Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.
Human evolution is incredibly complicated.
Around 6 to 8 million years ago, a common ancestor we share with chimps diverged genetically,
with one lineage eventually giving rise to modern day humans.
The path to Homo sapiens is far from straightforward and there are a lot of early-human ancestors
that once existed.
But what were some of them like and how did humans get to where they are?
Let's start off with one of the most famous human-like groups: the Australopithecus.
These small-brained creatures are thought to be closely related to, if not actual ancestors
of, modern humans.
Certain species, like Australopithecus afarensis, lived in eastern Africa around 3 to 4 million
years ago, walked upright on two legs, and had ape-like faces.
They also had strong arms and curved fingers perfect for climbing trees, making them like
the short human-slash-ape version of Tarzan -- but without the long, glorious hair.
Next up is the species Homo habilis, which lived around 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago,
also in Africa.
As we mentioned in a previous video, their name means "handy man" and they were able
to make and use tools.
They also have ape-like features, but with smaller teeth and faces, but larger skulls
compared to the Australopithecus.
And based on fossil evidence, scientists believe that Homo habilis may have coexisted with
another species of early humans, Homo erectus, for almost half a million years.
Speaking of Homo erectus, they had the most human-like body proportions out of all the
species we've discussed so far, making them better equipped for life on the ground instead
of climbing trees.
And they were quite the travelers, expanding their reach to beyond just Africa and into
Asia and Europe.
They lived between 1.9 million years ago and about 140,000 years ago, and during this time,
they made improvements to their tools and used fires to cook food, which also conveniently
kept away large predators.
Boy, do I love living in a house where those things can't get me now.
And of course, we have the Neanderthals -- our closest extinct human relative.
They lived between 300,000 and 30,000 years ago and are known for their large, receding
forehead and distinct brow ridges.
Hashtag brows on fleek, am I right?!
They were also short and stocky, which was an evolutionary adaptation to the cold conditions
they were living in.
And like modern humans, they buried their dead.
And interestingly, when modern humans first started moving out of Africa at least 60,000
years ago, they met with Neanderthals and mated with them.
But the Neanderthals didn't just stop there -- they also interbred with another species
called the Denisovans.
Modern humans did this too, which is why some present-day people have some Denisovan DNA.
But what else did Homo sapiens do besides interbreeding?
Well, as they experienced changing climates and moved across the globe, they continued
to adapt to their environment.
They had larger brains than their early ancestors, which they needed in order to deal with the
growing complexity of their tools, culture, and language.
They developed agriculture and improved on their technology, which eventually led to
the creation of everything we have today.
Needless to say, it will be very interesting to see where the future of human evolution
takes this species, seeing how much change there has already been.
Make sure you come back every Monday for a brand new video.
As always, I'm Blocko and this has been Life Noggin.
Don't forget to keep on thinking!
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