Homo sapiens

(noun)

evolved from H. erectus starting about 500,000 years ago; humans

Related Terms

Examples of Homo sapiens in the following topics:

  • Homo sapiens

    • Humans (Homo sapiens) are distinct from non-human primates in their upright walking, abstract reasoning, language skills, and problem solving.
    • Homo sapiens (Latin for "wise man") is the scientific name for the human species.
    • Humans (variously Homo sapiens and Homo sapiens sapiens) are primates and the only existing species of the genus Homo.
    • The first Homo species to move out of Africa was H. erectus .
    • The earliest remains show a cranial capacity of 850 cm³, while the latest specimens measure up to 1100 cm³, overlapping that of H. sapiens.

  • Genus Homo

    • A number of species, sometimes called archaic Homo sapiens, apparently evolved from H. erectus starting about 500,000 years ago.
    • There is considerable debate about the origins of anatomically-modern humans or Homo sapiens sapiens.
    • This species encompasses archaic human forms such as Homo erectus and Neanderthals as well as modern forms, which evolved worldwide to the diverse populations of modern Homo sapiens sapiens.
    • The Homo sapiens neanderthalensis used tools and may have worn clothing.
    • Compare and contrast the evolution and characteristics associated with the various Homo species:  Homo habilis, erectus, and sapiens

  • Use of Whole-Genome Sequences of Model Organisms

    • Genomes of other model organisms, such as the mouse Mus musculus, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the human Homo sapiens are now known.

  • Present-Time Extinctions

    • The sixth, or Holocene, mass extinction appears to have begun earlier than previously believed and is mostly due to the activities of Homo sapiens.

  • Introduction to the Study of Biology

    • Modern-appearing humans, Homo sapiens, are a relatively new species, having inhabited this planet for only the last 200,000 years (approximately).

  • Early Homo

    • Homo is the genus of great apes that includes humans and species closely related to them.
    • The most salient physiological development between the earlier hominin species and Homo is the increase in cranial capacity, although body size also increased in Homo erectus.
    • The species of early Homo, Homo habilis, resembled australopiths in many distinct ways, but they had smaller teeth and jaws and more modern-looking feet.
    • With the arrival of Homo erectus in the fossil record, cranial capacity doubled to 850 cm3.
    • Homo erectus was the first of the hominins to leave Africa.

  • Early Human Evolution

    • Hominins, who were bipedal in comparison to the other hominoids who were primarily quadrupedal, includes those groups that probably gave rise to our species: Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, along with non-ancestral groups such as Australopithecus boisei.

  • Early Hominins

    • The hominin Australopithecus evolved 4 million years ago and is believed to be in the ancestral line of the genus Homo.
    • This genus is of particular interest to us as it is thought that our genus, genus Homo, evolved from Australopithecus about 2 million years ago.

  • Primates

    • Hominini is the primate tribe of Homininae that includes Homo and other members of the human species after the split from the tribe Panini (chimpanzees).
    • Homo, estimated to be about 2.4 million years old, evolved from Australopithecus ancestors.
    • The human lineage (Homo genus) split from chimpanzees (Pan genus) about 5 million years ago.

  • Characteristics and Evolution of Primates

    • The great apes include the genera Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos), Gorilla (gorillas), Pongo (orangutans), and Homo (humans) .