How we became human | Natural History Museum

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You will be able to access your list from any article in Discover.</p> <p>You don't have any saved articles.</p> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="saved-articles__footer-wrapper"> <button id="saved-articles__save-button" type="button" class="saved-articles__add-to-list">+ add current article to list</button> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="section"> <div class="layout-row" data-columns="21">  <div class="article layout-column"> <div class="article--tags-header" data-gtm-component="hub-header"> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/human-evolution.html">HUMAN EVOLUTION</a> </div> <h1 class="article--title-header">How we became human</h1> <div class="article--secondary-info flow"> <div class="article--meta-container"> <div class="article--meta-author">By David Urry and Lisa Hendry</div> </div> <div class="cluster"> <div class="social-icons-list"> <div class="social-share--container"> <div class="social-share--icons cluster"> <div class="facebook social-share--icon--container"> <a aria-label="Share on facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-we-became-human" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="social-share--icon"> <circle cx="14" cy="14" r="14" fill="#333333"/> <path d="M15.1783 21.9729V15.143H17.5302L17.882 12.4813H15.1783V10.7824C15.1783 10.0119 15.398 9.48656 16.5315 9.48656L17.9776 9.4859V7.10507C17.7275 7.07269 16.8692 7 15.8705 7C13.7858 7 12.358 8.24031 12.358 10.5181V12.4813H10V15.143H12.358V21.9729H15.1783Z" fill="white"/> </svg> </a> </div> <div class="twitter social-share--icon--container"> <a aria-label="Share on twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20we%20became%20human%0Ahttps://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-we-became-human" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <circle cx="14" cy="14" r="14" fill="#333333"/> <path d="M22.1667 9.68591C21.6087 9.94384 21.0089 10.1176 20.3795 10.1959C21.0222 9.79514 21.5158 9.16018 21.7477 8.4035C21.1467 8.7746 20.4806 9.04438 19.7716 9.18979C19.2047 8.5601 18.3952 8.16663 17.5004 8.16663C15.4914 8.16663 14.0152 10.1182 14.469 12.1441C11.8837 12.0093 9.59097 10.7196 8.05598 8.75947C7.24077 10.2156 7.63321 12.1205 9.01843 13.0851C8.50908 13.068 8.02881 12.9225 7.60983 12.6797C7.5757 14.1806 8.60893 15.5847 10.1054 15.8973C9.66744 16.021 9.18779 16.0499 8.69993 15.9526C9.09553 17.2396 10.2444 18.1759 11.6069 18.2022C10.2988 19.2701 8.65064 19.7472 7 19.5445C8.37701 20.4637 10.0131 21 11.7699 21C17.5472 21 20.8111 15.9197 20.614 11.3631C21.2219 10.9058 21.7496 10.3353 22.1667 9.68591V9.68591Z" fill="white"/> </svg> </a> </div> <div class="email social-share--icon--container"> <a aria-label="Share by email" href="mailto:?subject=How%20we%20became%20human&body=http%3A//www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-we-became-human"> <svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="social-share--icon"> <circle cx="14" cy="14" r="14" fill="#333333"/> <path d="M22.9269 8.40756C22.9269 8.40756 22.7861 7.08155 21.4675 7.00002C21.1491 7.00002 10.0223 7.00002 10.0223 7.00002H6.51115C6.51115 7.00002 5.16957 6.9768 5.01465 8.40756C5.02208 8.415 9.39591 12.9117 9.39591 12.9117L11.0682 14.6305L12.0205 15.4899C12.0205 15.4899 13.5535 16.8602 15.2302 15.9268C15.2302 15.9268 15.4581 15.815 15.9266 15.4009C16.4092 14.974 20.4602 10.8598 20.4602 10.8598C20.4602 10.8598 22.8751 8.43729 22.9269 8.40756Z" fill="white"/> <path d="M22.9409 10.0391V17.047L19.4297 13.5505L22.9409 10.0391Z" fill="white"/> <path d="M5 10.0391V17.047L8.51142 13.5505L5 10.0391Z" fill="white"/> <path d="M9.33304 14.3785L11.0911 16.1402C11.0911 16.1402 11.8808 16.8758 12.2524 17.0073C12.2601 17.0229 14.0253 17.9364 15.8835 16.8835C15.8911 16.8758 16.3868 16.6124 17.4009 15.5751C18.4152 14.5376 18.5778 14.375 18.5778 14.375L22.9135 18.6875L22.9367 18.7184C22.9367 18.7184 22.805 20.0732 21.4346 20.0888C20.0643 20.1043 6.66243 20.0964 6.66243 20.0964C6.66243 20.0964 5.20681 20.1738 5.021 18.7028L9.33304 14.3785Z" fill="white"/> </svg> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-gtm-component="like-button-top" class="article-likes-container"> <div class="like-container" data-page-path="/discover/how-we-became-human"> <a href="#" aria-label="Clap button for article likes" class="like-button-link" tabindex="0"> <span class="clap-svg"></span> <span aria-label="313 article likes" class="like-count js-like-count">313</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article--introduction"><p>Today, we sit alone on the only remaining branch of the human family tree. But we are only one character in the story of human evolution.</p> <p>To truly understand who we are, we must look at how we got here and the key physical traits that make us human.</p> </div> <div class="article--content"> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>Bipedalism</h2> <p>The ability of humans to comfortably stand on two feet for extended periods of time marks us out from almost all other animals.</p> <p>This feat has come about over time through a series of anatomical changes to our skeleton, affecting our cranial base, spine, pelvis, femur, knees and feet.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/skeleton-comparison-display-human-evolution-gallery-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Skeletons in the Museum's Human Evolution gallery"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p><i>Australopithecus sediba</i> (centre) and modern human (far right) skeletons are adapted to walking upright, but a chimpanzee's skeleton (left) isn't</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>These features serve as useful identifiers in the <a href="/discover/what-is-a-fossil.html">fossil record</a> of likely bipedalism in our ancestors, the earliest evidence of which may come from the six-million-year-old聽<i>Orrorin tugenensis</i>. 聽</p> <p>But it's not until聽<i><a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/homo-erectus-our-ancient-ancestor.html" target="_self">Homo erectus</a></i>聽came on the scene about 1.9 million years ago that we see the long-legged form, similar to our own, that makes us so well suited to running and walking over long distances.</p> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>Big brains</h2> <p>Humans are big headed - our brains are around three times larger than would be expected for an animal of our size.</p> <p>The brains of our early hominin relatives (species more closely related to us than to chimpanzees) were not especially large. <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/australopithecus-afarensis-lucy-species.html" target="_self">Australopithecine</a> brains were little bigger than those of other apes, about the size of a grapefruit.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-africanus-skull-cast.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Australopithecus africanus skull"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p><i>Australopithecus africanus</i> had a much smaller brain than humans</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>It isn't until the emergence of the genus聽<i>Homo</i>聽that we begin to see a more significant increase in the size of brains, dominated by a swelling of the cerebral cortex.</p> <p>Between 1.8 million and 700,000 years ago the average brain size of聽<i>Homo erectus</i>聽doubled, and the brains of <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-were-the-neanderthals.html" target="_self">Neanderthals</a> and聽<i>Homo sapiens</i>聽are even larger.</p> <p>What caused this drastic increase in size is unclear, but it was made possible by changes in diet that allowed humans to extract more energy from their food. The production of tools and fire that allowed pre-processing of plant foods - reducing the work load of jaws, teeth and digestive systems - probably played a part. So did access to meat, a rich source of protein.</p> <p>A larger brain is clearly linked to a number of distinctly human traits: the ability to create more complex tools, more advanced hunting techniques, complex social structures and the advent of language.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/clacton-wooden-spear-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Prehistoric spear tip"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p>This 400,000-year-old spear tip made from yew wood was whittled to a point with a stone tool. It would have made a lethal weapon for hunting with.</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>Similar sized sexes</h2> <p>Although not as obvious a human trait as some of the others, a reduction in sexual dimorphism - the difference in size and shape between males and females - is closely linked to one of the most important human features of all: widespread cooperation in a population.</p> <p>High sexual dimorphism in most primates is associated with competition between males for access to females. Most commonly, this leads to males having much larger bodies and canine teeth, which are used in displays of aggression.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/chimp-displaying-teeth-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Chimpanzee"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p>A chimpanzee bares its large canine teeth. Male chimps have much larger canines than female chimps and use them to signal aggression, unlike humans. 漏 Sergey Uryadnikov/ Shutterstock.com</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>All known hominins have smaller canines than our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos. Among some of our early hominin relatives, such as聽<i><a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/australopithecus-afarensis-lucy-species.html" target="_self">Australopithecines afarensis</a></i>, we see quite a large difference in body size between males and females. But species in the genus聽<i>Homo聽</i>start to<i>聽</i>show a level of sexual dimorphism similar to our own.</p> <p>Why is it an important trait for becoming human?</p> <p>Since reduced sexual dimorphism correlates with less aggression between males, it is likely to be associated with greater cooperation within a population and probably made the development of successful societies and civilisations much easier.</p> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>Childhood</h2> <p>The existence of a childhood appears to be an important development on the road to becoming human. We define it as the period of time following infancy, when the youngster is weaned but is not able to care for itself.</p> <p>It is essentially an extended period of growth with continued rapid development of the brain. This period allows us to learn the complex set of skills and social intricacies that equip us to exist in complex human societies.</p> <p>Childhood also brings with it another, less obvious benefit for human populations.</p> <p>Unlike most primates, we are still relatively helpless once we stop feeding on our mother's milk. A child is therefore still dependent on the care of others. Importantly however, provision of care is not limited to the mother, but could instead come from a grandmother, elder sibling, or another close relative.</p> <p>This frees up the mother's time, enabling her to engage in other activities and also to have another child much sooner than would be possible if she was still nursing.</p> <p>An extended childhood appears to have first developed in the <i>Homo </i>genus. The beginnings of this are found in <i>Homo erectus </i>after about 1.9 million years.</p> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>A precision grip</h2> <p>Although other animals use tools, our mastery is second to none, and distinctly human. Ultimately, it stems from the development of a precision grip, the result of changes to the anatomy of the hand. One of the key anatomical features that has enabled this is the presence of a little projection of bone called the metacarpal styloid process.</p> <p>This bone allows us to apply greater amounts of pressure to the wrist and palm. Together with changes in the proportion of our digits, it means we can squeeze objects between our thumb and the tips of our fingers.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/kents-cavern-harpoon-point-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Prehistoric harpoon point"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p>Considerable manual dexterity was needed to carve this harpoon point from reindeer antler. Around 14,000 years old, it was found in Kent's Cavern, Devon.</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>A chimpanzee, by contrast, is unable to touch the tip of its thumb with the tips of all its fingers, and as a result does not have the same manual dexterity.</p> <p>Some of our more distant relatives such as聽<i>Australopithecus afarensis</i>, including the famous fossil known as Lucy from 3.2 million years ago, also lacked a precision grip. But recent research using CT scanning suggests that Lucy's close cousin,聽<i>Australopithecus africanus</i>, may have possessed the required anatomy and grip to wield stone tools more than three million years ago.</p> <p>This grip may have become even more refined by the time of聽<i>Homo erectus</i>聽1.8 million years ago. Coupled with an increased intelligence, it has equipped humans with incredible influence over the world around us.</p> </div> </div> <div class="nhm-video parbase section"> <div class="video-wrapper" data-nhm-videoid="59SXzl0uF7s"> <div id="59SXzl0uF7s" class="youtubeplayer" style="display: block"></div> </div> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "VideoObject", "name": "", "description": "", "thumbnailUrl": "https://img.youtube.com/vi/59SXzl0uF7s/mqdefault.jpg", "uploadDate": "", "contentUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59SXzl0uF7s" } </script> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p><br /> This film shows the making of a Levallois core and flake, an innovative stone tool developed by the Neanderthals and early <i>Homo sapiens</i>.</p> <p>Around 300,000 years ago, they began to shape stone cores from flint that they could carry as a kind of toolkit. They would strike off flakes from this portable core and skilfully turn them into tools for specific purposes such as cutting, scraping, piercing and carving.</p> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>You can learn more about our origins and evolution in the Museum's聽<a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/galleries-and-museum-map/human-evolution.html">Human Evolution gallery</a> and this feature about <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-origin-of-our-species.html">the origin of our species</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article--footer">  <div class="cluster ga-scroll-event-target"> <div class="social-icons-list"> <div class="social-share--container"> <div class="social-share--icons cluster"> <div class="facebook social-share--icon--container"> <a aria-label="Share on facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-we-became-human" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg width="28" 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