ch 9: This chapter reviews how humans settled Northern Eurasia between 12 and 45 Ka, comparing their survival strategies with those Neanderthals deployed under similar circumstances. Both hominins shared the same suite of ancestral survival skills, but they used them differently and in distinctive ways. Humans devised calorie-conserving superior insulation from cold (clothing, artificial shelters) and innovative strategies for extracting calories from plant food–impoverished landscapes. They used artifacts as “social media” to create and maintain extensive alliance networks, a strategy that resonates with contemporary audiences but also one with deep roots among ancestral survival skills.