Human Origins: The Emergence and Evolution of the Human Species

Synopsis: Our common ancestry with the great apes comes from the fossil records. Our hominid heritage on the tree of life started on the continent of Africa.

Modern humans and the other great apes also share a number of anatomical and molecular similarities between them. This past can be traced in large part through the fossil record, which shows that our hominid forebears first appeared on the African continent nearly 18 million years ago. These first African apes and our apelike ancestors ...