Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens is the scientific name for the human species. Homo is the human genus, which also includes Neanderthals and many other extinct species of hominid; H. sapiens is the only surviving species of the genus Homo. Modern humans are the subspecies Homo sapiens sapiens, which differentiates them from what has been argued to be their direct ancestor, Homo sapiens idaltu.

Characteristics

Homo sapiens are characterized by their highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees the hands for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other living species on Earth.

Evolution

The time of divergence between humans and living apes used to be thought to have occurred 15 to 20 million years ago, or even up to 30 or 40 million years ago. Some species of extinct humans are thought to have been ancestors of Homo sapiens, and thus are also called "archaic Homo sapiens". The earliest known fossils of Homo sapiens date back to around 300,000 years ago.

See also

• Human evolution
• Human taxonomy
• List of human evolution fossils

External links

• WikiMD Article on Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens Resources
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