Edwardsville Public Library discussion
The Sixth Extinction
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November 9-13: Chapters 12 & 13
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When considering what happens to homo sapiens in the face of extinction, a positive outlook from some is "human ingenuity will outrun any disaster human ingenuity sets in motion."
On page 268, we see that this could mean reengineering the earth's atmosphere or decamping to other planets.
Do any of the options in the book sound feasible? Can you picture humans settling on other planets?
The title for this chapter is The Madness Gene. Paabo thinks it's possible to discover a particular difference in DNA between humans and Neanderthals to explain the "human insanity and exploration thing" that made humans take greater risks and venture off to Madagascar and Australia while the Neanderthal stopped at obstacles that humans bypass. What do you think of this and other theories from Paabo concerning humans and neanderthals?