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15 Works 1,332 Members 25 Reviews

About the Author

Pat Shipman is retired Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University. She is the coauthor of The Ape in the Tree: An Intellectual and Natural history of Proconsul (Harvard).

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Новый взгляд на один из самых таинственных эпизодов в истории человечества, а именно на обстоятельства исчезновения неандертальцев в Европе. По последним сведениям, сосуществование предков современных людей и их «кузенов» продолжалось значительно меньше, чем считалось прежде, и оттого печальный конец последних выглядит драматичнее. Пережив несколько изменений климата, неандертальцы тем не менее не смогли справиться еще с одним на фоне неостановимого расселения новых гостей. Приводя аналогии из истории вторжений других инвазивных видов, автор заключает, что человек — самый агрессивный вид из всех когда-либо существовавших: помимо крупноголовых конкурентов своим приходом люди смели со сцены целый ряд других животных, соперничавших с ними за пищевые ресурсы. Супергаджетом выступили одомашненные «волкособаки»: успешность охоты увеличилась на 56%, а скорость обнаружения добычи возросла многократно. Противопоставить такой эффективной команде неандертальцам оказалось нечего.… (more)
 
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Den85 | 8 other reviews | Jan 3, 2024 |
The author undertakes to detail ways in which modern humans, together with their dogs, were the primary reason for extinction of the Neandertals. She doesn't pretend this is mainstream thought; she explains the reasons why she believes the current mainstream theory of assimilation and/or climate change is inaccurate. She doesn't claim modern humans slayed the Neandertals (or at least, not wholesale; she did present some information of wounds consistent with human tools); instead, she believes they out competed the Neandertals, presenting evidence that they used the same food sources. She also discusses the redating project on some of the old radiometric dates, using techniques unknown at the time those dates were first established to get a more calibrated date, and places the date of extinction somewhat earlier than current thinking. It was well written, interesting, and not too long. Did she convince me? I withhold judgment. Not being a paleontologist, I must either take it at face value that she is giving me the most accurate information, or wait until I can verify or dismiss from other reputable sources. As a scientist, I choose the second path. Well worth a read as long as you are able to maintain some level of doubt until confirmation is achieved.… (more)
½
 
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Devil_llama | 8 other reviews | May 14, 2022 |
Was the Pleistocene extinction of megafauna due to overhunting or climate change? Are the current theories of Neanderthal extinction valid? The author proposes the arrival of homo sapiens into Eurasia and their subsequent domesticating of wolves led to both. As author Pat Shipman states; man is an invasive species so when an apex predator arrives in a new area, the first item of business is eradication of the existing apex predator; wolves. The domestication of wolves with their transformation into proto dog hunting companions enabled homo sapiens to outhunt Neanderthals. It is a paradigm shift from the usual theories of Neanderthal decline so makes for interesting reading.… (more)
 
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ShelleyAlberta | 8 other reviews | Aug 24, 2021 |
This book investigates the circumstances and possible causes for the Neanderthal extinction. The author starts out by establishing the science behind how we know the difference between Neanderthals and modern humans, ways to indicate timelines and chronology, and climate and ecology near the sites where ancient bones are found. They also provide evidence of how the two species hunted and what they ate. It is not until the final third of the book that the topic of humans and wolf-dogs working together was focused on.

The author does not claim to know all of the answers, but does pose some conclusions based on the evidence available. There was a number of extinctions of carnivorous animals about 40,000 years ago. While there was a period of climate change that exacerbated the extinctions, the author does not think this can fully explain them. Shipman states, “I argue that the technical advance that made humans so irresistible and so invasive – from 50,000 years ago until today – was in part their ability to form this unprecedented alliance with another species that we call domestication” (p. 228).

The author lays out reasons that modern humans survived while Neanderthals did not. Humans competed with Neanderthals and succeeded through the use of wolf-dogs to help them hunt in a time of climate change. “We have developed some extraordinary ways of fulfilling those needs, by using language, tools in the broadest sense, and alliances both within and without our species” (p. 230).

While the books was a bit dry and technical at times, it also felt necessary. The concepts are not easy and a strong reliance on scientific analysis shows that the author is authoritative and credible.
… (more)
1 vote
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Carlie | 8 other reviews | Jul 28, 2021 |

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Works
15
Members
1,332
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Rating
3.8
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25
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