Smallpox and the Columbian Exchange

In my last post about the Columbian Exchange, I mentioned in passing what happened to the Incas and Aztecs when they met with Europeans after 1492. Today, it is time to flesh out that story and how it relates to the Columbian Exchange by describing the importance of smallpox. You might have heard a version […]

Human Extinction & the Columbian Exchange

It seems a dramatic thing to state, it’s true. The Columbian Exchange could have caused human extinction. Today I’ll explain how. It involves a bit of counterfactual history, of course, given that humanity is not extinct. If you need to read my last post to understand how this became possible, click here. We left off […]