The Prototypes (S11E10)

Recent archaeological findings paint a strikingly different image of ancient Earth, resembling a real-life "Lord of the Rings." This era saw humans coexisting with various intelligent hominid species, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, and hobbits. Researchers are puzzled by how these distinct groups evolved separately in remote regions and why there's no fossil record indicating a gradual evolution from a shared ancestor. Ancient Astronaut theorists propose that these unique beings may have emerged from a sort of incubator, suggesting Earth could have been an extraterrestrial lab where different human prototypes existed—ultimately leading to the survival of just one species. Is humanity the product of an alien experiment?