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Modern humans belong to the species Homo sapiens, which first emerged at least 300,000 years ago, but possibly as far back as 1 million years ago. And our history goes back much further: the first members of the Homo genus emerged nearly 3 million years ago in Africa.
As technology advances, scientists have been able to piece together how early modern humans arose and migrated around the world, sometimes breeding with close human relatives, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
Even today, humans are still evolving, including in Nepal, where people who have adapted to live in the low-oxygen conditions at high altitudes tend to have more children than those who haven't. Humans may also be evolving through our culture, an idea that learned behaviors we pass on are the "mutations" that can aid survival. Read on to learn more about humans evolved in the past — and continue to do so.
Discover more about human evolution
—Human evolution: Facts about the past 300,000 years of Homo sapiens
—Our mixed-up human family: 8 human relatives that went extinct (and 1 that didn't)
Latest about Human Evolution
Remote region in Greece has one of the most genetically distinct populations in Europe
A genetic analysis of the Deep Maniots living in Greece's southern Peloponnese region has revealed a close-knit, patriarchal community with roots in the Bronze Age.
More than 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals spent centuries collecting animal skulls in a cave; but archaeologists aren't sure why
Neanderthals repeatedly returned to the cave to store horned animal skulls, revealing this cultural tradition was transmitted over time.
430,000-year-old wooden handheld tools from Greece are the oldest on record — and they predate modern humans
Archaeologists have found the oldest-known surviving examples of handheld wooden tools.
160,000-year-old sophisticated stone tools discovered in China may not have been made by Homo sapiens
Archaeologists have found the oldest known evidence of hafted tools in East Asia, and they challenge a previously held assumption about stone tool use.
2.6 million-year-old jaw from extinct 'Nutcracker Man' is found where we didn't expect it
A fossil jaw of a distant human relative was discovered much farther north than previously thought possible, revealing new information about diversity in human evolution.
Human origins quiz: How well do you know the story of humanity?
Think you know about our human relatives? Take our quiz to find out — and remember, it's human to make mistakes.
Most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found dates to more than 2 million years ago and retains 'Lucy'-like features
Scientists have revealed the most complete skeleton yet of our 2 million-year-old ancestor Homo habilis.
Homo erectus wasn't the first human species to leave Africa 1.8 million years ago, fossils suggest
A new analysis of enigmatic skulls from the Republic of Georgia suggest that Homo erectus wasn't the only human species to leave Africa 1.8 million years ago.
Tiny bump on 7 million-year-old fossil suggests ancient ape walked upright — and might even be a human ancestor
The way Sahelanthropus tchadensis moved has long been debated. The discovery of a small bump on the front of the thigh bone is "beyond convincing" evidence this ape was bipedal.
