Human evolution
hideHuman evolution, or anthropogenesis, is the part of biological evolution concerning the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species from other hominins, great apes and placental mammals. It is the subject of a broad scientific inquiry that seeks to understand and describe how this change occurred. The study of human evolution encompasses many scientific disciplines, most notably physical anthropology, primatology, archaeology, linguistics and genetics.
The term "human", in the context of human evolution, refers to the genus Homo, but studies of human evolution usually include other hominins, such as the Australopithecines. The Homo genus diverged from the Australopithecines about 2 million years ago in Africa. Scientists have estimated that humans branched off from their common ancestor with chimpanzees—the only other living homininis—about 5–7 million years ago. Several species of Homo evolved that are now extinct. These include Homo erectus, which inhabited Asia, and Homo neanderthalensis, which inhabited Europe.
Archaic Homo sapiens evolved between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago. The dominant view among scientists is the recent African origin of modern humans (RAO) that H. sapiens evolved in Africa and spread across the globe, replacing populations of H. erectus and H. neanderthalensis. Scientists supporting the alternative hypothesis on the multiregional evolution (ME) view modern humans as having evolved as a single, widespread population from existing Homo species, particularly H. erectus. The fossil evidence is insufficient to resolve this vigorous debate,. Studies of haplogroups in Y-chromosomal DNA and mitochondrial DNA have largely supported a recent African origin, while some researchers argue that evidence from nuclear genes supports a multiregional origin.
For more information about Human evolution, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with human evolution
Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 23, 2009 |
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A new study provides "incontrovertible evidence" that the volcanic super-eruption of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of central India, some 3,000 miles from the epicenter, ...
Why can't chimps speak? Study links evolution of single gene to human capacity for language
Nov 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?
Snail fossils suggest semiarid eastern Canary Islands were wetter 50,000 years ago
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Fossil land snail shells found in ancient soils on the subtropical eastern Canary Islands show that the Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa has become progressively drier over the past 50,000 years.
Ancient 'Lucy' Species Ate A Different Diet Than Previously Thought
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Research examining microscopic marks on the teeth of the "Lucy" species Australopithecus afarensis suggests that the ancient hominid ate a different diet than the tooth enamel, size and sh ...
Evolution axe goes on display
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A flint hand axe that helped reveal the very ancient age of humankind goes on display at the Natural History Museum October 2009.
Are humans still evolving? Absolutely, says new analysis of long-term survey of human health
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Although advances in medical care have improved standards of living over time, humans aren't entirely sheltered from the forces of natural selection, a new study shows.
International scientists set boundaries for survival
Sep 23, 2009 |
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Human activities have already pushed the Earth system beyond three of the planet's biophysical thresholds, with consequences that are detrimental or even catastrophic for large parts of the world; six others ...
Humans spread out of Africa later
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 04, 2009 |
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Modern humans spread out of Africa 20,000 years later than previously thought, according to new genetic research just published.
Anthropologist researches evolution of Darwin’s theory
Sep 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by University of Notre Dame anthropologist Agustin Fuentes, published recently in the European journal Anthropology Today, states that although Darwin’s basic ideas still form t ...
Early modern humans use fire to engineer tools from stone
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Evidence that early modern humans living on the coast of the far southern tip of Africa 72,000 years ago employed pyrotechnology - the controlled use of fire - to increase the quality and ...
Prehistoric Cold Case Hints of Interspecies Homicide
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The wound that ultimately killed a Neandertal man between 50,000 and 75,000 years was most likely caused by a thrown spear, the kind modern humans used but Neandertals did not, according to ...
The last supper of the hominids establishes the times they lived at the sites
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 14, 2009 |
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In the French cave of Arago, an international team of scientists has analyzed the dental wear of the fossils of herbivorous animals hunted by Homo heidelbergensis. It is the first time that an analytical method ...
Study of first wave of swine flu requires revised public health strategies
Jun 29, 2009 |
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There is no way to know how the newest strain of the H1N1 influenza virus will behave in the future. But scientists, notably those working at the intersections of epidemiology, mathematics, modeling and statistics, are monitoring ...
The neurobiology of musicality related to the intrinsic attachment behavior?
May 26, 2009 |
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Music is social communication between individuals -- humming of lullabies attach infant to parent and singing or playing music adds croup cohesion. The neurobiology of music perception and production is likely to be related ...
Modern life's pressures may be hastening human evolution
Apr 13, 2009 |
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We're not finished yet. Even today, scientists say that human beings are continuing to evolve as our genes respond to rapid changes in the world around us. In fact, the pressures of modern life may be speeding up the pace ...
