Homo Sapiens Essay Example

In spite of the fact that Sapiens had a brain as large as ours and the same physical appearance, they did not enjoy any significant advantage over other species of humans. However, they did not succeed in making significant settlements in the Levant region, ultimately retreating, leaving Neanderthals to hold the Middle East.

The continuous record of failure led experts to conclude that Sapiens' internal wiring had confined their cognitive capabilities. ‘Teaching such an ancient Sapiens English, persuading him of the truth of Christian dogma, or getting him to understand the theory of evolution would probably have been hopeless undertakings. Conversely, we would have had a very hard time learning his language and understanding his way of thinking,' as mentioned in the novel.

Around 70,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens began doing extraordinary things. The Sapiens left Africa again to establish a larger settlement, and they succeeded this time. As a result, species were driven from the Middle East to the farthest corner of the earth. Over 25,000 years later, they crossed the open sea and landed on Australia, an entirely untouched land. 

The 40,000 year period which witnessed the invention of boats, lamps, bows and arrows, etc constitutes the Cognitive Revolution. 

Generally, it is believed that Sapiens exhibited this sudden change in behavior due to a genetic mutation called the 'Tree of Knowledge' mutation. But this statement raises two questions; why did this mutation occur in Sapiens DNA and not Neanderthal DNA and secondly, how does this explain how Sapiens managed to become the only human species alive? 

Researchers say Sapiens’ ability to explore, adapt and bond with large groups of people was a key, but other human species such as Neanderthals and Homo Erectus had the same abilities as well. 

Communication was also an important factor. The Sapiens’ language wasn’t the first, of course, every animal had its way of communicating and informing their kind. But our language was strikingly supple. We can use a limited number of sounds and letters to form an infinite number of sentences, phrases and words.