The cover story in Scientific American, August 2015, is about 'How We Conquered the Planet' - 'Our species wielded the ultimate weapon: cooperation'. This is a

The cover story in Scientific American, August 2015, is about 'How We Conquered the Planet' - 'Our species wielded the ultimate weapon: cooperation'. This is a much more nuanced examination of what made homo sapiens so successful (and dangerous). From the article: "Everywhere H. sapiens went, massive ecological changes followed. The archaic humans they encountered went extinct, as did vast numbers of animal species. It was, without a doubt, the most consequential migration event in the history of our planet." ... "The sad story of those first victims of modern human ingenuity and cooperation, the Neanderthals, helps to explain why horrific acts of genocide and xenocide crop up in the world today." The article also brings up another tendency among humans, best summarized by writer Slavenka Drakulic: "Once the concept of 'otherness' takes root, the unimaginable becomes possible." Our species is still evoluting. Perhaps, given new understanding and the right constraints, some of the most damaging behaviors can be bred out...