In Chapter 12 of Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert introduces us to a small valley in Germany called Das Neandertal. She explains that here was where Neanderthal remains were first discovered. These sophisticated creatures were very smart to live around 30,000 years ago when they vanished. Kolbert argues that they were inbred with Homo sapiens (humans). Kolbert introduces a new field of science; paleogenetics. Under the right circumstances, it’s possible to examine prehistoric remains and find fragments of DNA. Kolbert meets a paleontologist in Leipzig named Svante Pääbo who is wishing to compare human and Neanderthal DNA. Kolbert soon speaks on the process of scientists over time separating the then-common belief that humans and Neanderthals were the same. Kolbert explains it in a way that makes humans seem demoralizing towards the Neanderthals even though it is highly likely that the humans were responsible for them to vanish. Kolbert explains the difficulty to reconstruct an entire genome from a few strands of ancient DNA. Therefore, paleogenetics is a slow, painstaking science, and a lot of work remains to be done before scientists reassemble the Neanderthal genome. Kolbert uses the rest of the chapter to analyze what makes humans...human. She states that ..."ambition and drive are vital components of human nature: unlike all other living creatures, humans feel a complex, irrational desire to discover the new. Perhaps it is this irrational desire that drives humans to hunt other species into extinction, permanently alter the environment, etc," (Page 247). This quote is Kolbert's main reason as to what makes humans unique and different from most species on the planet. Other than our destructive nature and fast reproducing, Kolbert explains the complexity of the human mind's natural ambition pushes it to make the harmful decisions that we make. This once again relates to the APES theme that humans alter natural systems.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Chapter 12 : The Madness Gene (Angel Jorge)
In Chapter 12 of Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, Kolbert introduces us to a small valley in Germany called Das Neandertal. She explains that here was where Neanderthal remains were first discovered. These sophisticated creatures were very smart to live around 30,000 years ago when they vanished. Kolbert argues that they were inbred with Homo sapiens (humans). Kolbert introduces a new field of science; paleogenetics. Under the right circumstances, it’s possible to examine prehistoric remains and find fragments of DNA. Kolbert meets a paleontologist in Leipzig named Svante Pääbo who is wishing to compare human and Neanderthal DNA. Kolbert soon speaks on the process of scientists over time separating the then-common belief that humans and Neanderthals were the same. Kolbert explains it in a way that makes humans seem demoralizing towards the Neanderthals even though it is highly likely that the humans were responsible for them to vanish. Kolbert explains the difficulty to reconstruct an entire genome from a few strands of ancient DNA. Therefore, paleogenetics is a slow, painstaking science, and a lot of work remains to be done before scientists reassemble the Neanderthal genome. Kolbert uses the rest of the chapter to analyze what makes humans...human. She states that ..."ambition and drive are vital components of human nature: unlike all other living creatures, humans feel a complex, irrational desire to discover the new. Perhaps it is this irrational desire that drives humans to hunt other species into extinction, permanently alter the environment, etc," (Page 247). This quote is Kolbert's main reason as to what makes humans unique and different from most species on the planet. Other than our destructive nature and fast reproducing, Kolbert explains the complexity of the human mind's natural ambition pushes it to make the harmful decisions that we make. This once again relates to the APES theme that humans alter natural systems.
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