Chapter 12 (Kwasi Obeng-Dankwa)

Chapter 12 puts us in a valley located in Germany called  Das Neandertal. This is where the first Neanderthal fossils were found in the 19th century. They thrived by hunting for food, using tools, and using an animals skin for warmth. Neanderthals were very similar to humans but at first, they were believed to have walked with a slouch and very hairy. However, after more research, it was further discovered that they strikingly resembled humans and were not as primitive as originally thought. It has been shown that some people's DNA is closer to Neanderthals than others, showing that interbreeding most likely occurred. Afterward, the chapter tries to answer the question of what makes us human. A person named Paabo came up with a theory stating that humans have qualities such as relentlessness and curiosity which Neanderthals did not have.

As I am nearing the end of the book, I have noticed the contradiction that I had mentioned in the last journal about humans being contradictory. For Kolbert, while humans may have been blessed with wanting to explore and conquer, it has become an evolutionary disadvantage now because it is leading to all other species around us dying. In the end, we may be the cause of our own undoing. This chapter connected most with the theme: Humans alter natural systems. As shown throughout the book yet far, natural systems are bound to change with the introduction of humans. For example, in the book,- it stated "... the Neanderthal went the way of the Megatherium, the American mastodon, and the many other unfortunate megafauna. In other words, as one researcger put it to me, "their bad luck was us(237)." With most of the other species mentioned in this book, human effects have played a role in their decreasing numbers. Neanderthals were no different. The book also stated, "... the archaeological record shows, as soon as they made their way to a region where Neanderthals were living, the Neanderthals in the region disappeared(237-238)." Once again, the trend of humans coming into a natural system and altering it continues. No matter what species or organism it is, as soon as humans get there, it seems that the species start to die off. While it is not all a hundred percent the fault of humans, humans always find a way to part of the problem and never the solution