Symphony of Science - "Children of Africa" (The Story of Us)

http://symphonyofscience.com A musical celebration of humanity, its origins, and achievements, contrasted with a somber look at our environmentally destructive tendencies and deep similarities with other primates. Featuring Jacob Bronowski, Alice Roberts, Carolyn Porco, Jane Goodall, Robert Sapolsky, Neil deGrasse Tyson and David Attenborough.

"Children of Africa" is the tenth installment in the ongoing Symphony of Science music video series. Materials used in the creation of this video are from:

BBC Incredible Human Journey
BBC Ascent of Man
BBC Life of Mammals
BBC Human Planet
BBC Walking With Cavemen
Carolyn Porco: Hollywood
Quest for Fire
Hubblecast 29A
What Makes Us Human (Leakey Foundation)
What Separates Us from Chimps (Sapolsky)
Chimpanzee
Neil Tyson - Human Intelligence
Gemini Observatory Time-lapse

mp3: http://symphonyofscience.com

Rights to use Carl Sagan have been put on hold for the time being. Please be patient if you wish to see more Carl!

Special thanks to everybody who's donated to keep the project alive and to those who helped track down the materials used in this video.

To download and watch more videos visit http://symphonyofscience.com.

Enjoy!

~John
john@symphonyofscience.com

Lyrics:

[Jacob Bronowski]
Man is a singular creature;
He has a set of gifts which make him unique among the animals
So that unlike them, he is not a figure in the landscape
He is the shaper of the landscape

[Alice Roberts]
We are all children of Africa
They say this is where it all began

[Bronowski]
In a parched African landscape
Man first put his foot to the ground

[Roberts]
Africa was our only home
for tens of thousands of years
until a small handful of people made their way
out of Africa

[Carolyn Porco]
These beings with soaring imagination
Eventually flung themselves and their machines
Into interplanetary space

[Roberts]
We are all children of africa
This landscape has been home to humans
Two hundred thousand years

[Porco]
We have come so far
All of this is cause for great celebration
We have come so far
This is a story about us

[Roberts]
Those early Europeans
Were people like you and me
But it is humbling
When you see the challenges they faced

People like you and me
Overcame the Neanderthals
People like you and me
Made it through the ice age

[Refrain]

[Jane Goodall]
We are not the only beings
With personalities, minds, and feelings
Chimpanzees have very clear personalities

[Robert Sapolsky]
Take a chimp brain foetally
And let it go two or three more rounds of division
And out comes symphonies and ideology

[Neil deGrasse Tyson]
Everything that we are
That distinguishes us from chimps
Emerges from that one percent
Difference in DNA

[Roberts]
People like you and me
Overcame the Neaderthals
People like you and me
Made it through the ice age

[Refrain]

[David Attenborough]
Using his burgeoning intelligence,
This most successful of all mammals
Has exploited the environment to produce food
For an ever increasing population.

Instead of controlling the environment
For the benefit of the population
Perhaps it's time we controlled the population
To allow the survival of the environment

Category:

Music

Tags:

• symphony
• of
• science
• children
• africa
• story
• us
• humanity
• humans
• people
• attenborough
• bronowski
• roberts
• carolyn
• porco
• sapolsky
• goodall
• neil
• degrasse
• tyson
• chimpanzee

[TopSkillDistortion]

@joestyboy Morals do not come from religion. Morals come from the sense of right, and wrong. There are people like this, that make religion a complete way of life, relying on a old, singular book, to give them all the answers. Completely ignoring the scientific data. 

[MrTatzer]

I think i'm in love with Alice Roberts.

[incaugnito37]

@MrTatzer me too..

[rendilkraesin]

Thank you so much for posting this video, and to The Symphony of Science for creating it. In these few minutes the essential ethical quandry of humankind is expressed: Can we reverse the millenial inertia of exploitation to become proper caretakers of the world that spawned us? Carolyn Proco summed up our progress, Goodall described the situation that exists, and Attenborough pointed out our responsibility. Thank you so much to all these scientists for proving we have that potential!

[Laneperk1]

@MrMike55534 interesting and how does one felt to sleep??

[juventinorocks]

I love the whole video...But i'm pretty sure I started as a sperm...

[najy123]

All of these songs always bring tears to my eyes.

I dont know why, but they do.

[MrMike55534]

i felt to sleep while watching this video

[harlequinforest777]

One of my favorites. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Africa. Perhaps the reason why is because all of us are connected to it from our past. Thank you for making this wonderful video, melodysheep! ;)

[Quintinohthree]

@PinkXOGlitter

Netherlands? I'm pretty sure my country can find it.

[serhat2174]

3:08 is a great moment

[sevensage1]

Videos like this makes all civil war (all humans as one) seem so ridiculous and barbaric.