Homo Sapiens
(50.000 yrs. BC to nowadays)
What happened?
Homo Sapiens, the only existing hominin species, arose about 300.000 years BC. In Africa from a species commonly referred to as the Homo Heidelbergensis or Homo Rhodesiensis, descendants of Homo Erectus that lived in Africa.
Homo Sapiens migrated from the continent, gradually replacing the local population of archaic people. The migration happened in several waves. The first, about 130.000 to 100.000 years B.C., the second about 70.000 to 50.000 years B.C. Homo Sapiens colonized all continents and arrived 60.000 years BC. in Eurasia. He arrived in America about 15.000 BC.
Human evolution was a complex progression. It included crossing between related species. Research showed that hybridization between disparate sexes was common in human evolution. DNA evidence suggests that several genes of Neanderthal origin are present in all non-African populations. Anatomically modern humans or early modern humans are terms used to distinguish Homo Sapiens from archaic humans that coexisted during the Paleolithic.
Replica. Found: Avilés, Spain (JN0495)
Replica Front. Found: Avilés, Spain (JN0495)
Homo Sapiens Skull
± 12.000 yrs. BC
All modern humans are classified into the species Homo sapiens. The name “Homo” is derived from Latin. That refers to people of both sexes. Homo sapiens is the only extant species. Homo sapiens means "wise man" or "knowledgeable man".
There is currently (2021) still disagreement about extinct members of the genus. Humans are monkeys. The gibbons and orangutans were the first living groups to split from the lineage. Gorillas and chimpanzees followed. This split happened about 8 million to 4 million years BC. There is a genetic difference, namely humans have 23 chromosomes while monkeys have 24.
The genus Homo evolved from Australopithecus. The earliest species mentioned are Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis, which evolved 2,3 million years BC. Homo erectus or Homo ergaster evolved 2 million years BC. They were the first human species to leave Africa and spread across Eurasia. The Homo Erectus were also the first to develop the present human body.
Homo sapiens arose about 300.000 BC. in Africa. When they also migrated out of Africa, they gradually replaced the local populations of Archaic people. Evolution is characterized by some morphological, developmental, and behavioral changes that have taken place since the split of the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees. The most important changes are obligatory bipedalism, increased brain size and reduced sexual diformism (= difference between the sexes in the same animal species).