BBC show unveils 'never-before-seen' scientific find in huge TV milestone

Viewers are set to be stunned by "mind-boggling" proof that demonstrates a major scientific discovery 'for the first time' on television.

BBC Two series Human will reveal how Homo sapiens have walked the earth for 300,000 years, shattering previous assumptions.

It means that the species is actually a hundred thousand years older than the previous belief of 200,000 years.

Paleoanthropologist presenter Ella Al-Shamahi unveils this groundbreaking discovery in Morocco during the show.

She will detail how advancements in DNA technology have allowed experts to date new fossil finds accurately.

Ella explains: "With each new find the evidence grew - these were not some other species but Homo sapiens, with hints of an earlier ancestor.

"It wasn't until archaeologists were able to more accurately date the remains that the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"That is mind-boggling, because we thought our species was only about 200,000 years old. What these fossils tell us is that our species, Homo sapiens, is 100,000 years older than we thought.

"We are a third older than we realised." In a gripping moment, she will be seen holding a skull, highlighting its significance: "This fossil went from being enigmatic to being one of the most important fossils in our whole field.

At a recent BBC Science event, Al-Shamahi spoke about the significant strides made due to "a revolution in ancient DNA" over the last decade.

She teased further revelations: "There's been lots of breakthroughs - we think we've found a second hobbit species - and this fantastical world hasn't really been put on television in that time."

The upcoming series, set to broadcast this summer, will challenge conventional theories. One of the suggestions is that humanity's origins span the entirety of Africa, rather than just east Africa, reports the Mirror.

Al-Shamahi added: "This is in Morocco. They date it and realise it's on the journey to become Homo sapien - when you look at it, its face looks Homo sapien but its brain-case doesn't.

"So what it suggests is that it wasn't east Africa that was the cradle of civilisation, it was the whole of Africa that was the mothership - and that these populations were interacting.

"They call it the pan-Africa theory and it's absolutely fascinating and very new, so it felt like just the right time to be doing this series."

BBC's factual chief Jack Bootle concurred: "To a general viewer that is all new - we've certainly never put it in a British science show before."

The five-part documentary delves into why Homo sapiens are the sole survivors amongst human species, despite archaeological finds showing there were once many more.

The program includes a combination of archaeology, globetrotting adventures, and re-enactments to explore how modern humans prevailed while other species vanished, positioning us as Earth's dominant life form.

Humans will be released on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this summer.