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Your Inner Fish

The Human Hand: A Gift from Ancient Primates

Season 1 Episode 3 | 4m 26s

Our hand has the same basic form as the hands of all other primates. But what did the earliest version of this hand look like? Neil Shubin pays a visit to Jon Bloch, who shows him a remarkable fossil of Notharctus, an early primate with a hand that you may recognize.

Extras
Watch • 54:40
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Monkey
Find out which beneficial traits our primate progenitors bequeathed us.
Episode: S1 E3 | 54:40
Watch • 0:30
Your Inner Fish
Episode 3: Your Inner Monkey Preview
Find out which traits our primate progenitors bequeathed to us.
Preview: S1 E3 | 0:30
Watch • 54:46
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Reptile
Learn which parts of our bodies we’ve inherited from our reptilian ancestors.
Episode: S1 E2 | 54:46
Watch • 0:30
Your Inner Fish
Episode 2: Your Inner Reptile - Preview
Learn which parts of our bodies we’ve inherited from our reptilian ancestors.
Preview: S1 E2 | 0:30
Watch • 4:00
Your Inner Fish
How Do We Know When Our Ancestors Lost Their Tails?
Paleontologist Holly Dunsworth shows us fossil evidence for the disappearance of our tail.
Clip: S1 E3 | 4:00
Watch • 2:52
Your Inner Fish
Your Aching Back: A Gift from Your Ancient Ancestors
As Bruce Latimer explains, our evolutionary history has some consequences for our back.
Clip: S1 E3 | 2:52
Watch • 3:19
Your Inner Fish
The 500-Million-Year History of the Human Brain
Biologist Peter Holland shows us how much we have in common with a wormy little animal.
Clip: S1 E3 | 3:19
Watch • 2:05
Your Inner Fish
Meet Your Cousins: Squirrel Monkeys
Our relationship to living primates can be seen in their anatomy and genes.
Clip: S1 E3 | 2:05
Watch • 4:54
Your Inner Fish
Amazing Places, Amazing Fossils: Lucy
Don Johanson recounts the discovery of an iconic human ancestor in Ethiopia.
Clip: S1 E3 | 4:54
Watch • 4:05
Your Inner Fish
Amazing Places, Amazing Fossils: Tritheledont
Neil Shubin finds a tiny fossil that represents an important time in our evolution.
Clip: S1 E2 | 4:05
Latest Episodes
Watch • 54:40
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Monkey
Find out which beneficial traits our primate progenitors bequeathed us.
Episode: S1 E3 | 54:40
Watch • 54:46
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Reptile
Learn which parts of our bodies we’ve inherited from our reptilian ancestors.
Episode: S1 E2 | 54:46
Watch • 55:11
Your Inner Fish
Your Inner Fish
See how the genetic legacy of a fish can be seen today in our own DNA.
Episode: S1 E1 | 55:11