First Man Page #2

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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.

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 this tech to catch termites.

There is nothing tastier than termites.

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.

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.

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 Pierola may seem secondary,

but it tells another more powerful story.

The spread of knowledge.

Societies that force 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.

Pierola alpha males resist

the pressure of the females

as long as possible.

But the females always win.

The alpha consents.

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.

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 dry Mediterranean.

They migrate towards Africa

where the forest is spreading,

notably on the vast green plains of the Sahara.

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,

seven 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 space.

Toumais still sleep in the trees,

but have found plenty to do on the ground.

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.

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.

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 ancestor's 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.

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.

He praises a male, knowing he

could be a threat one day.

He sweet talks the other female.

That good will could come in useful.

Alliances, strategies, betrayal,

conquest and power.

This type of society has

given rise politics.

The males spend most of their day plotting.

It is left to the females to find ways to feed

and educate their young.

No wonder that the females have become

more resourceful than the males.

To the alpha, ruling the group also means

having access to the female.

The problem with bipedalism is that the male

can't see the females 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.

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.

The male and the female can decide to

get away from the group

just to spend some time together.

For these two juveniles,

it's the first time.

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.

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.

Too late.

The little one's frail body is limp, 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.

That's why Toumai still depend on the trees.

Something strange is happening in

our ancestor's minds.

The young female should've

left the lifeless body behind,

but she refused.

Why?

What does she feel?

Something happened this morning.

Several unknown individuals were spotted

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