The beginning of Humankind
history in Africa:
Africa is widely regarded as the cradle of humanity, as it is the continent where the earliest fossils and genetic evidence of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) have been found. However, the origin and evolution of our species is not a simple or linear story, but rather a complex and dynamic process that involved multiple populations, regions and interactions over hundreds of thousands of years. The beginning of Humankind
The name Africa itself is derived from various ancient sources, such as the Egyptian word Afru-ika, meaning “Motherland”; the Greek word aphrike, meaning “without cold”; and the Latin word aprica, meaning “sunny”. The continent has a diverse and rich geography, climate and ecology, which have shaped the lives and cultures of its inhabitants for millennia. The beginning of Humankind.
The oldest fossils of early humans date back to about 7 million years ago in Africa, and belong to a group of hominins (the evolutionary branch that includes humans and their extinct relatives) known as australopithecines. These hominins were bipedal (walked on two legs), but had small brains and ape-like features. They lived in various habitats across Africa, such as forests, woodlands and savannas, and used simple tools made of stone and bone.
The beginning of Humankind
About 2.5 million years ago, a new genus of hominins emerged in Africa: Homo. This genus is distinguished by larger brains, more complex tools and behaviours, and greater adaptability to different environments. The earliest species of Homo include Homo habilis (“handy man”), who made stone flakes and used them for cutting and scraping; Homo rudolfensis, who had a larger brain and a flatter face than Homo habilis; and Homo erectus (“upright man”), who was the first hominin to migrate out of Africa to other continents, such as Asia and Europe.
Homo erectus was also the first hominin to use fire, which enabled them to cook food, stay warm and ward off predators. They also made more sophisticated tools, such as hand axes and cleavers, which are collectively known as Acheulean technology. Homo erectus survived for about 1.8 million years, until about 300,000 years ago, when they were replaced by other hominins.
The beginning of HumanKind in Africa supports the idea of Evolution, We know Some people never believed HumanKind Evolution, but here is a concrete evidence. Read Evolution on Humankind Below:
Evolution on Humankind
Evolution of humankind is the scientific term for the process by which humans evolved from their ape-like ancestors over millions of years. Evolution is based on natural selection, which means that organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce in their environment tend to pass on those traits to their offspring, while those with less favorable traits tend to die out. Evolution also involves genetic mutations, which are random changes in the DNA that can create new variations of traits. Evolution is supported by multiple lines of evidence, such as fossils, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, and genetics.
The evolution of humankind began about 7 million years ago in Africa, when a group of primates diverged from the common ancestor of chimpanzees and bonobos, the closest living relatives of humans. These primates are called hominins, and they belong to the tribe Hominini within the family Hominidae, which includes all the great apes. The earliest known hominin is Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which lived in Chad about 7 million years ago. It had a small brain and a mixture of ape-like and human-like features, such as a flat face and a foramen magnum (the hole at the base of the skull) positioned under the skull, indicating bipedalism (walking on two legs).
The next major branch of hominins is the genus Australopithecus, which appeared about 4 million years ago and lasted until about 2 million years ago. Australopithecus had a larger brain than Sahelanthropus and was fully bipedal, but still had ape-like teeth and jaws. Some species of Australopithecus also used simple stone tools for cutting and scraping. The most famous fossil of Australopithecus is Lucy, a 3.2 million year old skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis, which was discovered in Ethiopia in 1974.
The genus Homo emerged about 2.5 million years ago from a branch of Australopithecus. Homo had a much larger brain than Australopithecus and was more advanced in making and using tools. The earliest species of Homo is Homo habilis, which means “handy man” because it was the first hominin to make stone tools called Oldowan. Homo habilis lived in Africa until about 1.8 million years ago.
The next species of Homo is Homo erectus, which means “upright man” because it had a more human-like body shape and posture. Homo erectus was the first hominin to migrate out of Africa to other continents, such as Asia and Europe. Homo erectus also used fire, cooked food, and made more sophisticated tools called Acheulean. Homo erectus lived until about 300,000 years ago.
The next species of Homo is Homo heidelbergensis, which lived in Africa and Europe from about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago. Homo heidelbergensis had a larger brain than Homo erectus and was more adapted to colder climates. Homo heidelbergensis also made more complex tools called Mousterian and hunted large animals cooperatively.
Homo heidelbergensis gave rise to two branches: Homo neanderthalensis (the Neanderthals) and Homo sapiens (modern humans). The Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. They had a larger brain than modern humans and were well adapted to cold environments. They also made sophisticated tools, used fire, buried their dead, and may have had some form of language and culture.
Modern humans evolved in Africa about 300,000 years ago from a branch of Homo heidelbergensis.