What is "Homo sapiens"?

Homo sapiens is the scientific name for us. All people on Earth. This species emerged somewhere between 200,000 to 300,000 years ago in Africa. Then they spread everywhere.

The brain is what makes us special. It's large and developed. We think abstractly and speak complexly. We create strange things—art, science. It seems that this is what distinguishes us from other animals.

Interestingly, we were not always alone. We lived alongside Neanderthals for quite a long time. They disappeared about 40 thousand years ago. It is not entirely clear why we survived and they did not. But somehow it turned out that way.

Our kind has succeeded for a strange reason. We are able to believe in what does not exist. Money, gods, countries — all of this exists only in our minds. And for some reason, it works. We unite around such inventions by the millions. This is, perhaps, surprising.