- published: 11 Jan 2015
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While human evolution begins with the last common ancestor of all life, it generally refers to the evolutionary history of primates and in particular the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species of hominids ("great apes"). The study of human evolution involves many scientific disciplines, including physical anthropology, primatology, archaeology, linguistics, embryology and genetics.
Primate evolution likely began in the late Cretaceous, 85 Ma (million years ago) by genetic studies and no later than the Paleocene by the fossil record 55 Ma. The family Hominidae, or Great Apes, diverged from the Hylobatidae family 15-20 Ma. Around 14 Ma the Ponginae or orangutans diverged from the Hominidae family. Later the gorilla and chimpanzee would diverge from the lineage leading to the genus Homo, the latter around 5-6 Ma. Modern humans evolved from the last common ancestor of the Hominini and the species Australopithecines some 2.3-2.4 million years ago in Africa.
In the Hominini tribe, several species and subspecies of Homo evolved and are now extinct or introgressed, and only one species remains. Examples include Homo erectus (which inhabited Asia, Africa, and Europe) and Neanderthals (either Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) (which inhabited Europe and Asia). Archaic Homo sapiens, the forerunner of anatomically modern humans, evolved between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago. Anatomically modern humans evolved from archaic Homo sapiens in the Middle Paleolithic, about 200,000 years ago. Behaviorally modern humans developed around 50,000 years ago according to many, although some view modern behavior as beginning with the emergence of anatomically modern humans.
More than a million years ago
Under the apple tree
Adam said to Eve
Honey will you marry me
She said I'm not ready Adam
To get so tied down
Why get married when we can
Just fool around
Ah fool around
CHORUS
The more things change
The more they stay the same
Human Evolution
Said the monkey to the man
Shoulda let me be
Human Evolution
Way out in the jungle
Tarzan said to Jane
Cheetah gettin' hungry
Banana on the brain
She said forget about the monkey boy
I need a microwave
I need some new clothes baby
I need a telephone
And if you don't remodel my bedroom
I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
REPEAT CHORUS
Cromagnon and Neanderthal
Victims of circumstance
Anthony and Cleopatra
Never had a chance
Call us homosapiens
And teach us how to dance
Mixin' up our human thoughts
With animal romance