BBC will showcase 'mind-boggling' truth about humanity in huge TV first
Evidence of a bombshell discovery about Homo sapiens is set to be shown on TV for the first time this summer
Paleoanthropologist presenter Ella Al-Shamahi travels to a dig in Morocco for her upcoming BBC2 series Human
(Image: BBC )
Groundbreaking evidence that proves a "mind-boggling" fact about humanity will be revealed on television for the first time this summer.
The new discovery means Homo sapiens have been on earth for 300,000 years - a whole 100,000 years longer than previously believed. The astonishing revelation comes from paleoanthropologist presenter Ella Al-Shamahi during her upcoming BBC Two series Human.
In the programme, she discusses how advancements in DNA technology have aided experts in dating this extraordinary new fossil evidence.
Ella said: "With each new find the evidence grew - these were not some other species but Homo sapiens, with hints of an earlier ancestor.
"It wasn't until archaeologists were able to more accurately date the remains that the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. That is mind-boggling, because we thought our species was only about 200,000 years old.
Ella presents the skull, representing a huge scientific discovery
(Image: BBC )
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"What these fossils tell us is that our species, Homo sapiens, is 100,000 years older than we thought. We are a third older than we realised."
During the show, Ella is seen holding a skull. She explained: "This fossil went from being enigmatic to being one of the most important fossils in our whole field."
At a BBC Science event this week, she revealed that these discoveries came after "a revolution in ancient DNA" over the past decade.
She added: "There's been lots of breakthroughs - we think we've found a second hobbit species - and this fantastical world hasn't really been put on television in that time." The upcoming series, set to air this summer, challenges the traditional view that humanity originated solely from east Africa, reports the Mirror.
Ella is one of the BBC's forefront science presenters, having worked on season 2 of Our Changing Planet with Ade Adepitan, Gordon Buchanan, Chris Packham, Steve Backshall and Liz Bonni
(Image: BBC/PA Wire )
Ella continued: "This is in Morocco. They date it and realise it's on the journey to become Homo sapien - when you look at it, its face looks Homo sapien but its brain-case doesn't.
"So what it suggests is that it wasn't east Africa that was the cradle of civilisation, it was the whole of Africa that was the mothership - and that these populations were interacting. They call it the pan-Africa theory and it's absolutely fascinating and very new, so it felt like just the right time to be doing this series."
Jack Bootle, the BBC's head of factual, confirmed: "To a general viewer that is all new - we've certainly never put it in a British science show before." The five-episode series explores why we are the sole surviving human species, despite evidence of numerous others.
Combining archaeology, travelogue, and reconstructions, the series depicts Ella delving into the disappearance of other human species, leaving us as the prime species on Earth.
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Humans will be released on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this summer.
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