Diamond travels to Africa, where he traces the migration of Dutch settlers into southern and central Africa.

Diamond travels to Africa, where he traces the migration of Dutch settlers into southern and central Africa. Spoiled by a happy circumstance of geographic commonality between cultures, the Europeans were dumbfounded when they found themselves floundering in areas north of Africa's Cape. The further they traveled from their latitudinal comfort zone, the less adaptive they became to local germs and agriculture. Africans, meanwhile, had been able to adapt their lifestyles and chemical make-up to their environment, and were unaffected by the challenges experienced by the Europeans. But as their environment changes and Africans are increasingly being forced out of their traditional way of life, today's generation is experiencing new challenges that affect their health, productivity and economic well-being.