7 Shocking Truths from Sapiens That Will Change How You See Humanity

1. Multiple Human Species Coexisted
For much of prehistory, Homo sapiens shared the planet with several other human species, including Neanderthals and Denisovans. This challenges the simplistic idea of a single human lineage and opens questions about interaction and interbreeding.

2. Language Evolved for Gossip
Contrary to the notion that language primarily served to share information about the environment, Harari argues it evolved to spread social information—who can be trusted, who is loyal, who cheats—helping maintain large social groups.

3. Humans Believe in Imagined Realities
Our ability to create and believe in myths—nations, religions, money—allows cooperation among strangers. These shared fictions are unique to humans and underpin social order on a massive scale.

4. Farming Was a Faustian Bargain
While agriculture increased food supplies, it also led to harder work, worse nutrition, and social inequality. Early farmers had shorter stature and more disease than foragers.

5. Humans Have Driven Mass Extinctions
Long before industrialization, human expansion caused the extinction of many large animal species, reshaping ecosystems globally.

6. Science Began by Admitting Ignorance
The Scientific Revolution’s breakthrough was the humble acknowledgment of what we do not know, fueling a relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

7. The Future May Bring Superhumans
Biotechnology and AI could soon alter human biology and intelligence, raising profound ethical and existential questions.

These truths from Sapiens invite us to rethink our origins, the stories we tell, and the paths we choose for our future.