hominins
Our evolutionary relatives
Hominins are the group of primates that includes modern humans and our extinct relatives who walked upright, such as Neanderthals and various Australopithecus species.
The term distinguishes the human lineage from other great apes after the evolutionary split from chimpanzees, roughly six to seven million years ago.
Scientists use hominin when discussing fossils and evolutionary history: New hominin fossils discovered in South Africa may rewrite our understanding of early bipedalism.
Extinct bipedal human ancestor
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- ArdipithecusEarliest known upright primate genus
- Homo heidelbergensisPrehistoric human species, mid-Pleistocene
species · genus · clade · classification · primate · great apes · subspecies
Study of ancient organisms
- LucyFeminine name meaning light
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- cranialOf the skull
Homo erectus · sediment · Pleistocene · Pliocene · Miocene · stratigraphy · excavation · carbon-dating
Walking on two limbs
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- opposable thumbsDigits that press against fingers
- dentitionOral tooth arrangement
- brow ridgeBone prominence above eyes
pelvis · upright posture · skeletal structure · brain size · jaw · enamel · vertebrae · robust
Scientific study of apes
- paleoanthropologyScience of ancestral human remains
- ethnologyComparative study of peoples
- biologicalRelating to living organisms
- kinshipState of being related
subsistence · tool use · cultural evolution · cognition · socialization · migration · diet · cooperation
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
divergence · Darwinism · mutation · genetics · cladistics · genomic · inheritance · phenotype
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- handaxeKnapped stone implement
- flintknappingStriking stone to shape tools
- hunter-gatherersSubsistence through wild resources
cave paintings · Lascaux · Altamira · lithics · hearths · shelter · foraging · Ice Age
Homo erectus
Extinct bipedal human ancestor
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- ArdipithecusEarliest known upright primate genus
Homo heidelbergensis · species · genus · clade · classification · primate · great apes · subspecies
paleontology
Study of ancient organisms
- LucyFeminine name meaning light
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
cranial · Homo erectus · sediment · Pleistocene · Pliocene · Miocene · stratigraphy · excavation · carbon-dating · Cenozoic
bipedalism
Walking on two limbs
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- opposable thumbsDigits that press against fingers
- dentitionOral tooth arrangement
brow ridge · pelvis · upright posture · skeletal structure · brain size · jaw · enamel · vertebrae · robust · gracile
primatology
Scientific study of apes
- paleoanthropologyScience of ancestral human remains
- ethnologyComparative study of peoples
- biologicalRelating to living organisms
kinship · subsistence · tool use · cultural evolution · cognition · socialization · migration · diet · cooperation · social structure
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
phylogeny · divergence · Darwinism · mutation · genetics · cladistics · genomic · inheritance · phenotype · genotype
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- handaxeKnapped stone implement
- flintknappingStriking stone to shape tools
hunter-gatherers · cave paintings · Lascaux · Altamira · lithics · hearths · shelter · foraging · Ice Age · ochre
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- Cladesmammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects
- Stone Agecave painting, paleolithic, hand ax, handaxes, hand axe
- hominidshumans, chimpanzee, chimpanzees, gorilla, gorillas
- HomininsAustralopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo, Neanderthal, Ardipithecus
- human evolutionearly humans, Homo erectus, Neanderthal, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon
homininschimpanzees
Intelligent African great apes
bonobos · gorillas · orangutans · gibbons
- early hominidsAncient human ancestors