Humans have much (1) ... common with other life forms on Earth. Since the very first life forms appeared, all living things have been desperately struggling to survive the changing conditions of our planet. This has meant adapting (2) ... new situations and, in many cases, has led (3) ... either evolution or extinction. We are not alone (4) ... making (5) ... use of the world around us. Where we do differ (6) ... other life forms, however, is in our ability to record, and learn from, our collective history. In this, it appears that we are unique. We are increasingly becoming a species with detailed knowledge about our past. The more we learn, the better are our chances of (7) ... survival in the future. It must also be recognised, however, that we are (8) ... only species on Earth which has managed to create the means to destroy the planet we live on.