Even to this day, no native Australian animal species and only one plant species-the macadamia nut-have proved suitable for domestication. There still are no domestic kangaroos.

Why did human development proceed at such different rates on different continents for the last 13,000 years?

No government is here forever. And there are other forces - the most potent force in our society, in fact, big business - doing good for the environment.

The main thing that gives me hope is the media. We have radio, TV, magazines, and books, so we have the possibility of learning from societies that are remote from us, like Somalia. We turn on the TV and see what blew up in Iraq or we see conditions in Afghanistan.

We're uncomfortable about considering history as a science. It's classified as a social science, which is considered not quite scientific.

For anyone inclined to caricature environmental history as 'environmental determinism,' the contrasting histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti provide a useful antidote. Yes, environmental problems do constrain human societies, but the societies' responses also make a difference.

All recognized famous inventors had capable predecessors and successors and made their improvements at a time when society was capable of using their product.