Human Evolution

Human Evolution refers to the evolutionary process leading up to the appearance of modern humans. While it began with the last common ancestor of all life, the topic usually covers only the evolutionary history of primates, in particular the genus Homo, and the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species of hominids (or "great apes"). The study of human evolution involves many scientific disciplines, including physical anthropology, primatology, archaeology, linguistics, and genetics.

Overview

The family Hominidae (the great apes) includes the genera Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos), Gorilla (gorillas), Pongo (orangutans), and Homo (humans). The term "human", in the context of human evolution, refers to the genus Homo, but studies of human evolution usually include other hominids, such as the Australopithecus.

File:Human evolution timeline.jpg

Timeline of human evolution

Evolutionary history

The evolutionary history of the primates can be traced back 65 million years. The oldest known hominid is Sahelanthropus tchadensis, dating back to 7 million years ago. The Homo genus emerged with Homo habilis about 2.8 million years ago.

Modern humans

Homo sapiens, the only surviving member of the genus Homo, appeared around 300,000 years ago, evolving from Homo heidelbergensis and migrating out of Africa, gradually replacing local populations of Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo floresiensis.

See also

• Timeline of human evolution
• List of human evolution fossils
• Human evolutionary genetics

References

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