Hominids

genetic forerunners of modern humans, likely split off from chimpanzees

Bipedalism

walking on two feet

Australopiths

hominin species that existed prior to the emergence of the genus homo from 4.2 mya to 1.9 mya

Australopithecus Afrarensis (southern ape from Afar)

• species before genus homo
• developed bipedal movement
• likely split off from chimpanzees
• "Lucy" is one of the most complete skeletons ever found of an early human.

Homo Hablis (Handy man)

• first species of the genus homo
• emerged around 2.3 mya
• managed to create simple tools out of stones
• used speech to coordinate with each other
• diet was mostly meat
• tools made them upgrade from scavengers

Oldowan toolmaking

stone tools made by splitting stones in two in order to create sharper points and edges on both fragments, used for cutting meat and bone.

Homo Ergaster

• a forerunner to homo rectus from southern Africa
• emerged around 1.7 mya
• was the first to develop speech
  • used to create forager societies
  • better social connections

Homo Erectus

• first species of homo to go beyond Africa, into Eurasia
• emerged around 2 mya
• likely had been the first species to use fire

Acheulian toolmaking

stone tools made by flaking a hard piece of rock on both sides, creating a triangular-shaped point for cutting

Homo Heidelbergensis

• considered the "middleman" species between Homo erectus and homo sapiens
• emerged around 1 mya
• found predominately in Eurasia and also Africa
• entering the ice age, geographic isolation and increasingly diverse and hostile climates forces adaptations
• new species of Homo evolved out of heidelbergensis due to isolation during the last ice age

Homo neanderthalensis, or Neanderthals.

• emerged around 300,000 years ago during the height of the last ice age.
• stockier build due to colder climate
• the closet relative of Homo sapiens
• considered the most advanced outside of Homo Sapiens
• speculated that neanderthals and homo sapiens interbred nearing the end of the last ice age 30,000 years ago

Homo Sapiens (us)

• modern humans
• emerged from Africa around 300,000 years ago and spread to almost every landmass on earth
• the last surviving species of the genus homo
• diversified to adapt to different climates

Levallois toolmaking

stone tools made by sharpening rocks into a cylinder or a cone

used to make spearpoints and axe heads by homo sapiens

Homo Floresieness

• off-shoot species from homo erectus isolated on the Indonesian island of flores
• stood no higher than four feet tall due to insular dwarfism
• went extinct around 50,000 years ago due to competition with homo sapiens

Denisovans

discovered recently in the Denisova cave in Siberia, Malong the Atai Mountain of Russia, Kaze khan, China, and Mongolia