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Human evolution is the evolutionary process within the history of primates that led to the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species of the hominid family that includes all the great apes.
May 23, 2024 · Learn about the process by which human beings developed from now-extinct primates, and the fossil evidence and scientific models for this history. Explore the human lineage, the human family bush, and the human family tree.
Jan 3, 2024 · Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.
- 550,000 to 750,000 Years Ago: The Beginning of The Homo Sapiens Lineage
- 300,000 Years Ago: Fossils Found of Oldest Homo Sapiens
- 300,000 Years Ago: Artifacts Show A Revolution in Tools
- 100,000 to 210,000 Years Ago: Fossils Show Homo Sapiens Lived Outside of Africa
Genes, rather than fossils, can help us chart the migrations, movements and evolution of our own species—and those we descended from or interbred with over the ages. The oldest-recovered DNA of an early human relative comes from Sima de los Huesos, the “Pit of Bones.” At the bottom of a cave in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains scientists found thousands...
As the physical remains of actual ancient people, fossils tell us most about what they were like in life. But bones or teeth are still subject to a significant amount of interpretation. While human remains can survive after hundreds of thousands of years, scientists can’t always make sense of the wide range of morphological features they see to def...
Our ancestors used stone tools as long as 3.3 million years ago and by 1.75 million years ago they’d adopted the Acheulean culture, a suite of chunky handaxes and other cutting implements that remained in vogue for nearly 1.5 million years. As recently as 400,000 years ago, thrusting spearsused during the hunt of large prey in what is now Germany w...
Many genetic analyses tracing our roots back to Africa make it clear that Homo sapiensoriginated on that continent. But it appears that we had a tendency to wander from a much earlier era than scientists had previously suspected. A jawbone found inside a collapsed caveon the slopes of Mount Carmel, Israel, reveals that modern humans dwelt there, al...
- Brian Handwerk
Mar 5, 2020 · Learn how humans evolved from ancient ancestors like Homo habilis and Neanderthals, and how they mated with each other and shared skills. Discover the latest research on human origins, DNA and archaeology.
- Becky Little
How did humans evolve? About six million years ago in Africa, the chimpanzee lineage and our own split. What happened to us after that split? The hominid lineage did not march in a straight line to Homo sapiens. Instead, the early hominid lineage gave rise to many other (now extinct) hominids.
Sep 11, 2015 · Learn the basics of human evolution, from our common ancestor with apes to the emergence of modern humans. Explore the fossil record, the genetic evidence, and the cultural milestones of our species.
