> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 4 topics, 16 evergreens, 1 source</em></s> #### <s class="topic-title">[[human evolution]]</s> This is a miraculous and complicated process that has been taking place for 300,000 years. **See**:: [[Evolution]], [[Evolutionary Psychology]] > [!wikipedia]- [human evolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%20evolution) > > Human evolution is the evolutionary process within the history of primates that led to the emergence of [[Homo sapiens]] as a distinct species of the hominid family, which includes the great apes. This process involved the gradual development of traits such as human bipedalism and [[language]], as well as interbreeding with other hominins, which indicate that human evolution was not linear but a web. > > Genetic studies show that primates diverged from other mammals about 85 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period, and the earliest fossils appear in the Paleocene, around 55 million years ago. > > Great apes diverged from gibbons some 15–20 million years ago; African apes diverged from orangutans about 14 million years ago; the tribe Hominini (including humans, Australopithecus, and chimpanzees) parted from the tribe Gorillini (gorillas) between 8–9 million years ago; and, in turn, the subtribes Hominina (humans and extinct biped ancestors) and Panina (chimpanzees) separated 4–7 million years ago. #### Our family Around 2 million years ago Australopithecus broke into several "human" species that spread across the world. The species became known as [[Homo erectus]], [[Homo neanderthalis]], [[homo soloensis]], [[homo floresiensis]], [[homo denisova]], [[homo rudolfensis]], [[homo ergaster]], [[homo sapiens]], and likely countless others. Up until 10,000 years ago one or more of the species were around and there is no clear line of [[evolution]] between them. They are also not species in the specific sense of being unable to produce fertile offspring, as many people have some amount of other human species [[DNA]] today. Of these different family member's each had their own unique strengths and weaknesses. [[Homo erectus]] is our long lived older brother, living in eastern [[Asia]] for 2 million years. [[Homo neanderthalis]] was the adventurous and rugged cousin, able to brave harsh conditions without gear or preparation. We on the other hand are new comers, staking our claim in [[Africa]] 150,000 years ago. This is where we developed the strengths that allowed us to survive and outcompete our other humans, but we didn't really start this process for another 70,000 years. We will never fully understand what our relationship was to them, but understanding how and why we evolved the way we did can help us understand our unique situation today. #### The many keys to human evolution #### Larger brains This is why [[Cracking bones and eating the marrow may have been human's first niche]] and [[Cooking allowed prehistoric humans to spend less energy on digesting]] are important, as they allowed for us to develop larger brains. #### Increased communication skills Human's mastery of [[language]] is key to our abilities to understand each other. Our language is supple enough to transmit an unlimited amount of information from battle plans to gossip. #TO/DO/CITE #### Social cooperation Our ability to communicate subjective matter's like emotions and feelings allows us to understand eachother socially unlike any other species. This increases our ability to trust and also our ability to know when not to trust. ^[[[10_Sources/books - Sapiens#294248528q]]] #### [[Symbolism]] [[Communication]] continues to lead the way as we start to construct symbols to more easily to transfer [[information]] to new generations. ^[[[10_Sources/books - Sapiens#294248530q]]] [[Social order is built off of a shared belief in an imagined reality]] #### [[Social control]] > ![[10_Sources/books - Sapiens#294248529q]] > ![[10_Sources/books - Sapiens#294618333q]] #### Advancement to today Once these key traits were in place, adaptation and evolution would no longer be major players in [[human advancement]] and would instead take a backseat, providing the biological backdrop for [[human behavior]]. In turn study of [[human behavior]] past this point stratifies into everything that is known today, but most immediately leads to: - [[foraging]] ##### ^dataviews > [!dataview]+ Related unlinked notes > > - [[Farming outcompeted foraging by allowing for higher populations]] > - [[Foraging allowed for a diverse diet]] > - [[Human caused extinction is prevalent]] > - [[Humans have had little time to adjust to being the top predator]] > - [[Our biology has not significantly changed for thousands of years]] > - [[Would modern humans be able to make an Iphone 13 in a stone age world]] > [!dataview]- Other unlinked mentions > > - [[Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari]] > - [[topics]] > - [[human experience]] > - [[Evolutionary Psychology is just a framework not a prescription of behavior]] > - [[Foraging was a very sustainable lifestyle]] > - [[Greater cooperation and communication has lead to the success of humans as a species]] > - [[How can something be adaptive and net bad]] > - [[Human behavior is selective]] > - [[Humans are a product of evolution]] > - [[Learning is NOT like riding a bicycle]]