Episode 8.4 · 18 min

how the first people reached Australia and the Americas during the Ice Age

How did people cross open sea to reach Sahul, then find a way through the Ice Age world into the Americas? This episode follows those extraordinary journeys, from planned voyages toward Australia and New Guinea to life on Beringia, the White Sands footprints, and the spread of people across two continents. It also asks what happened to the giant animals they encountered—and what remains uncertain about who arrived first.

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Visual credits

42 sources

Sources and credits for imagery used in this film, including material incorporated into explanatory animations.

  • White Sands fossil footprints

    U.S. Geological Survey

  • Thylacoleo skeleton, Naracoorte Caves

    Karora

  • Zygomaturus trilobus

    Paleocolour

  • Lake Mungo panorama

    Davidspicerj

  • Inside Liang Bua cave, Flores

    Felix Dance

  • Columbian mammoth discovered with Clovis points

    James St. John

  • Salmon River at Cooper's Ferry, Idaho

    Roger Peterson, U.S. Forest Service Northern Region

  • Leang Karampuang rock art, Figure 3

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Selected photograph and tracing panels cropped from the published figure. The authors enhanced the photographic panorama using DStretch_ac_lds_cb.

    © The Author(s) 2024. Nature 631, 814–818.

  • Liang Metanduno hand stencils, Figure 2

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Photograph and digital tracing shown as separate panel crops.

    © The Author(s) 2026, modified publication 2026.

  • Diprotodon skeleton

    Ghedoghedo

  • Burnt Genyornis eggshell, Figure 2

    G. H. Miller et al.

    Photographic panels a and b cropped from the published figure.

    Nature Communications 7, 10496 (2016).

  • Diprotodon, Natural History Museum, London

    John Cummings

  • Cooper's Ferry projectile points, Figure 4

    L. G. Davis et al.

    Figure cropped from the published article.

    Science Advances 8, eade1248 (2022).

  • Sahul megafauna sites, Figure 1

    S. A. Hocknull et al.

    Figure cropped from the published article. The authors composited the basemap and altered it to delineate Lake Carpentaria.

    © Crown 2020. Nature Communications 11, 2250. Basemap sources credited by the authors: NOAA NGDC shoreline data, GNU Lesser General Public License v3 or later, https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/shorelines/; Geoscience Australia drainage basin data (2013), CC BY 4.0, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/f55ec9b3-ab74-4056-93a2-b4b8aa65ead1; T. Whiteway / Geoscience Australia, Australian Bathymetry and Topography Grid (June 2009), CC BY 4.0, https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/australian-bathymetry-and-topography-grid-june-2009.

  • NADI-1 North American ice margins, Figure 5

    April S. Dalton et al.

    Ice-sheet outlines traced, simplified and animated in original maps. Source arrows, lettering and legends omitted; schematic opening and retreat states added.

    © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Quaternary Science Reviews 321, 108345.

  • White Sands dating stratigraphy, Figure 2

    J. S. Pigati et al.

    Panel A, the composite stratigraphy and dating results, cropped from the published figure.

    Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Science 382, 73–75 (2023).

  • Diprotodon and Genyornis skeletons

    David Jackmanson

  • Mammoth panorama with bison

    Chris Light

  • Walls of China, Mungo National Park

    Caroline Jones

  • Crossing the Kuroshio

    Yousuke Kaifu et al.

    ©2025 Kaifu et al. CC-By-ND. University of Tokyo, “Ancient canoe replica tests Paleolithic migration theory,” 26 June 2025. Photograph of the 2019 experimental voyage.

  • Building a canoe the old-fashioned way

    Yousuke Kaifu et al.

    ©2025 Kaifu et al. CC-BY-ND. University of Tokyo, “Ancient canoe replica tests Paleolithic migration theory,” 26 June 2025. Experimental canoe construction using replica tools.

  • Lake Mungo from Landsat 9

    Wanmei Liang, NASA Earth Observatory; U.S. Geological Survey

    NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

  • MISR Sights the Bering Strait

    NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team

    NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team.

  • Mastodon skeleton, Museum of the Earth

    Jayu

    Paleontological Research Institution, Museum of the Earth, Ithaca, New York.

  • Megalonyx skeleton, Natural History Museum of Utah

    Daderot

  • Liang Metanduno hand-stencil photograph, Figure 2a

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Photographic panel cropped from the published figure.

    © The Author(s) 2026, modified publication 2026.

  • Burnt Genyornis eggshell fragments, Figure 2a

    G. H. Miller et al.

    Photographic panel cropped from the published figure.

    Nature Communications 7, 10496 (2016).

  • Blackened Genyornis eggshell fragment, Figure 2b

    G. H. Miller et al.

    Photographic panel cropped from the published figure.

    Nature Communications 7, 10496 (2016).

  • Leang Karampuang painted-scene tracing, Figure 3c

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Tracing panel cropped from the published figure.

    © The Author(s) 2024. Nature 631, 814–818.

  • Leang Karampuang rock-art panorama, Figure 3a

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Photographic panel cropped from the published figure. The authors enhanced the panorama using DStretch_ac_lds_cb.

    © The Author(s) 2024. Nature 631, 814–818.

  • Liang Metanduno hand-stencil tracing, Figure 2b

    A. A. Oktaviana et al.

    Digital tracing panel cropped from the published figure.

    © The Author(s) 2026, modified publication 2026.

  • White Sands composite stratigraphy, Figure 2A

    J. S. Pigati et al.

    Stratigraphy panel cropped from the published figure.

    Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Science 382, 73–75 (2023).

  • Human fossilized footprints, White Sands National Park

    National Park Service, White Sands National Park

    Selected excerpts.

    Courtesy of the National Park Service.

  • Columbian mammoth footprints, White Sands National Park

    National Park Service, White Sands National Park

    Selected excerpts.

    Courtesy of the National Park Service.

  • Footprint trench research, White Sands National Park

    National Park Service, White Sands National Park

    Selected excerpt.

    Courtesy of the National Park Service.

  • Clovis Lanceolate

    Steve Davis; RLA Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    3D model rendered as a turntable animation by AgentHouse.

  • McLean Clovis Projectile Point

    Museum of Texas Tech University

    3D model rendered as a turntable animation by AgentHouse.

  • Natural Earth land polygons, 1:50 million

    Tom Patterson, Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso and Natural Earth contributors

    Land polygons projected, styled and animated in original maps.

    Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com.

  • ETOPO 2022 Global Relief Model: Sunda–Sahul subset

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

    Regional subset sampled at 2 arc-minute spacing via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP; elevation thresholds used to draw exposed shelves and land at an illustrative sea level.

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2022), ETOPO 2022 15 Arc-Second Global Relief Model. doi:10.25921/fd45-gt74.

  • GEBCO 2026 Grid: Wallacea subset

    GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group 2026

    Wallacea subset used to derive exposed land, straits and crossing gaps at an illustrative sea level; combined with ETOPO relief in original animations.

    GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group 2026 (2026). The GEBCO_2026 Grid - a continuous terrain model for oceans and land at 15 arc-second intervals. doi:10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.

  • ETOPO 2022 Global Relief Model: eastern Beringia subset

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

    Regional subset sampled at 2 arc-minute spacing via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP, joined to the western subset at the antimeridian and thresholded to illustrate exposed and flooded shelves.

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2022), ETOPO 2022 15 Arc-Second Global Relief Model. doi:10.25921/fd45-gt74.

  • ETOPO 2022 Global Relief Model: western Beringia subset

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

    Regional subset sampled at 2 arc-minute spacing via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP, joined to the eastern subset at the antimeridian and thresholded to illustrate exposed and flooded shelves.

    NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2022), ETOPO 2022 15 Arc-Second Global Relief Model. doi:10.25921/fd45-gt74.

Stock footage

56 items

Licensed stock footage used in this film, with each item’s creator and source page.

Research references

Selected sources from the episode’s research and scientific figures.

  1. Bird et al. 2019 ↗
  2. NOAA study 19982 ↗
  3. Kealy, Louys & O'Connor 2018 ↗
  4. Bradshaw et al. 2019 ↗
  5. Kaifu 2025 ↗
  6. O'Connor, Ono & Clarkson 2011 ↗
  7. Kerby et al. 2023 ↗
  8. Summerhayes et al. 2016 ↗
  9. Clarkson et al. 2017 ↗
  10. Gandini et al. 2025 ↗
  11. Iasi et al. 2024 ↗
  12. Sümer et al., online December 2024 / Nature volume 2025 ↗
  13. Oktaviana 2026 ↗
  14. Oktaviana 2024 ↗
  15. Sutikna et al. 2018 ↗
  16. Gagan et al. 2025 ↗
  17. Veatch et al. 2026 ↗
  18. Grün & Stringer 2023 ↗
  19. Hocknull et al. 2020 ↗
  20. Wroe et al. 2013 ↗
  21. Demarchi et al. 2022 ↗
  22. Saltré et al. 2019 ↗
  23. Archer and colleagues 2025 ↗
  24. Bradshaw et al. 2023 ↗
  25. Adeleye et al. 2024 ↗
  26. Bowler et al. 2003 ↗
  27. KellyFCA264 ↗
  28. Farmer et al. 2023 ↗
  29. Springer 2026 ↗
  30. Dillehay et al., online **19 August 2026**, PaleoAmerica ↗
  31. Potter, Hay, Singh & Raff 2026 ↗
  32. Meltzer 2020 ↗
  33. Metcalf et al. 2016 ↗
  34. Massone and colleagues 2026, Tres Arroyos 1 ↗
  35. Pico 2020 ↗
  36. Tides and the migration to Sahul ↗
  37. ANU repository PDF ↗
  38. institutional abstract ↗
  39. Chang 2025 ↗
  40. National Museum of Nature and Science page ↗
  41. University of Tokyo dugout press images ↗
  42. Bednarik 2000, Anthropos 95:37–47 ↗
  43. project account ↗
  44. Leavesley & Chappell ↗
  45. ICOMOS Pacific thematic study ↗
  46. Allen & O'Connell 2025 ↗
  47. Maloney 2018 ↗
  48. Balme et al. 2018, Table 1 ↗
  49. Summerhayes et al. 2010 ↗
  50. Veth et al. 2017 ↗
  51. O'Connell et al. 2018 ↗
  52. Williams and colleagues' termite/site-formation study, author manuscript ↗
  53. Veth, Matisoo-Smith, Brumm, Groucutt & Scerri 2025 ↗
  54. Otago ↗
  55. Malta ↗
  56. Freidline et al. 2023 ↗
  57. Westaway et al. 2017 ↗
  58. Louys et al. 2022 ↗
  59. Albers et al. 2024 ↗
  60. Hoffmann et al. 2018 ↗
  61. White et al. 2020 / online 2019 ↗
  62. Kaifu et al. 2024 ↗
  63. Sutikna et al. 2016 ↗
  64. team's UCL account ↗
  65. Rizal et al. 2020 ↗
  66. Hakim et al. 2025 ↗
  67. Jacobs et al. 2019 ↗
  68. Larena et al. 2021 ↗
  69. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50649-7): ↗
  70. WA government / museum account ↗
  71. McInerney, Blokland & Worthy 2024 ↗
  72. Australian Museum ↗
  73. Queensland Museum guide ↗
  74. Flinders author PDF ↗
  75. publisher release ↗
  76. DOI: 10.1126/science.1060264 ↗
  77. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10511 ↗
  78. Rule et al. 2012 ↗
  79. van der Kaars et al. 2017 ↗
  80. Miller 2016 ↗
  81. UNSW release ↗
  82. Thylacoleo skeleton in Naracoorte Caves.jpg ↗
  83. Florin et al. 2020 ↗
  84. Hiscock et al. 2016 ↗
  85. Hamm et al. 2016 ↗
  86. Bradshaw et al. 2021 ↗
  87. Crabtree et al. 2021 ↗
  88. Malaspinas et al. 2016 ↗
  89. A 2026 comparative cremation paper ↗
  90. National Museum of Australia ↗
  91. NSW DCCEEW annual report 2024–25, volume 1, p. 39 ↗
  92. NITV's dated report ↗
  93. ABC's earlier report ↗
  94. Norman et al., online 2023 / QSR 2024 ↗
  95. Mungo Landsat image ↗
  96. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14723-0): ↗
  97. Pitulko et al. 2004 ↗
  98. Sikora 2019 ↗
  99. Dalton et al. 2023 ↗
  100. Lesnek et al. 2018 ↗
  101. Clark et al. 2022 ↗
  102. Pedersen et al. 2016 ↗
  103. Erlandson et al. 2007 ↗
  104. USGS publication record ↗
  105. Praetorius and colleagues' USGS account ↗
  106. Dalton et al. 2020 ↗
  107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106223): ↗
  108. USGS FS 2025-3046 ↗
  109. Bennett et al. 2021 ↗
  110. Pigati et al. 2023 ↗
  111. Holliday et al. 2025 ↗
  112. Rhode et al. 2024 ↗
  113. Pigati et al. 2024 ↗
  114. USGS reply record ↗
  115. 2025 primary critique, “Seeds of controversy” ↗
  116. Bennett & Reynolds 2026 ↗
  117. Bennett et al. 2025 ↗
  118. Waters, Stafford & Carlson 2020 ↗
  119. Davis et al. 2019 ↗
  120. Davis 2022 ↗
  121. Nakatsuka et al. 2020 ↗
  122. Surovell et al. 2026 ↗
  123. University of Wyoming's source-team account ↗
  124. lead author's publication list ↗
  125. Raghavan et al. 2014 ↗
  126. Moreno-Mayar et al. 2018 ↗
  127. Skoglund et al. 2015 ↗
  128. NPS fossil-footprint media ↗
  129. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz0455): ↗
  130. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax9830): ↗
  131. https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2026.2644781): ↗
  132. NPS Waco summary ↗
  133. NPS Tule Springs ↗
  134. Author PDF ↗
  135. Grayson & Meltzer 2002 ↗
  136. restatement ↗
  137. 2015 reassessment ↗
  138. author copy ↗
  139. Surovell & Waguespack 2008 ↗
  140. author PDF ↗
  141. Ben A. Potter et al. 2026 ↗
  142. Bustos et al. 2018 ↗
  143. Graf et al. 2026 ↗
  144. Halligan et al. 2016 ↗
  145. Hocknull et al. 2009 ↗
  146. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-4403(02)00205-4 ↗
  147. Hands in Pettakere Cave.jpg ↗
  148. Diprotodon optatum display WA.jpg ↗
  149. ULiège LB1 skull and jaw ↗
  150. MGL LB1 cast photograph ↗
  151. footprints media page ↗
  152. Clovis point NHMU DSC07376 ↗
  153. RLA Clovis Lanceolate ↗
  154. McLean Clovis Projectile Point ↗
  155. OCPC Columbian Mammoth Skull ↗
  156. Smithsonian woolly mammoth STL ↗
  157. Mal'ta mammoth engraving drawing ↗
  158. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woolly-mammoth-150k_(Smithsonian_Institution).stl ↗
  159. https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/audiovideo/ ↗

Music

  • Original score
    AgentHouse · Project-made score (From Cosmos to Civilization score catalog v4 with bespoke opening and closing)
    Impulse responses: Detmold University of Music SRIR database, CC BY 4.0.
Footage and image usage

Credits and usage times retained from the published edition or its production credit record. Where present, times identify visual appearances, not documentary chapters. Source and licence corrections are listed in the visual credits above.

  • A. A. Oktaviana et al. — 2:51-2:54, 2:54-2:56, 3:07-3:10, 3:10-3:19
  • AmazingAerial — 2:37-2:43, 3:04-3:07
  • April S. Dalton et al. — 12:18-12:25, 12:28-12:40, 13:00-13:06, 14:01-14:07, 14:37-14:46, 16:12-16:20, 17:53-18:01
  • bilanol — 14:07-14:13
  • BlackBoxGuild — 1:58-1:59, 1:59-2:01, 2:56-3:04, 5:12-5:18, 5:33-5:43, 7:13-7:15, 7:27-7:29, 7:57-7:59, 7:59-8:04, 8:14-8:18, 8:18-8:19, 9:13-9:19, 9:29-9:32, 9:56-10:01, 10:26-10:28, 10:28-10:31, 11:50-11:52, 12:13-12:17, 12:40-12:42, 13:17-13:23, 13:23-13:27, 14:13-14:18, 14:48-14:51, 16:23-16:25, 17:26-17:30, 17:30-17:32, 17:32-17:33, 17:33-17:35
  • Caroline Jones — 10:10-10:15
  • Chris Light — 17:02-17:08
  • Daderot — 16:57-16:59
  • David Jackmanson — 7:21-7:23
  • Davidspicerj — 10:22-10:26
  • DELOZA — 15:29-15:35
  • duallogic — 11:53-11:55
  • duckdivetales — 2:10-2:15, 3:57-4:01, 4:10-4:12
  • Felix Dance — 3:35-3:44
  • G. H. Miller et al. — 8:43-8:48, 8:48-8:51
  • geargodz — 1:54-1:58
  • GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group 2026 — 1:20-1:51, 2:15-2:33, 4:01-4:10, 8:08-8:14
  • Ghedoghedo — 7:06-7:13
  • HeroImages — 12:42-12:45
  • J. S. Pigati et al. — 14:21-14:27
  • James St. John — 16:39-16:45
  • Jayu — 16:47-16:51
  • John Cummings — 8:28-8:36
  • joshtagi — 8:19-8:23, 9:36-9:42, 10:05-10:10
  • Karora — 7:40-7:45
  • L. G. Davis et al. — 13:12-13:17
  • Mikekolesnikov — 18:34-18:40
  • MikkoVideos — 4:12-4:16
  • Museum of Texas Tech University — 17:12-17:18
  • NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team — 18:01-18:03
  • National Park Service, White Sands National Park — 13:45-13:48, 13:48-13:51, 13:51-13:54, 14:27-14:33, 14:33-14:37, 15:06-15:11, 17:40-17:47, 17:47-17:53
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information — 1:20-1:51, 2:15-2:33, 4:01-4:10, 8:08-8:14, 11:34-11:45, 12:17-12:25, 12:28-12:40, 13:00-13:06, 14:01-14:07, 14:37-14:46, 16:12-16:20, 17:53-18:01
  • Paleocolour — 8:36-8:40
  • PD-media — 3:30-3:35
  • PhotOleh — 14:18-14:21
  • PolonioVideo — 0:43-0:48
  • Pro-Studio — 1:51-1:54
  • Roger Peterson, U.S. Forest Service Northern Region — 13:06-13:12
  • ryanpadjo27 — 3:19-3:25
  • S. A. Hocknull et al. — 9:42-9:47
  • ShiftDrive — 14:51-14:54
  • silverstudio778 — 2:01-2:10
  • siriusimagens — 16:29-16:35
  • skrip169 — 12:25-12:28
  • Steve Davis; RLA Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — 12:52-13:00
  • TDFly — 0:57-1:03, 11:45-11:50, 15:38-15:43
  • Tom Patterson, Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso and Natural Earth contributors — 1:16-1:51, 2:15-2:33, 4:01-4:10, 8:08-8:14, 10:35-10:37, 11:08-11:25, 11:33-11:45, 12:17-12:25, 12:28-12:40, 13:00-13:06, 14:01-14:07, 14:37-14:46, 16:12-16:20, 17:53-18:01, 18:03-18:15
  • U.S. Geological Survey — 13:54-14:01
  • Vitema — 11:55-11:57
  • Wanmei Liang, NASA Earth Observatory; U.S. Geological Survey — 10:15-10:22
  • Yousuke Kaifu et al. — 4:22-4:28, 4:28-4:35

How this film was made

Created and editorially directed by Anders Lunde using a custom production system developed over six months. AI assists research, drafting, programming, and visual production; I review and edit the material and make the final editorial decisions. Narration uses text-to-speech. Visuals combine custom-built scientific animations, AI-generated reconstructions, and credited scientific imagery.

Generated reconstructions illustrate scientific interpretations. They are distinct from photographs, specimens, and measured data.

More about the creator and production →