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At some point during the last 100,000 years, humans began exhibiting traits and behavior that distinguished us from other animals, eventually creating language, art, religion, bicycles, spacecraft, and nuclear weapons--all within a heartbeat of evolutionary time. Now, faced with the threat of nuclear weapons and the effects of climate change, it seems our innate tendencies for violence and invention have led us to a crucial fork in our road. Where did these traits come from? Are they part of our species immutable destiny? Or is there hope for our species’ future if we change? With fascinating facts and his unparalleled readability, Diamond intended his book to improve the world that today’s young people will inherit. Triangle Square’s The Third Chimpanzee for Young People is a book for future generation and the future they’ll help build.
List of contents
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
About the author
Jared Diamond, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff
