In just a blink of geological time, the human species spread out from Africa and colonized every corner of the globe, and subjugated the new environments they came across to their will. How did humanity become so dominant so quickly? And what did they then do with this new power?

Homo Sapiens tells the story of the species from its earliest evolutions through the development of the first civilizations up to the industrial and information revolutions that have shaped the modern age. William Potter's thrilling account asks us to reconsider our traditional notions of history by examining the power of the environment, the influence of language, the ideas that have transformed society, the power of transformative technology, and much, much more.