05 December 2011

JOURNEY OF MANKIND


As technology becomes more sophisticated, and as human knowledge doubles every ten years, I find myself wishing I were back in school, able to enjoy what today's students take for granted. Case in point ~ an interactive map showing the spread of humans as we migrated from our African origins to populate the globe, with some surprising divergences and setbacks along the way. It is called Journey of Mankind ~ The Peopling of the World. On the home page, click on "play", then continue to click on "play" after you've absorbed each display in turn.

We now know more detail than was possible as recently as three or four decades ago. Please note two things ~ with each new display, the migration of humans is shown as moving arrows, and simultaneously you can observe the progression across the timeline at the bottom of the screen. Secondly, in addition to this interactive slide show, you can see the presentation in video form at any time by clicking on the prompt on the right edge of the screen.

Each new screen presents not only locations, but also information explaining the events you're seeing. It is a singularly entertaining and informative achievement.

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