525: Humans vs Neanderthals | When Monsters Were Real and We Were Their Prey

The Why Files: Operation Podcast

Humans are the apex predator. Not *an* apex predator. *The* apex predator. Other than a handful of bacteria and viruses, there’s pretty much nothing stronger, more intelligent, or more adaptable than Homo sapiens.
Telling the human story from the beginning is difficult.
It was a time when two words defined our world: fear and violence. It was a time when we were *not* the apex predator; we were their prey.
We emerged from our caves during the day. Hoping we wouldn’t be hunted by the monsters in the woods.
So vicious were these monsters they still live in our myths -- and our nightmares. They created a generational trauma embedded into our DNA over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.
These creatures were stronger, faster, and (when it came to combat) more intelligent than we were. It’s a miracle any of us are even here.
This is the story of how modern humans conquered the monsters and won the battle for the world.
But here's the thing: those fearsome monsters defeated by humans? Were other humans.