Homo (genus)
hideHomo sapiens See text for extinct species.
Homo is the genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives. The genus is estimated to be about 2.5 million years old, evolving from Australopithecine ancestors with the appearance of Homo habilis. Appearance of Homo coincides with the first evidence of stone tools (the Oldowan industry), and thus by definition with the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic.
All species except Homo sapiens (modern humans) are extinct. Homo neanderthalensis, traditionally considered the last surviving relative, died out 24,000 years ago, while a recent discovery suggests that another species, Homo floresiensis, may have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. Given the large number of morphological similarities exhibited, Homo is closely related to several extinct hominin genera, most notably Kenyanthropus, Paranthropus and Australopithecus. As of 2007[update], no taxon is universally accepted as the origin of the radiation of Homo.
For more information about Homo (genus), read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with early humans
Archaeologists discover oldest-known fiber materials used by early humans
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of archaeologists and paleobiologists has discovered flax fibers that are more than 34,000 years old, making them the oldest fibers known to have been used by humans. The fibers, discovered ...
Hand axes in Europe nearly a million years old: study
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 02, 2009 |
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Early humans used two-sided stone axes in Europe up to 900,000 years ago, far earlier than previously thought, according to a study released Wednesday.
Dietary fats trigger long-term memory formation
Apr 27, 2009 |
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Having strong memories of that rich, delicious dessert you ate last night? If so, you shouldn't feel like a glutton. It's only natural.
Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than previously thought
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Evidence of sophisticated, human behavior has been discovered by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers as early as 750,000 years ago - some half a million years earlier than has previously been estimated ...
Giant stone-age axes found in African lake basin
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A giant African lake basin is providing information about possible migration routes and hunting practices of early humans in the Middle and Late Stone Age periods, between 150,000 and 10,000 ...
First direct evidence of substantial fish consumption by early modern humans in China
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 06, 2009 |
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Freshwater fish are an important part of the diet of many peoples around the world, but it has been unclear when fish became an important part of the year-round diet for early humans.
Harvard scientist says we are what we eat -- and what we cook
Jun 01, 2009 |
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"You are what you eat." Can these pithy words explain the evolution of the human species?
'The world's oldest manufactured beads' are older than previously thought
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of archaeologists has uncovered some of the world’s earliest shell ornaments in a limestone cave in Eastern Morocco. The researchers have found 47 examples of Nassarius marine shells, ...
Gibbon feet provide model for early human walking
Biology /
Dec 15, 2008 |
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Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that early humans could have walked successfully on a 'flexible' flat foot, similar to modern day gibbons.
Floppy-footed gibbons help us understand how early humans may have walked
Biology /
Nov 17, 2008 |
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The human foot is a miracle of evolution. We can keep striding for miles on our well-sprung feet. There is nothing else like them, not even amongst our closest living relatives. According to Evie Vereecke, from the University ...
Tiny ancient shells point to earliest fashion trend
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 27, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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Shell beads newly unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and potentially trading symbolic jewellery as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add significantly to similar finds ...
'Free play' for children, teens is vital to social development, psychologist says
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Apr 15, 2009 |
4 / 5 (3) |
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A new theory about early human adaptation suggests that our ancestors capitalized on their capacities for play to enable the development of a highly cooperative way of life.
New book further supports controversial theory of 'Man the Hunted'
Biology /
Aug 20, 2008 |
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Despite popular theories to the contrary, early humans evolved not as aggressive hunters, but as prey of many predators. "Humans are no more born to be hunters than to be gardeners," argues Robert W. Sussman, ...
