HS 170 - The World Until Yesterday with Jared Diamond

Renowned author, physiologist, evolutionary biologist and bio geographer, Dr. Jared Diamond, joins Jason Hartman for a discussion of his newest book, The World Until Yesterday. Dr. Diamond’s unique background has shaped his integrated version of human history. He posits that success – and failure – depends on how well societies adapt to their changing environment. Dr. Diamond is also a medical researcher and professor of physiology at the UCLA School of Medicine. His book "Guns, Germs and Steel" won a Pulitzer Prize and "The Third Chimpanzee" was a best-selling award winner. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, Professor Diamond is a MacArthur Fellow who has published over 200 articles in Discover, Natural History, Nature and Geo magazines. In his books Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse (and the popular PBS and National Geographic documentaries they inspired), big-picture scholar Jared Diamond explores civilizations and why they all seem to fall. Now in his latest book, The World Until Yesterday, Diamond examines the traditional societies of New Guinea -- and discovers that modern civilization is only our latest solution to survival.