And think again. A discovery in a South African cave has caused archaeologists to reconsider the origin of human thought and speech. Of course, thought and speech leave no tangible remains, but art (such as the cave paintings at Lascaux, France) may offer evidence of an ability to visualise the world in a peculiarly human way. The usual timeline has modern humans clashing with mindless Neanderthals around 37,000 years ago, in Europe, but the discovery of an incised stone in South Africa, twice as old as that, may upset this view and show the Neanderthals in a new light.

The programme struggles to fill 50 minutes, but could suggest some ideas for discussion in general studies or English - for example, “What makes us human?”