we didn't understand his behavior. He didn't eat. He stayed by the body, waiting for a sign. The sign came from above. It was the vultures, who came to take the body. Neka refused. If the vultures took his mother's flesh, no breath could ever return. It's perhaps on that day that Homo sapiens invented the first burial place. It protected it, but more importantly,

1:53:56 it kept a decomposing body out of sight. Even without vultures, the body disappeared little by little. The Chief wanted Neka to eat, and he offered him a choice piece, which he never does. What he wanted was for Neka to give him the secret of his magic. He wanted to understand how Neka brought Naoki back to life, but he was in for another surprise.

1:54:45 Neka told him that his mother lived in another world and that she needed to eat. He was delirious, but the youth gave his meat to his mother. That was too much, she didn't need food anymore. She was dead. A few of us began to believe in this world. The world we went to when we slept. Where we could meet the dead. It was the land of dreams. A few days later, three Clan members decided to leave. There were a lot of us, and fights broke out all the time. They wanted to find another Clan and another Chief.

1:55:37 They couldn't put up with him anymore. Before leaving, they wanted to hear about the images Neka saw behind his eyes one more time. They wanted to hear the extraordinary account of Neka's mother to remember it. To take it with them.

1:56:25 Neka could see the other world. The one where the dead went when their breath left them. He saw his mother with the horned beast. His mother looked at him as if to say, all is well. She was no longer hungry or cold. There was a glow behind his eyes that said life continued elsewhere, a life after death, and that changes everything. These beliefs are probably the beginnings of religious thought.

1:57:12 An extraordinary flight of imagination that will endow sapiens with a phenomenal power, faith. The idea of eternity was spread to all people and appeased the anguish of death. Now man can imagine a life beyond the limits of his own existence. The time of shamanistic beliefs has arrived. The spirit world as a place alongside the world of the living. We are between minus 100,000 and minus 50,000 years. Sapiens explores almost all the territories on the planet. Some head towards Asia, others towards Europe. Why do they risk their lives in an unknown world? Do they follow the game migrations, signs from nature? Many believe in the power of the sun and the moon.

1:57:59 Fifty thousand years ago, the first group of Homo sapiens arrives in southern Europe. This Clan worships the sun. Understandably, its disappearance in the middle of the day terrifies them. A woman enters a trance to fight against the devourers of light. It's coming back. The sun is back. The woman who guides them is a shaman. Her name is Nata, she's the eldest of three sisters.

1:58:49 For Nata, the darkened sun is a bad sign. The suns must be strong for the Clan to survive. They will follow them behind the mountains to the land where all the suns travel. They should have given up when faced with the immensity of the Alps. Nevertheless, their faith carries them. They don't hesitate to undertake the most perilous trip of their lives. Sapiens encounters white Earth for the first time. Their feet burn. It acts like a skin and takes on the shape of whatever touches it.

1:59:42 To protect themselves from the cold, sapiens invent the shoe. Nothing stops the shaman's determination, they have to continue their ascent. Their skin starts to tingle, and their extremities begin to freeze. They'd like to go back down, but no one dares defy Nata. The shaman decides for the Clan. Matriarchy is widespread among sapiens. Women have the authority. They're responsible for the future of the Clan. The men follow.

2:00:32 The mute has just lost his ear. There's no blood or pain. What's to be done with his frozen ear? How will they reattach it? The mute awaits the shaman's advice. Nothing can be done except maybe eat it. No, the mute prefers to eat it himself. After all, it's his ear. A new sun rose this morning, but its first rays bring neither warmth nor nourishment. Over thousands of years in heading towards the cold lands, sapiens skin lightened to better absorb the sun's ultraviolet rays and to promote the synthesis of essential vitamins.

2:01:20 They have adapted to a weaker exposure to the sun, but not to higher altitudes. While she slept, Nata's elder sister left for the other world. Her cold body became hard like wood. Sapiens' beliefs are as numerous as nature's mysteries. For this Clan, there is no burial site. They offer dead bodies to the light. She in turn eats them and brings them to the land of the other life.

2:02:06 Nata accompanies the dead to help them find their way. One day she'll find her sister in the world of suns. They continue to plod forward. They've eaten nothing but snow for the last three days. Nata promised them that at the end of the trail, night didn't exist. This gives them courage, but courage doesn't nourish the weakest ones. Not every sapiens is entitled to a ceremony. Some are abandoned without funeral rites.

2:02:54 Nata knows the pain her sister is feeling. She feels the suffering of her Clan, but they can't stop. How did they survive? Was it their animal skin clothes or the animal fat they rubbed into their skin? The conquest of virgin lands commands a high price. Sapiens leaves many of its own along the way, but every territory they explore will benefit future generations.

2:03:45 Now, they number fewer than the fingers of one hand. As their last bit of strength drains from them, hope is rekindled. Three shapes covered in snow. They are animals surely. Food to sustain them so they can complete their voyage. They're saved. Rocks. Many rocks. What are these rocks doing on these animals? A bird wing, but it doesn't have any flesh.

2:04:35 Other men have been here, but who are they, and where do they come from? Why are these bodies imprisoned beneath rocks? Their skulls don't look like ours. Nata is lost, the land of suns is not here. There's nothing to eat, they're condemned. In this hell, no one can survive. No one except maybe an exceptional being. In this cold and hostile Europe, another species of human is perfectly adapted to the environment,

2:05:24 the Neanderthal. Nata and her companions opened the tombs of their ancestors. Neanderthal is also a descendant of Homo erectus. His ancestor arrived in Europe 2 million years ago. Of all the human species, Neanderthal is the most robust, the hardiest. The Neanderthal Chief decided to bring the strangers to camp. When Nata opens her eyes, she doesn't know if she's still in the world of the living. What are those beings who aren't exactly men?

2:06:12 Neanderthal made numerous discoveries without ever having made contact with sapiens. The invisible world, beliefs, music, and fire. He lives in caves and buries his dead. The Moon Clan rescued Nata and her companions. Their Chief wants to know who dared dig up his ancestors. Nata's face intrigues the Chief. Who are these beings with flat foreheads? They must be revived. The Moon Clan Chief wants to know everything about them.

2:06:58 The shaman regains consciousness a few times. Everything is strange and different from what she knows. What are they doing with her man? They can't do that. He must stay with her, she needs him. Differences in culture, language, and way of life. For these sapiens, the Neanderthal practices are sacrilegious. Nevertheless, its culture is no less rich or interesting.

2:07:45 The next day, the smell of cooked meat wakes Nata and her sister. Hunger overrules fear. Since the snow, they've forgotten everything. Where are they? Who brought them here? Bit by bit, images of the men with big noses crowd Nata's thoughts. Who are these people? Memories from her journey surface. It wasn't a dream. Samke, where is he? Nata suddenly remembers where they put her companion. She has no idea that it's a tomb.

2:08:46 They hid him like games stored for later, like the skeletons in the snow. Samke is dead. She must give him to the light so that the mountain winds may carry his spirit. To survive during the cold winter, Neanderthal eats mostly meat. He's the greatest hunter on the planet. As he enters the cave, a surprise awaits the Chief. The corpse buried the day before is gone. It escaped.

2:09:32 Where are you? Show yourself! Maybe he went into the ground. What is that strange voice? Is it him calling? The body was there, the woman was crying out. The Neanderthal Chief doesn't understand Nata's trance. The movements of her body intrigue him.

2:10:22 Nata and her sister will stay with the Moon Clan. Without knowing it, these sapiens will have discovered a new continent, Europe. This crossing of the Alps opened a route, and others will follow in the footsteps of these pioneers. This encounter is but the first, there will be others. In a few millennia, sapiens and Neanderthal will undertake an exceptional adventure together, big game hunting.

2:11:07 At the same time, on the other side of the planet, Homo sapiens discovers Asia. Due to the ice age, the ocean levels are 120 meters lower than today. The islands of Southeast Asia are joined together. Homo sapiens' voyage will push him to the ends of the earth. Throughout his migrations, sapiens' appearance changed. The climates and environments modified the shape of his eyes, his nose, and the color of his skin. He also discovered a new and marvelous way to get around, navigation. For generations, the River Clan made waterways the center of its life. Water is sacred to them. She's the compass they follow and she protects them from danger.

2:11:56 They've been traveling down this body of water for months. They crossed the Indonesian peninsula without seeing even one other clan. Nevertheless, another human inhabits this land. He's been observing their movements for a long time. This human being is also a descendant of Homo erectus, having arrived here almost 2 million years ago, he evolved into many subspecies that populate all of Asia. Peking man, Java man, or Flores man. Each of these adapted to their environment. Only the youth saw the curious man and no one believes him.

2:12:45 The River Clan is always on the move. They follow the water carried by the currents of this life-giving vein that becomes larger with each passing day. Sixty thousand years ago, the River Clan arrives at Land's End in Asia and discovers the Pacific Ocean for the first time. For them, this expanse of water is a new river. It's so wide they can't see the other side. They know nothing like it. The immense waves and crashing surf make their bodies tremble. They're fascinated.

2:13:33 The Chief is determined to find land on the other side of the water. He decided to split the clan in two. He leaves with his shaman and his family and will return for the rest of the clan. Homo sapiens is still unaware that thousands of kilometers of deep, dangerous waters lay in front of him. Carried by their faith, this group of men and women throw themselves into conquering an ocean whose monstrous powers they can't imagine. Those remaining set up camp. Just one warrior protects three women and a child, Snake Eyes, the best fisher of the Clan. Since they settled in, the curious man has come by many times. It's always the same one, and he always does the same thing.

2:14:36 Snake Eyes wants to meet him. He knows it's prudent to get to know strangers so that they don't become mean or dangerous. The man always runs away. His behavior is curious. This time, Snake Eyes decided to act. He knows that no man has ever outrun him. In this Asian jungle, he can read all the signals, decipher the animal cries, and locate any creature at a distance.

2:15:22 He's right there, what does he want? Snake Eyes is captured like a blind buffalo. Snake Eyes has fallen into the clutches of a forest spirit. These Homo erectus are truly formidable hunters. In such a hostile environment, their rules for survival assume that every living thing is edible.

2:16:10 Even humans under certain circumstances. These Homo erectus captured him like they would a bird. For the moment, they admire his plumage and colors and invite him to share their meal, but what blood is this? Do they plan to kill and eat him too? Snake Eyes must remain calm. Those navigating towards the other shore were quickly swept away.

2:16:56 The winds and currents take them far from land. When they wake up that morning, there is no land on either side. There are no birds in the sky. The Chief doesn't understand. The world disappeared. The giant river covered everything. They drift slowly towards Antarctica.

2:17:46 Snake Eyes is alive, they're saved. Snake Eyes has aroused the hunters' curiosity. They want to know the secrets of the painted men who walk on water and about the powers of their shells and fishhooks. The Clan Chief still hasn't returned. What if they never come back? Weakened by the lack of water, the shaman has just died. His beliefs shattered. When faced with nature's wrath,

2:18:32 Homo sapiens often doubts the reason for his existence. Those who walk on water begin exchanging their knowledge with the forest people. The art of jewelry making, fishing techniques, and manufacture of tools and clothing. Bonds form between these two peoples, despite their genetic differences. All over the Asian continent, sapiens and erectus probably intermingled to make up the large family of Asian peoples. After hundreds of kilometers, the navigators are weak, dehydrated, and sunburned.

2:19:24 Land! The other side of the big river! Land has returned from the depths. They navigated for days and days. Thanks to the currents, their ignorance, and bravery, they finally arrive in a land yet unexplored by man. Perhaps they believe they have reached the secret world of their dreams. Sixty thousand years ago, Homo sapiens discovered an immense land mass

2:20:11 separated from the rest of the world for millions of years. Australia, the cradle of unique plant and animal species. The Chief and his people will navigate the ocean many times without finding their way back. They'll form the basis of another large human family, a people of extraordinary navigation skill, the family of the Pacific. In the rest of Asia, the migrations continue. Homo sapiens crosses China and enters America on foot via the Bering Land Bridge.

2:20:56 Meanwhile, sapiens enters Europe in succeeding waves. He adapts to the cold and the frigid life of the tundra. We are at minus 40,000 years. Whipped by glacial winds, the European winter is terrible. Man's only food is meat, but the herds are scarce. Sometimes they disappear altogether, and famine takes hold. Sapiens is always on the move looking for game. He lives in teepees made of animal skins and branches perched on high hills. They're constantly on the lookout. During these times of scarcity,

2:21:41 women don't produce milk for their infants, so they die, one after the other. The Chief of the Reindeer Clan has found one rabbit, dead from cold. Not nearly enough to feed his two women and his clan. The Reindeer Clan is turning into the Silent Clan. The Chief, Akea, stalks the vicinity tirelessly, listening for movement in the bushes or the smallest animal cry. Even the tough and smelly flesh of the Blackbird is better than nothing. He never misses his mark at this distance with his new weapon.

2:22:41 He asks her who she is and what she's doing there. The woman doesn't understand She wants his necklace. She's got an odd face with bumps over her eyes, as if she'd banged herself. This woman is a member of the Neanderthal people. They're starving too. She's entranced by the shells on the sapiens' necklace. She's never seen any before, but he's overwhelmed by his desire to touch her and to smell her. He wants to take her.

2:23:30 His advances have never been shunned before. He's Akea, Chief of the Reindeer Clan. At dawn, strange and new animal cries rang out near the camp. Massive animals covered with long hair and enormous teeth saunter down from the North. These are the long noses, the shaman knows. There were many before, huge herds, but they disappeared. All that meat is within easy reach, but how will they go about killing them? The crazy old fool is ready to face them, but that doesn't reassure the Chief.

2:24:21 The shaman will call upon the ancestral spirits to give strength to the hunters. Akea will succeed, the shaman knows. The mammoths have been on Earth for millions of years. For these pachyderms, as for the men, the Ice Age is a curse. These huge beasts travel enormous distances every day to find the 200 kilos of food they need. The shaman stays on the mountaintop, invoking the spirits. Spirits of our ancestors, give courage and strength to our hunters. Kill these giants for us.

2:25:07 Akea knows how to kill reindeer, stags, and pigs, but he's never dared attack such a powerful beast. They are nothing in the face of these monsters. Although their hearts beat with fear, their stomachs scream with hunger. The smell of meat makes them salivate and their feet fly.

2:25:53 However, they're too fast. The long noses are suspicious of men, and they flee. The way is blocked, it's a dead end. They'll have to retrace their steps and confront their attackers. Their desperate fear makes them even more dangerous. One of them, the youngest, is frightened by the human cries. He's afraid to turn back. It's man against beast.

2:27:02 Man lost and one of them was killed, but there's still hope. Over there, a group of Neanderthal. They've also come to hunt. They have an advantage over the Reindeer Clan. They know the long noses are afraid of fire. The Neanderthal woman frightens the mammoth and forces it to retrace its steps. They've still got one last chance.

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