Over time, such favorable mutations spread through a population and change how it looks. Over enough time, the process can even produce new species. The human lineage diverged from that of apes at least seven million years ago and maybe as long as 13 million years ago. Lucy herself is dated to 3. The oldest known fossil attributed to our genus, Homo, dates to about 2. The ability to make stone tools was once thought to be the hallmark of our genus.
But the oldest stone tools are now thought to be 3. Like australopithecines, early Homo species, such as H. There's considerable debate over when our ancestors first harnessed fire—it may have been anywhere from 1. According to one theory , the invention of cooking allowed us to gain more energy from meat, which fueled the dramatic evolution of the human brain. Bigger brains and more dextrous hands in turn were the prerequisite for the developments that set humans apart, including complex language, art, and agriculture, all of which emerged in the past , years.
Both genetic and fossil evidence show that until relatively recently, human evolution happened in Africa. Whether the genus Homo first emerged in southern or in eastern Africa remains unclear.
Knowing where our species evolved matters because the environment it adapted to helped shape the genetic makeup we still carry with us today. Where we came from is the first chapter in the long story of how we got to where we are now. Around 60, years ago—again according to both genetic and fossil evidence—modern humans migrated out of Africa and began colonizing the world.
Genetic evidence suggests that soon after leaving Africa, they interbred to some extent with the Neanderthals and a mysterious population in Asia called the Denisovans. Homo sapiens is now the only species of human on Earth. Both lineages descended from a common ancestor and went their separate ways.
The real question here is, who was that last common ancestor , the missing progenitor of both chimps and humans? Certainly not. And other animals, including the apes, are also continuing to evolve—especially now, in response to the huge changes in their environment that humans have made. All rights reserved. Why are scientists certain that human evolution happened?
Falk, D. Early hominid brain evolution: a new look at old endocasts. Journal of Human Evolution 38 , Harcourt-Smith, W. Fossils, feet and the evolution of human bipedal locomotion. Journal of Anatomy , Kimbel, W. Systematic assessment of a maxilla of Homo from Hadar, Ethiopia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology , Kunimatsu, Y. A new Late Miocene great ape from Kenya and its implications for the origins of African great apes and humans.
McHenry, H. Body size and proportions in early hominids. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 87 , Pickford, M. Bipedalism in Orrorin tugenensis revealed by its femora. Comptes Rendus Palevol 1 , Relethford, J. Genetic evidence and the modern human origins debate. Heredity , Rightmire, G.
Out of Africa: modern human origins special feature: middle and later Pleistocene hominins in Africa and Southwest Asia. Homo in the Middle Pleistocene: Hypodigms, variation, and species recognition. Evolutionary Anthropology 17 , Roebroeks, W.
On the earliest evidence for habitual use of fire in Europe. Senut, B. First hominid from the Miocene Lukeino Formation, Kenya. Ward, C. Complete fourth metatarsal and arches in the foot of Australopithecus afarensis. Interpreting the posture and locomotion of Australopithecus afarensis : where do we stand?
American Journal of Physical Anthropology S35 , White, T. Ardipithecus ramidus and the paleobiology of early hominids. Young, N. The phylogenetic position of Morotopithecus. Journal of Human Evolution 46 , Did we destroy the Neanderthals?
Did primates raft from Africa to South America? What influences the evolution of humans and our primate relatives today? What is it like to search for hominin fossils or to study wild apes? What tools can we use to study rare, endangered primates and help to conserve them in a rapidly changing world? These are some of the diverse questions answered in this topic room.
Our bodies are records of our evolution. Look at an unfolding embryo, a genome, or a skeleton and you will see our inner fishes, our inner mammals, our inner apes. We carry within us physical evidence of the developmental processes and biological traits that humans share with all — yes, all — other organisms. What, if anything, unites primates as a single group, and how do primate adaptations reflects our evolutionary past? What did the earliest primates look like and how are they related to modern forms?
How has climate change influenced the diversification of different primate groups? How do primates navigate arboreal and terrestrial habitats? What processes are involved in fossilization and in dating fossils from the distant past? Why do many primates live in groups? Why do some male primates commit infanticide? Why do some females form strong bonds? What do primates eat and how do they live in ecological communities with other animals?
How do primates communicate? Do primates deceive each other? Unraveling the sociality and ecology of our closest living relatives, the non-human primates, can help us shed light on the selective pressures that shaped humans through evolutionary time. Citation: Pontzer, H. Nature Education Knowledge 3 10 How did humans evolve into the big-brained, bipedal ape that we are today?
This article examines the fossil evidence of our 6 million year evolution. Aa Aa Aa. References and Recommended Reading Anton, S. Science , Brunet, M. Nature , Dart, R. Nature , DeGiorgio, M. Journal of Human Evolution 38 , Green, R. A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome. Recent comparisons of genomes have shown interbreeding between the Denisovans and Homo sapiens modern humans.
Today, substantial levels of Denisovan ancestry are found only in the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Eastern Asia and Australia. The research also suggests genetic mutations from the Denisovans might have influenced modern human immune systems. Genes involved in immunity would have played an important role in protecting our ancestors from new diseases as they travelled and intermingled. As of mid, only the finger bone and three teeth from Denisovans had been found.
However, in , research identified a ,year-old partial jawbone found in to be Denisovan. This morphologically significant fossil was found in a cave on the Tibetan Plateau in Eastern Asia and is the first confirmation of Denisovans outside of Siberia. The jawbone is bigger than that found in modern humans, suggesting the Denisovans had a robust build. Genomic work had already shown that a Denisovan allele of a gene involved in adaptation to low oxygen is found in modern humans today — for example, Tibetan and Sherpa people who have traditionally lived at high altitude.
The Denisovan hominin is yet to be officially named and classified, as a more complete set of bones — a holotype — is required to name a new species. However, modern research is inching us closer to being able to fully describe these enigmatic hominins. The story of our human origins is continually unfolding and changing. Continued excavations at sites of early hominin habitation and new technological approaches are advancing our understanding and interpretation of the available evidence.
By comparing the genomes of apes, Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans, scientists can identify DNA segments unique to the different groups. Early results suggest modern humans underwent genetic changes involved with brain function and nervous system development, including ones involved in language development, after splitting from Neanderthals and Denisovans. Identifying and understanding these genetic changes could help explain why modern humans survived when our close relatives did not.
The discovery of new fossil specimens and the development of new and refined techniques to better understand these fossils means that our knowledge of human evolution continues to develop. A number of PowerPoint presentations , developed by the Allan Wilson Centre for senior biology students, trace the story of how modern humans spread across the globe, beginning around 65, years ago with migrations out of Africa and ending with the settlement of New Zealand years ago.
To date, fossils from many different hominins have been excavated. Learn more about some of them in this interactive by the Smithsonian Institute. Learn about these changes and the new definitions from the Smithsonian Institute. Add to collection. Where did we come from? How did we evolve? Nature of science The discovery of new fossil specimens and the development of new and refined techniques to better understand these fossils means that our knowledge of human evolution continues to develop.
Useful links A number of PowerPoint presentations , developed by the Allan Wilson Centre for senior biology students, trace the story of how modern humans spread across the globe, beginning around 65, years ago with migrations out of Africa and ending with the settlement of New Zealand years ago.
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