Extinction

by Douglas Preston

The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous. —Edward O. Wilson

Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception. —Carl Sagan

Glyptodons were giant armadillos, the same size and shape as a Volkswagen Beetle.

“Bloodless by Preston and Child.”

“And here is the Irish elk, Megaloceros giganteus … The giant ground sloth, Megatherium americanum … The glyptodon, Glyptodon petaliferus … The giant beaver, Castoroides ohioensis … And finally, our crowning glory, the woolly indricothere, Paraceratherium transouralicum.”

“Neanders are stronger, faster, and more robust than Homo sapiens,” said Karman, his voice rising. “They have human vocal cords—they had the gift of speech. Just like Sapiens, they had language, religion, art, and music. What’s more, their brains were bigger than ours. This has been known for over a hundred years—the average cranial capacity of a Neander is seventy cubic centimeters larger than Sapiens’.” “So you’re saying they’re smarter?” Colcord asked. “Not in logic and analysis. But in shrewdness and tactics, yes. And they’re superior in other ways too.” “So why’d they go extinct, if they were so much better than we are?” asked Colcord. “Because humans have one key quality they don’t: empathy. That is something we discovered when we began to raise them as children.” “Empathy? How would that make a difference?” “It makes all the difference in the world. Out of empathy springs cooperation, compassion, and altruism. We had each other’s backs. We could organize ourselves into much larger and more cohesive social groups—which meant bigger war parties. But empathy also allows us to lie and deceive and manipulate—because empathy helps us to see into another person’s mind. With empathy, you can anticipate what others are thinking and feeling. That’s a huge advantage in warfare and conflict. Empathy is what gave us the decisive edge in the war with the Neanderthals.”

The agricultural revolution turned you from free wanderers into slaves to the land. The Industrial Revolution robbed you of your souls and made you cruel. And the IT revolution gave you loneliness, hatred, and misery. What’s next for Sapiens in the glorious march of progress?”

“You’re the species of the apocalypse. You exterminated us, and you’re doing the same to thousands of other species. You’ve mortally wounded the earth. You didn’t just eat the apple; you destroyed the garden. And yet you go on and on, consumed with greed, addicted to comfort, soft and degenerate as grubs. You think we want to be like you?”

“That’s the problem with science,” said Cash. “If something can be done, it will be done—no matter how dangerous.

There is some genetic evidence that autism may be linked to atavistic Neanderthal gene variants cropping up in modern humans. One of the symptoms of autism is having difficulties in social interactions, suggesting that Neanderthals might have been similarly disadvantaged.

With our marvelously clever yet weirdly oblivious brains, we have managed to become an agent of mass extinction as powerful as the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.