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The Why Files: Operation Podcast

525: Humans vs Neanderthals | When Monsters Were Real and We Were Their Prey

The Why Files: Operation Podcast

The Why Files: Operation Podcast

Science, Life Sciences, Fiction, Society & Culture, Documentary, Science Fiction

4.85.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Humans are the apex predator. Not *an* apex predator. *The* apex predator. Other than a handful of bacteria and viruses, there’s pretty much nothing stronger, more intelligent, or more adaptable than Homo sapiens.

Telling the human story from the beginning is difficult.

It was a time when two words defined our world: fear and violence. It was a time when we were *not* the apex predator; we were their prey.

We emerged from our caves during the day. Hoping we wouldn’t be hunted by the monsters in the woods.

So vicious were these monsters they still live in our myths -- and our nightmares. They created a generational trauma embedded into our DNA over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.

These creatures were stronger, faster, and (when it came to combat) more intelligent than we were. It’s a miracle any of us are even here.

This is the story of how modern humans conquered the monsters and won the battle for the world.

But here's the thing: those fearsome monsters defeated by humans? Were other humans.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Humans are the apex predator, not an apex predator, the apex predator.

0:07.0

There's no animal on earth that is stronger, more intelligent, or more adaptable than

0:12.0

a Homo sapiens.

0:13.5

But telling the human story from the beginning is difficult.

0:16.9

It was a time when two words to find our world, fear and violence.

0:21.6

It was a time when we were not the Apex predator. We were their prey.

0:26.4

We emerged from our caves during the day hoping we wouldn't be hunted by the monsters

0:30.6

in the woods. So vicious were these monsters, they still live in our myths and our nightmares. They created a

0:37.8

generational trauma embedded into our DNA over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.

0:43.7

These creatures were stronger, faster, and when it came to combat

0:47.7

more intelligent than we were.

0:49.5

It's a miracle any of us or even here.

0:52.0

This is the story of how modern humans conquered the

0:55.3

monsters and won the battle for the world. But here's the thing. Those

1:00.0

fearsome monsters defeated by humans were other humans.

1:04.1

You are not who you think you are not who you think you are.

1:14.0

Well, you're human, but we Homo sapiens weren't the first type of humans.

1:19.0

Just 50,000 years ago, various species of humans shared the planet with us at the same time, and they were everywhere.

1:26.7

Denisovans settled in Russia.

1:28.8

Florciansis traveled all the way to Indonesia.

1:31.7

Luzonensis traveled through Asia and all the way down through the Philippines.

1:36.4

And of course there's us, Homo sapiens.

...

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