Extinction

by Douglas Preston

“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.”