Course Content
Human Evolution
Human Evolution: A Journey Through Time Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which modern humans (Homo sapiens) originated from primate ancestors. This story spans over 6 million years, tracing the development of traits that make us uniquely human—such as walking upright, using tools, and developing language and culture. Through fossil records, genetic evidence, and comparative anatomy, scientists have pieced together a rich and complex evolutionary timeline.
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Our Earliest Ancestors
The Australopithecines: Walking Upright
The Genus Homo: The Rise of Our Kind
Neanderthals and Other Human Relatives
The Rise of Homo sapiens
Tools, Language, and Culture
Evolution Continues
Conclusion
Human Evolution
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Introduction to Biology

The human family tree isn’t a straight line—it’s more like a bush with many branches. Several human species lived at the same time, including:

  • Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals): Lived in Europe and parts of Asia from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals were strong, adapted to cold climates, and had large brains. They made sophisticated tools, wore clothing, buried their dead, and even created art.

  • Homo floresiensis: Known as the “Hobbit” due to its small size (around 3.5 feet tall), this species lived on the Indonesian island of Flores until about 50,000 years ago.

  • Denisovans: Identified through genetic analysis of a finger bone and teeth found in a Siberian cave, Denisovans were a distinct human species closely related to Neanderthals.

All of these species, including Homo sapiens, interbred to some extent. DNA evidence shows that modern humans carry a small percentage of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA, indicating that ancient humans didn’t just replace other species—they sometimes merged with them.

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