Last Man Standing

For anyone interested in human evolution as I am, and the enduring question of why modern humans survived and Neandertals did not, the new book by anthropologist and retired Penn State professor Pat Shipman is an essential read. While the last few years have seen a number of excellent books on the question published, The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction, brings a new perspective to a diverse array of evidence from ecology, paleoanthropology, and beyond.

Shipman begins with her assertion that modern humans are best viewed as the most successful invasive species that our planet has ever seen. Using the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park as an example, she relates the science of what happens to an ecosystem when a new top predator is introduced. Not only does this new species increase competition for limited resources, these invaders often deliberately target their closest competitors, as wolves did with coyotes in Yellowstone. Fossil evidence suggests that this might also have been the case as modern humans moved into Europe, where competing predators like cave bears, cave lions, and ultimately Neandertals themselves, disappeared not long after our arrival.

The most interesting portion of the book, and in line with previous work by the author, is the discussion of the central importance of our relationship with dogs to our ultimate success as a species. While determining accurate dates for these events remains a complex endeavor, and it is highly possible that Neandertals were already extinct by the time we domesticated dogs, the partnership of humans and dogs gave us a competitive advantage that other predators lacked. Shipman argues that this partnership, unique among the animals, allowed for more effective hunting, provided protection, and was a source of labor that freed up time and energy for other concerns, ultimately cementing our dominance over other predatory species.

A compelling read, written in language accessible to the non-specialist, The Invaders presents a convincing argument about the final triumph of humans as a species. Whether the hypothesis will hold up in light of future discoveries remains to be seen. If the work of the past ten years is any indication, even after nearly two centuries of studying human evolution, we are still only at the beginning of understanding our own past.

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