Human evolution
Human Evolution
Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.
Pronunciation
Hyoo-muh n ih-vuh-loo-shuhn
Etymology
The term "human" comes from the Latin "homo," meaning "man," and "evolution" is derived from the Latin "evolutio," meaning "unrolling" or "unfolding."
Definition
Human evolution refers to the biological evolution of Homo sapiens as a distinct species from its common ancestors with other animals. The study of human evolution involves several scientific disciplines, including physical anthropology, primatology, archaeology, paleontology, neurobiology, ethology, linguistics, evolutionary psychology, embryology and genetics.
Related Terms
- Homo sapiens: The species name for modern humans.
- Hominids: The group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes.
- Hominins: The group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors.
- Anthropology: The study of humans, past and present.
- Paleoanthropology: The study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence.
- Neanderthals: An extinct species of human that was widely distributed in ice-age Europe.
- Homo erectus: An extinct species of hominid that lived throughout most of the Pleistocene geological epoch.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Human evolution
- Wikipedia's article - Human evolution
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