Humanity From Space

Trace humankind’s long journey from hunter-gatherer to dominant global species.

From the perspective of space, this two-hour special uses mind-boggling data and CGI to disclose the breathtaking extent of humanity’s influence, revealing how we’ve transformed our planet and produced an interconnected world of extraordinary complexity.

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View from NASA's SUMI satellite over a hurricane. This satellite designed to study the world’s weather has an electronic eye hundreds of times more sensitive than previous satellites. It reveals the interconnectivity of our electrified world.

Courtesy of NASA

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Global Networks. Shipping lanes, flight paths, roads and railways span the globe. Transportation has opened up the world enabling us to go anywhere at almost anytime. We can now reach 98 percent of the planet in less than 48 hours.

Courtesy of DSP/HANDEL

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USA Data Cable Network. Around 35 million miles of data cables lace North America alone. These cables have created the ultimate communications network – the internet - one that defines how the world interacts and communicates today.

Courtesy of DSP/HANDEL

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North America's Electric Grid. In just 100 years, Thomas Edison’s electrical grid expanded from a few city blocks to a vast network in North America and around the globe.

Courtesy of DSP/HANDEL

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Europe's Electrical Grid. The electrical grid supplies power to 5.5 billion people around the world.

Courtesy of DSP/HANDEL

A trip through 12,000 years of development, the documentary shows how seemingly small flashes of innovation — innovations that touch all of us in ways unimaginable to our ancestors — have changed the course of civilization.

As our global population soars, the program considers the challenges humanity will face in order to survive.

"Humanity From Space" was produced by Darlow Smithson Productions and Handel Productions Inc.