James Diamond, a professor of human biology in the University of California, Los Angeles, has spent countless years researching the impact of environmental conditions on population and production. In Guns, Germs, & Steel, Diamond traveled to New Guinea to see what the inhabitants’ culture and lifestyle was in their everyday life. He explains the difference between the haves and have-nots and what led to the emergence of each. The video started off with Diamond alongside the inhabitants of New Guinea. They are one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Most of their food supply comes from either the pigs they raise or the land itself, which is not much to depend on. The highlands are not good for farming and the pigs can’t be used
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This tree is named wild Sago and it is taken apart and all of the remains it has inside is their preferred food to eat because hunting can at times be unpredictable. The insides or pulp can be turned into a dough and then cooked however they prefer. Usually the women of the village are the ones that do all of the work and gather because the men go hunting for most of the day. An important animal that they use to hunt is the dog because it can easily scope out prey due to their incredible sense of smell, hearing, and vision. The dogs are one of their most prized possessions and the New Guineans would not know what to do without them. However, if they would have had other animals such as livestock, they would have modernized like the rest of the world. What they lacked was an animal who can adapt easily to their environment and are able to have a strong relationship with humans. These are the two key things needed for the domestication of an animal, and unfortunately, the New Guineans did not have that opportunity. There are over 2 million animals in the world and only 14 species have been domesticated in the past 10,000 years. For example, a zebra is an animal who can easily adapt to an environment and maintain a strong bond with humans, but due to Africa’s conditions, it has become a nervous and frightened species. However, if horses would have somehow made their way to …show more content…
It represents the power white men have and people like the New Guineans do not have. Diamond explained that this question certainly shocked him and completely caught him off guard. He did not know how to respond to the man and that is why he has dedicated his time since then to answer that question. Throughout the course of history, humans have modernized in population and production in different ways. Some countries have developed technology and resources that have helped them rise up to the top of the food chain. However, other countries such as New Guinea continue to be underdeveloped and have a lack of
This tree is named wild Sago and it is taken apart and all of the remains it has inside is their preferred food to eat because hunting can at times be unpredictable. The insides or pulp can be turned into a dough and then cooked however they prefer. Usually the women of the village are the ones that do all of the work and gather because the men go hunting for most of the day. An important animal that they use to hunt is the dog because it can easily scope out prey due to their incredible sense of smell, hearing, and vision. The dogs are one of their most prized possessions and the New Guineans would not know what to do without them. However, if they would have had other animals such as livestock, they would have modernized like the rest of the world. What they lacked was an animal who can adapt easily to their environment and are able to have a strong relationship with humans. These are the two key things needed for the domestication of an animal, and unfortunately, the New Guineans did not have that opportunity. There are over 2 million animals in the world and only 14 species have been domesticated in the past 10,000 years. For example, a zebra is an animal who can easily adapt to an environment and maintain a strong bond with humans, but due to Africa’s conditions, it has become a nervous and frightened species. However, if horses would have somehow made their way to …show more content…
It represents the power white men have and people like the New Guineans do not have. Diamond explained that this question certainly shocked him and completely caught him off guard. He did not know how to respond to the man and that is why he has dedicated his time since then to answer that question. Throughout the course of history, humans have modernized in population and production in different ways. Some countries have developed technology and resources that have helped them rise up to the top of the food chain. However, other countries such as New Guinea continue to be underdeveloped and have a lack of