https://wikialpha.co/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=HumanHuman - Revision history2026-04-03T19:42:04ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.42.7https://wikialpha.co/index.php?title=Human&diff=5463&oldid=prevArianTazwer: Created page with "{{Short description|Species of hominid in the genus Homo}} {{hatnote group|{{Redirect-several|Human|Mankind|Humankind|Human Race|Human Being|Homo sapiens}} {{Distinguish|Person}}}} {{Good article}} {{pp-semi-indef}} {{pp-move}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Speciesbox | name = Human | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|0.3|0}} Chibanian – present | image = Akha cropped hires.JPG <!--The choice of image has been discussed at length. Please don't change..."2025-11-08T09:48:54Z<p>Created page with "{{Short description|Species of hominid in the genus Homo}} {{hatnote group|{{Redirect-several|Human|Mankind|Humankind|Human Race|Human Being|Homo sapiens}} {{Distinguish|Person}}}} {{Good article}} {{pp-semi-indef}} {{pp-move}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Speciesbox | name = Human | fossil_range = {{Fossil range|0.3|0}} <a href="/index.php?title=Chibanian&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Chibanian (page does not exist)">Chibanian</a> – <a href="/index.php?title=Holocene&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Holocene (page does not exist)">present</a> | image = Akha cropped hires.JPG <!--The choice of image has been discussed at length. Please don't change..."</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Species of hominid in the genus Homo}}<br />
{{hatnote group|{{Redirect-several|Human|Mankind|Humankind|Human Race|Human Being|Homo sapiens}}<br />
{{Distinguish|Person}}}}<br />
{{Good article}}<br />
{{pp-semi-indef}}<br />
{{pp-move}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}<br />
{{Speciesbox<br />
| name = Human<br />
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|0.3|0}} [[Chibanian]] – [[Holocene|present]]<br />
| image = Akha cropped hires.JPG <!--The choice of image has been discussed at length. Please don't change it without first obtaining consensus. See FAQ on talk page. Also used at Akha people (section Dress)--><br />
| image_caption = Male (left) and female (right) [[adult]] humans<br />
<!--T| status = LC<br />
| status_system = IUCN3.1--><br />
| taxon = Homo sapiens<br />
| authority = [[Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]<br />
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies<br />
| range_map = World Population Density Map 2020.png<br />
| range_map_caption = ''Homo sapiens'' population density (2020)<br />
| synonyms =<br />
}}<br />
'''Humans''', scientifically known as '''''Homo sapiens''','' are [[primates]] that belong to the [[Family (biology)|biological family]] of [[great ape]]s and are characterized by [[Prehistory of nakedness and clothing#Evolution of hairlessness|hairlessness]], [[bipedality]], and high [[Human intelligence|intelligence]]. Humans have large [[Human brain|brains]] [[Brain-body mass ratio|compared to body size]], enabling more advanced [[cognitive]] skills that facilitate successful adaptation to varied environments, development of sophisticated [[tool]]s, and formation of complex [[social structures]] and [[civilization]]s.<br />
<br />
Humans are [[Sociality|highly social]], with individual humans tending to belong to a [[Level of analysis|multi-layered]] network of distinct [[social groups]] – from [[families]] and [[peer groups]] to [[corporations]] and [[State (polity)|political states]]. As such, [[social interaction]]s between humans have established a wide variety of [[Value theory|values]], [[norm (sociology)|social norms]], [[language]]s, and [[traditions]] (collectively termed [[institutions]]), each of which bolsters human [[society]]. Humans are also highly [[curious]]: the desire to understand and influence [[Phenomenon|phenomena]] has motivated humanity's development of [[science]], [[technology]], [[philosophy]], [[mythology]], [[religion]], and other frameworks of [[knowledge]]; humans also study themselves through such domains as [[anthropology]], [[social science]], [[history]], [[psychology]], and [[medicine]]. As of 2025, there are estimated to be [[World population|more than 8&nbsp;billion living humans]].<br />
<br />
For most of their history, humans were [[nomadic]] hunter-gatherers. Humans began exhibiting [[behavioral modernity]] about 160,000–60,000&nbsp;years ago. The [[Neolithic Revolution]] occurred independently in multiple locations, the earliest [[Origins of agriculture in West Asia|in Southwest Asia]] 13,000 years ago, and saw the emergence of [[agriculture]] and permanent [[human settlement]]; in turn, this led to the [[Cradle of civilization|development of civilization]] and kickstarted a period of continuous (and ongoing) [[population growth]] and rapid [[technological change]]. Since then, a number of civilizations have risen and fallen, while a number of [[Sociocultural evolution|sociocultural]] and [[History of technology|technological]] developments have resulted in significant changes to the human lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Humans are [[omnivorous]], capable of consuming a wide variety of plant and animal material, and have [[Control of fire by early humans|used fire]] and other forms of heat to prepare and [[cooking|cook]] food since the time of ''[[Homo erectus]]''. Humans are generally [[Diurnality|diurnal]], [[sleep]]ing on average seven to nine hours per day. Humans have had a dramatic [[Human impact on the environment|effect on the environment]]. They are [[apex predator]]s, being rarely preyed upon by other species.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Roopnarine PD |date=March 2014 |title=Humans are apex predators |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=111 |issue=9 |pages=E796 |bibcode=2014PNAS..111E.796R |doi=10.1073/pnas.1323645111 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=3948303 |pmid=24497513 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Human population growth, industrialization, land development, [[overconsumption]] and combustion of [[fossil fuels]] have led to [[environmental destruction]] and [[pollution]] that significantly contributes to the ongoing [[Holocene extinction|mass extinction]] of other forms of life.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 May 2019 |title=Landmark analysis documents the alarming global decline of nature |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/landmark-analysis-documents-alarming-global-decline-nature |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026232451/https://www.science.org/content/article/landmark-analysis-documents-alarming-global-decline-nature |archive-date=26 October 2021 |access-date=9 May 2021 |website=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |publisher=[[American Association for the Advancement of Science|AAAS]] |vauthors=Stokstad E}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Pimm S, Raven P, Peterson A, Sekercioglu CH, Ehrlich PR |date=July 2006 |title=Human impacts on the rates of recent, present, and future bird extinctions |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=103 |issue=29 |pages=10941–10946 |bibcode=2006PNAS..10310941P |doi=10.1073/pnas.0604181103 |pmc=1544153 |pmid=16829570 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Within the last century, humans have explored challenging environments such as [[Antarctica]], the [[deep sea]], and [[outer space]], though human habitation in these environments is typically limited in duration and restricted to scientific, [[military]], or [[Industry (economics)|industrial]] expeditions. Humans have visited the [[Moon]] and sent human-made spacecraft to other [[celestial bodies]], becoming the first known species to do so.<br />
<br />
Although the term "humans" technically equates with all members of the genus ''[[Homo]]'', in common usage it generally refers to ''Homo sapiens'', the only [[Extant taxon|extant]] member. All other members of the genus ''Homo'', which are now extinct, are known as [[archaic humans]], and the term "modern human" is used to distinguish ''Homo sapiens'' from archaic humans. [[Early modern human|Anatomically modern humans]] emerged at least 300,000 years ago in Africa, evolving from ''[[Homo heidelbergensis]]'' or a similar species. Migrating [[Recent African origin of modern humans|out of Africa]], they gradually replaced and [[Hybrid (biology)|interbred]] with local populations of archaic humans. Multiple hypotheses for the extinction of archaic human species [[Neanderthal extinction|such as Neanderthals]] include competition, violence, interbreeding with ''Homo sapiens'', or inability to adapt to climate change. [[Gene]]s and the [[Environment (biophysical)|environment]] influence [[human biology|human biological]] variation in visible characteristics, [[physiology]], disease susceptibility, mental abilities, body size, and life span. Though humans vary in many traits (such as genetic predispositions and physical features), humans are among the least genetically diverse primates. Any two humans are at least 99% genetically similar.<br />
<br />
Humans are [[sex differences in humans|sexually dimorphic]]: generally, [[man|males]] have greater body strength and [[woman|females]] have a higher [[body fat]] percentage. At [[puberty]], humans develop [[secondary sex characteristic]]s. Females are capable of [[pregnancy]], usually between puberty, at around 12 years old, and [[menopause]], around the age of 50. [[Childbirth]] is dangerous, with a high risk of complications and [[death]]. Often, both the mother and the father provide care for their children, who are [[Precociality and altriciality|helpless at birth]].<br />
<br />
== Etymology and definition ==<br />
{{Further|Names for the human species|Human taxonomy|}}<br />
[[File:Carl von Linné.png|thumb|[[Carl Linnaeus]] coined the name ''Homo sapiens''.]]<br />
All modern humans are classified into the [[species]] ''Homo sapiens'', coined by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his 1735 work ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Spamer EE |date=29 January 1999|title=Know Thyself: Responsible Science and the Lectotype of Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758|journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences |volume=149 |issue=1 |pages=109–114 |jstor=4065043}}</ref> The [[Name of a biological genus|generic name]] ''[[Homo]]'' is a learned 18th-century derivation from Latin {{lang|la|homō}}, which refers to humans of either sex.<ref>{{cite book|author=Porkorny|year=1959|title=[[IEW]]|at=s.v. "g'hðem" pp. 414–116}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |title=Homo |dictionary=Dictionary.com |publisher=Random House |url=https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Homo |date=23 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927011551/https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homo |archive-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The word ''human'' can refer to all members of the ''Homo'' genus.<ref name="Barras-2016">{{cite web |title=We don't know which species should be classed as 'human' |url=https://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160111-what-is-it-that-makes-you-a-human-and-not-something-else |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826223800/http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160111-what-is-it-that-makes-you-a-human-and-not-something-else |archive-date=26 August 2021 |access-date=31 March 2021 |website=BBC |first=Colin|last=Barras|date=11 January 2016}}</ref> The name ''Homo sapiens'' means 'wise man' or 'knowledgeable man'.<ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Spamer EE|date=1999|title=Know Thyself: Responsible Science and the Lectotype of Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758|journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia|volume=149|pages=109–114|issn=0097-3157|jstor=4065043}}</ref> There is disagreement if certain extinct members of the genus, namely [[Neanderthal]]s, should be included as a separate species of humans or as a [[subspecies]] of ''H. sapiens''.<ref name="Barras-2016" /><br />
<br />
''Human'' is a [[loanword]] of [[Middle English]] from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|humain}}, ultimately from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|hūmānus}}, the adjectival form of {{lang|la|homō}} ('man' – in the sense of humanity).<ref>{{cite book|title=[[OED]]|at=[[Sub verbo|s.v.]] "human"}}</ref> The native English term ''[[Man (word)|man]]'' can refer to the species generally (a synonym for ''humanity'') as well as to human males. It may also refer to individuals of either sex.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man |title=Man |quote=Definition 2: a man belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation) – usually used in combination |dictionary=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] |archive-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050822/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man |url-status=live |access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref><br />
<br />
Despite the fact that the word ''animal'' is colloquially used as an antonym for ''human'',<ref>{{Cite dictionary |title=Thesaurus results for human |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/human |access-date=21 May 2022 |dictionary=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628010110/https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/human |url-status=live}}</ref> and contrary to a [[List of common misconceptions about science, technology, and mathematics#Evolution and paleontology|common biological misconception]], humans are in a biological sense [[animal]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 September 2021 |title=Misconceptions about evolution – Understanding Evolution |url=https://evolution.berkeley.edu/teach-evolution/misconceptions-about-evolution/ |access-date=21 May 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606191558/https://evolution.berkeley.edu/teach-evolution/misconceptions-about-evolution/ |url-status=live|website=University of California, Berkeley }}</ref> The word ''[[person]]'' is often used interchangeably with ''human'', but philosophical debate exists as to whether [[personhood]] applies to all humans or all [[sentient being]]s, and further if a human can lose personhood (such as by going into a [[persistent vegetative state]]) and what is the [[beginning of human personhood]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Concept of Personhood |url=https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/personhood |access-date=4 July 2021 |website=[[University of Missouri School of Medicine]] |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304011726/https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/personhood |url-status=live}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Evolution ==<br />
{{Main|Human evolution}}<br />
Humans belong to the biological [[Family (biology)|family]] of apes ([[Hominoidea|superfamily Hominoidea]]).<ref>{{Cite book|vauthors=Tuttle RH |title=International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology |date=4 October 2018 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]] |isbn=978-1-118-58442-2 |veditors=Trevathan W, Cartmill M, Dufour D, Larsen C |place=[[Hoboken]], [[New Jersey]], [[United States]]|pages=1–2|language=en|chapter=Hominoidea: conceptual history|doi=10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0246|s2cid=240125199|author-link=Russell Tuttle|access-date=26 May 2021|chapter-url=https://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0246}}</ref> The [[Lineage (evolution)|lineage]] of apes that eventually gave rise to humans first split from [[gibbon]]s (family Hylobatidae), next [[orangutan]]s (genus ''Pongo''), then [[gorilla]]s (genus ''Gorilla''), and finally, [[chimpanzee]]s and [[bonobo]]s (genus ''[[Pan (genus)|Pan]]''). The last split, between the human and chimpanzee–bonobo lineages, took place around 8–4 million years ago, in the late [[Miocene]] epoch.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Goodman M, Tagle DA, Fitch DH, Bailey W, Czelusniak J, Koop BF, Benson P, Slightom JL |display-authors=6 |title=Primate evolution at the DNA level and a classification of hominoids |journal=[[Journal of Molecular Evolution]] |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=260–266 |date=March 1990 |pmid=2109087 |doi=10.1007/BF02099995 |s2cid=2112935 |bibcode=1990JMolE..30..260G}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Ruvolo M |date=March 1997 |title=Molecular phylogeny of the hominoids: inferences from multiple independent DNA sequence data sets |journal=[[Molecular Biology and Evolution]] |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=248–265|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a025761|pmid=9066793|doi-access=free}}</ref> During this split, [[chromosome 2]] was formed from the joining of two other chromosomes, leaving humans with only 23 pairs of chromosomes, compared to 24 for the other apes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Chromosome 2 is a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes |url=https://www.evolutionpages.com/chromosome_2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809040210/https://www.evolutionpages.com/chromosome_2.htm |archive-date=9 August 2011 |access-date=18 May 2006 |work=Evolution pages |vauthors=MacAndrew A}}</ref> Following their split with chimpanzees and bonobos, the [[Hominini|hominins]] diversified into many species and at least two distinct genera. All but one of these lineages – representing the genus ''[[Homo]]'' and its sole extant species ''Homo sapiens'' – are now extinct.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McNulty |first=Kieran P. |year=2016 |title=Hominin Taxonomy and Phylogeny: What's In A Name? |url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/hominin-taxonomy-and-phylogeny-what-s-in-142102877/ |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=Nature Education Knowledge |language=en |archive-date=10 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110013134/https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/hominin-taxonomy-and-phylogeny-what-s-in-142102877/ |url-status=live}}</ref><br />
<br />
[[File:Lucy Skeleton.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Reconstruction of [[Lucy (Australopithecus)|Lucy]]'','' the first ''[[Australopithecus afarensis]]'' skeleton found]]<br />
The genus ''Homo'' evolved from ''[[Australopithecus]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Strait DS |title=The Evolutionary History of the Australopiths |journal=Evolution: Education and Outreach |date=September 2010 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=341–352 |doi=10.1007/s12052-010-0249-6 |s2cid=31979188 |language=en |issn=1936-6434 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Dunsworth HM |title=Origin of the Genus Homo |journal=Evolution: Education and Outreach |date=September 2010 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=353–366 |doi=10.1007/s12052-010-0247-8 |s2cid=43116946 |language=en |issn=1936-6434 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Though [[Human fossils|fossils]] from the transition are scarce, the earliest members of ''Homo'' share several key traits with ''Australopithecus''.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Kimbel WH, Villmoare B |title=From Australopithecus to Homo: the transition that wasn't |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences |volume =371 |issue=1698 |article-number=20150248 |date=July 2016 |pmid=27298460 |pmc=4920303 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2015.0248 |s2cid=20267830}}</ref><ref name=Villmoare2015>{{cite journal |vauthors=Villmoare B, Kimbel WH, Seyoum C, Campisano CJ, DiMaggio EN, Rowan J, Braun DR, Arrowsmith JR, Reed KE |display-authors=6 |title=Paleoanthropology. Early Homo at 2.8 Ma from Ledi-Geraru, Afar, Ethiopia |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=347 |issue=6228 |pages=1352–1355 |date=March 2015 |pmid=25739410 |doi=10.1126/science.aaa1343 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015Sci...347.1352V}}</ref> Due to the scant available evidence dating the time of divergence to the genus ''Homo'' does not have a consensus.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Wood |first=Bernard |date=28 June 2011 |title=Did early Homo migrate "out of" or "in to" Africa? |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=108 |issue=26 |pages=10375–10376 |bibcode=2011PNAS..10810375W |doi=10.1073/pnas.1107724108 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=3127876 |pmid=21677194 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Some studies using [[molecular clock]] techniques estimate the ''Homo'' genus appeared 4.30–2.56&nbsp;million years ago,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Püschel |first1=Hans P. |last2=Bertrand |first2=Ornella C. |last3=O'Reilly |first3=Joseph E. |last4=Bobe |first4=René |last5=Püschel |first5=Thomas A. |title=Divergence-time estimates for hominins provide insight into encephalization and body mass trends in human evolution |journal=[[Nature Ecology & Evolution]] |date=June 2021 |volume=5 |issue=6 |pages=808–819 |doi=10.1038/s41559-021-01431-1 |pmid=33795855 |bibcode=2021NatEE...5..808P |s2cid=232764044 |url=https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/35151870-c7b5-477e-aca8-2c75c8382002|hdl=20.500.11820/35151870-c7b5-477e-aca8-2c75c8382002 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> while others contest that some early ''Homo'' species are incorrectly included in the genus and therefore put this estimate at about 1.87 million years ago.<ref name=":0" /><br />
<br />
The earliest record of ''Homo'' is the 2.8 million-year-old specimen [[LD 350-1]] from [[Ethiopia]], and the earliest named species are ''[[Homo habilis]]'' and ''[[Homo rudolfensis]]'' which evolved by 2.3 million years ago.<ref name=Villmoare2015 /> ''[[Homo erectus|H. erectus]]'' (the African variant is sometimes called ''[[Homo ergaster|H. ergaster]]'') evolved 2 million years ago and was the first [[archaic human]] species to leave Africa and disperse across Eurasia.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Zhu Z, Dennell R, Huang W, Wu Y, Qiu S, Yang S, Rao Z, Hou Y, Xie J, Han J, Ouyang T |display-authors=6 |title=Hominin occupation of the Chinese Loess Plateau since about 2.1 million years ago |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=559 |issue=7715 |pages=608–612 |date=July 2018</div>ArianTazwer