The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Diamond, Jared - 2006

New York: Harper Perennial, 2006. 407 Pages Indexed. This is a 2006 Reprint of the First Harper Perennial Edition published in 1993. No defects noted and interior text pages near flawless. We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prize winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world and the means to irrevocably destroy it. Contents in 19 Chapters: A Tale of Three Chimps, The Great Leap Forward, The Evolution of Human Sexuality, The Science of Adultery, How We Pick Our Mates and Sex Partners, Sexual Selection and the Origin of Human Races, Why Do We Grow Old and Die? Bridges to Human Language, Animal Origins of Art, Agriculture's Mixed Blessings, Why Do We Smoke Drink and Use Dangerous Drugs? Alone in a Crowded Universe, The Last First Contacts, Accidental Conquerors, Horses Hittites and History, In Black and White, The Golden Age That Never Was, Blitzkrieg and Thanksgiving in the New World, and The Second Cloud. Plus Epilogue: Nothing Learned, and Everything Forgotten? . Reprint. Trade Paperback. Near Fine. Illus. by Kolbert, Ruth. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".