Guns Germs and Steel Chapter 1

1. Describe the “fluke colonization theory” (pages 41-42). What evidence challenges this theory?

Ok, at first this concept was extremely confusing to me. So i just hope i comprehend it. So, there where islands that where uninhabited by humans at one point. Over a hundred miles of ocean away. No record of water-craft or boats was thought to exist. But i guess they where wrong. Then it was thought that a pregnant lady got stuck there. But the final answer was that there where other islands nearby that people could have traveled from their nearby islands to that one.

2. What lesson have we learned from the animals on the Galapagos Islands, and how do they apply to our thinking of the apparently quick mass extinctions of megafauna (giant animals) extinctions in New Guinea and elsewhere? (pages 42-43)

From the mass extinction on the Galapagos island and in New Zealand we have learned that people coming onto the island did in-fact cause their extinction. There are many reasons that these mammals and birds could have been lost. They could have been over hunted or they could have even lost too much of their natural terrain. It is a shame that these magnificent creatures are now extinct. I would have liked to see them. Imagine a 400 pound Ostrich.

3. In what ways is the travel of Clovis descendants from North America to Patagonia (southern edge of South America) in only 1,000 years impressive? In what ways is it not impressive? (Consider page 45 and the map on page 37 to guide your thinking)

What is amazing is that these people had no way of easy travel like we have now, yet they traveled over 8000 miles. But what makes this a little less interesting is that they did this in 1000 years. But back then 8000 miles was a lot and that distance would have extremely different terrain and a whole adaptation would have to be made to they way they had been currently living their lives. But i think that 1000 years is plenty of time to adapt to some new area. What is also kind of amazing is that while they where doing this, the population was growing. Imagine dealing with a crying baby while migrating to a new place!

4. Jared Diamond talks about “The Great Leap Forward” throughout the chapter. What is this? Is it a biased perspective to paint it so positively? What are your thoughts?

I do not think that this is bias at all. It truly was a great leap forward. People began to take "bigger steps" and travel beyond where anyone had gone before. People began to leave what they knew as home and start life in new, unknown places. To me that is pretty amazing. Would life be any different no if that wold not have happened?