Horizon Season 1995 Episode 3 Bones of Contention

In the Horizon season 1995 episode "Bones of Contention," the focus is on the ongoing debate between two schools of thought in the field of human evolution. On one side are the proponents of the "Out of Africa" theory, which argues that modern humans evolved in Africa and then migrated to other parts of the world. On the other side are the adherents of the "Multiregional" theory, which posits that modern humans evolved independently in various parts of the world and then gradually interbred with each other to form a single species.

The episode begins with a look at the discoveries of two major sets of human fossils in the 1970s: the skull of a Homo erectus in Java and the bones of a new human species, Homo habilis, in Tanzania. These finds helped bolster the Out of Africa theory, as both species were ancestral to modern humans and had been discovered in Africa.

However, the Multiregional theory had its own evidence to point to, particularly the discovery in China of a set of skulls that were significantly different from those found in Africa. The episode then delves into the history of the two theories, tracing their origins back to the early 20th century and the work of paleoanthropologists like Franz Weidenreich and Sherwood Washburn.

As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that the debate is not just about scientific evidence, but also about ideology and politics. The Out of Africa theory has been championed by many African American scholars as a way to counter racist ideas that have long held that non-white people are less evolved than whites. The Multiregional theory, on the other hand, has often been associated with a conservative political agenda that emphasizes the importance of preserving racial differences.

The episode also explores the role of genetics in the debate, with scientists using mitochondrial DNA to trace the ancestry of modern humans back to a female ancestor who lived in Africa around 200,000 years ago. This evidence would seem to support the Out of Africa theory, but some scientists argue that it is not enough to prove the theory conclusively.

Throughout the episode, scientists on both sides of the argument are interviewed, and the viewer is presented with a balanced look at the evidence and arguments for each theory. Ultimately, the episode leaves it up to the viewer to come to their own conclusions about the fascinating and contentious subject of human evolution.