Introduction: what makes us human?
part one: just another big mammal
chapter 1: a tale of three chimps
chapter 2: the great leap forward
part two: a strange life cycle
chapter 3: human sexuality
chapter 4: the origin of human races
chapter 5: why do we grow old and die?
part three: uniquely human
chapter 6: the mystery of language
chapter 7: animal origins of art
chapter 8: agriculture, for better and worse
chapter 9: why do we smoke, drink, and use dangerous
drugs?
chapter 10: alone in a crowded universe
part four: world conquerors
chapter 11: the last first contacts
chapter 12: accidental conquerors
chapter 13: in black and white
part five: reversing our progress overnight
chapter 14: the golden age that never was
chapter 15: blitzkrieg and thanksgiving in the new world
chapter 16: the second cloud
Afterword : nothing learned, everything
forgotten?
Glossary
Index
Photograph and Illustration Credits
About the Authors
In addition to teaching geography at UCLA, researching the birds of
New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific Islands, and promoting the
practice of sustainable environmental policies to leaders around
the world, JARED DIAMOND is also the author of bestselling
books about evolution and human history. Diamond studied physiology
at Harvard and Cambridge, before narrowing his research to the
cellular and molecular mechanisms of the gall bladder. It was on a
summer trip to New Guinea in 1964, however, that he first began to
carefully consider the questions that would intrigue him for the
next half-century: why did New Guinea’s extremely intelligent and
resourceful indigenous peoples have no writing, chiefs, or steel
tools? His Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates
of Human Societies was an attempt to answer that question. Diamond
is the author of several other books on geography and evolutionary
biology, including Why is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human
Sexuality and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
The Third Chimpanzee for Young People is his first book adapted for
younger audiences. Diamond lives in Los Angeles.
REBECCA STEFOFF specializes in writing nonfiction for young
readers, with a focus on scientific, historical, and literary
subjects. Her adaptations include A Young People’s History of the
United States by Howard Zinn and A Different Mirror for Young
People by Ronald T. Takaki.
"This is exactly the kind of book that should be a 'set text' for a
reinvigorated science curriculum: engaging, thought-provoking and
bang up to the minute. If your teachers aren't recommending books
like this – go out and get them anyway." —Guy Claxton,
author of What's the Point of School?
"Written with great wit and a pleasure to read ... forces one to
reflect thoroughly on the puzzle of human evolution, on where we
came from and where we may be heading." —Frans B. M. de Waal
(in praise of the adult edition), New York Times
"Plenty of provocative ideas in this grand sweep of evolutionary
biology and anthropology: not surprising for this MacArthur
'genius' Award winner, Natural History columnist, and
UCLA Medical School physiology professor." —Kirkus
Reviews (in praise of the adult edition)
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