Human ancestors: a guide

Human origins 101

Learn about the over 20 early human species that belong in our family tree and how the natural selection of certain physical and behavioral traits defined what it means to be human.

The Paranthropus genus, our mysterious extinct cousins

In the last century, skull and jaw fragments have been discovered in East Africa suggesting an ancient hominin species lived, evolved, and died alongside humanity's ancestors. With large, broad skulls and strong jaws, the Paranthropus genus—which includes several related species—is an absorbing case of the effects of niche partitioning, where species coexist by adapting differently to the environment. Paranthropus died out and human ancestors endured. Find out why here.

Ancient humans and other early hominins were closer than you might think

Evidence that human ancestors and other early hominins coexisted continues to accumulate, raising the question of just how close these ancient people truly were. This article details how evidence is changing the theory that early hominins like...

Were humans the only hominin to walk upright?

When you imagine the line human evolution has taken, you might picture the March of Progress, an image of several chimp-like ancestors marching toward the implied final form: the upright bipedal Homo sapiens. Turns out this image, popularized in the...

The messy story of humanity's genealogical past

For decades, scientists viewed the human fossil record and concluded Neanderthals, an early hominin, came before homo sapiens, or modern humans. The story became more complicated as technology advanced and ancient DNA samples were analyzed. This video breaks down the evidence, concluding the development of humanity was a lot messier than previously believed.

Where are humans on the evolutionary tree?

This interactive tree-shaped map explores the evolutionary connections between more than two million species. According to this map, humans are on the same branch as great apes, tarsiers, and treeshrews. That branch then splits into even smaller branches, with humans appearing on the same twig-like branch as chimpanzees and bonobos.

Humans may be the ultimate invasive species

Originating in East Africa, Homo sapiens migrated across the world beginning about 60,000 years ago and directly harmed countless species by consuming resources and modifying ecosystems to serve our needs. While meeting the definition of an invasive species, some ecologists argue the opposite, claiming that humans have helped preserve numerous species.

Why human brains were bigger 3,000 years ago

Our modern civilisation may be the most advanced to ever exist on Earth, but around 100 generations ago, our ancestors had brains that were larger than our own.

How humans evolved from single-cell organisms

Humans have had a long history. 3.8 billion years in the making, to be precise. From the primordial puddle to the modern day, here's how humans have evolved from the first life.

Why portraits of Neanderthals vary so drastically

Neanderthals, humanity's long-lost genealogical cousins, are often portrayed as bumbling, hairy, cave-dwelling misogynists. But other efforts show tall, dignified creatures not too different from contemporary people. This article explores why most visual interpretations of Neanderthals are more in the service of social or political beliefs instead of science.

Studies estimating the number of years between human generations suggest there have been approximately 10,000 to 12,000 generations of humans.

Research has found that the length of human generations has varied throughout the 300,000 years that Homo sapiens have been around, ranging from about 25 to 30 years. These values come from analyzing genetic mutations, since the blend of them passed onto children changes as parents age.

The wild ancestors of dogs first mingled with humans 15,000 to 30,000 years ago

An estimated 1 billion modern dogs now live around the world. Breaking down the ancestry and relatives of the dogs we now love as pets, MinuteEarth shows what canines like foxes and wolves have in common with our beloved poodles and dachshunds, and what those breeds are known for.

Human anatomy provides evidence for evolution

Throughout history, scientists have used anatomy to support the Theory of Evolution in three main ways. Homologous structures, or similar physical features in organisms that serve different functions, can help scientists understand common ancestors....

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Genetic analysis suggests Anopheles mosquitoes fed on humans some 1.8 million years ago

The 2026 paper, based on 11 species of Anopheles mosquitoes found in Southeast Asia, suggests that mosquitoes in the region likely developed their human blood preference between 2.9 million and 1.6 million years ago, overlapping with when scientists believe Homo erectus arrived there. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Humans won't develop more than 5 fingers because it would impact too many body parts

All modern animals have five or fewer digits on each of their limbs. Roughly 348 million years ago, at least two species had eight: the Ichthyostega and the Acanthostega. According to Dollo's law, complex evolved features are very unlikely to recur in evolution. Researchers believe humans won't develop more than five digits because it would impact other body parts too much.

Every virus is classified into 7 groups based on genetic differences

Viruses infecting humans have been named based on symptoms ("chickenpox") or the location or animal in which they were first discovered ("Bolivian Haemorrhagic Fever" and "Monkeypox"). For clarity among scientists and to reduce stigma, virologists classify the 15,000 known viruses (270 of which infect humans) by their basic genetic material.

Dinosaurs are defined by specific traits that many dinosaur-like creatures lack

Although pterodactyls, mosasaurs, crocodilians, and other organisms are mistaken for dinosaurs, they do not have upright legs or specific hip structures characteristic of the terrestrial reptiles. Some, like the Dimetrodon, are more closely related to humans than dinosaurs.

Why don't humans hibernate?

Hibernation is a superpower in the animal world that allows certain species to time travel from difficult times to abundance. This essay in Aeon explains this helpful natural process and why humanity's technological advancements may have hindered our ability to participate in the practice. Learn about the rising interest in human hibernation as a result of modern adversity, and if it could potentially become a reality.

View a breakdown of the identified species on Earth

Over 2 million species have been documented by scientists, but there may be as many as a billion distinct species. The vast majority of the species on Earth are insects, while mammals form the smallest group.

An encyclopedia of anthropology

This online database offers articles and additional resources for all things anthropology. This free resource is filled with peer-reviewed entries that cover topics ranging from addiction to writing, and offers anthropological insight into more...

The debate on why humans are conscious—and what that means

Understanding what consciousness is, and why and how it evolved, is perhaps the greatest mystery known to science. Watch interviews with the world's leading experts on what it is and whether we'll ever know.

Humans aren't the only mammals who go through menopause, but it's rare in the animal world

While scientists are unsure how many mammals actually experience menopause, they do know for sure that humans aren't the only ones. Orcas and some toothed whales (like belugas and narwhals) go through menopause. And a recent study found chimpanzees also experience the condition, though it's late in life.

Should you eat an all-meat diet?

The carnivore diet is reportedly a way of eating inherited from human ancestors, a tale that has roots in anthropology's early days. This article explores the all-meat diet's ancestral claims and what happens if you cut vegetables and fruits from...

A comprehensive guide to the gods

History is filled with the power and mystique of gods, from the epicly bearded Greek boss Zeus to Hoori, the Japanese god of hunting. Check out this database of over 4,000 of the world's deities, from Norse mythology to the gods of Polynesia, and click through for explainers and facts. Peruse specific pantheons (a single culture's collection of gods) or look for the god of a specific attribute, place, or emotion. Dive in here.

This Harvard philosophy professor suggests we should rethink our relationship with animals

Christine Korsgaard, a professor of philosophy at Harvard, wrote a book arguing that humans are not more important than other animals and that we should improve our treatment of them. In her view, we have a duty to value the life of our fellow creatures not just for their utility, but for their existence as sentient and conscious beings.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

Corals are themselves not coral reefs—the term refers to the tiny marine invertebrates that build the rigid reef.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, and became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.