What are the ancestors of mankind?

The ancestors of human beings are Australopithecus. From the discovered human fossils, the evolution of human beings can be roughly divided into the following four stages:

(1) Australopithecus stage.

The discovered Australopithecus lived from 4.4 million years ago to 1 million years ago. According to the research on the anatomical characteristics of fossils, the most important feature of Australopithecus is that it can walk upright on both feet, which is different from apes.

(2) capable person stage.

the first 2 million-the first 1.75 million years. Fossils of homo habilis have been discovered in Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa since 196. The earliest possible life existed 1.9 million years ago. Homo habilis is classified as homo habilis below hominid. Homo habilis has a larger brain than Australopithecus, and can make tools (stone tools) from stones, and then gradually evolved into Homo erectus.

(3) Homo erectus stage.

Homo erectus belongs to Homo erectus in classification, which is called Homo erectus for short, commonly known as Homo. Homo erectus fossils were first discovered in Java, Indonesia in 1891. At that time, there was also a debate about whether it was a human or an ape. It was not until the 192s that the fossils and stone tools of Peking Man were discovered in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, that the position of Homo erectus in the history of human evolution was established. Homo erectus lived about 1.7 million years ago to more than 2 thousand years ago. So far, homo erectus fossils have been found in Asia, Africa and Europe.

(4) Homo sapiens stage.

Homo sapiens is generally divided into early homo sapiens (ancient homo sapiens) and late homo sapiens (modern homo sapiens). Early Homo sapiens lived from 2, years ago to more than 1, years ago. The survival age of late Homo sapiens began about 1, years ago. Its anatomical structure is basically similar to that of modern people, so it is also called modern people in anatomical structure.

Extended information

On the issue of the origin of human ancestors, there are two concepts

The origin of Hominidae. At present, there is not much controversy in academic circles about the view that the same ancestor of Hominidae originated from African apes about 7 million to 5 million years ago. For example, in 29, Science magazine published an article saying that the fragmentary hominid fossils found in Ethiopia were successfully pieced together into a female hominid skeleton. Scientists say that the ape-man named "Aldis" lived about 4.4 million years ago, one million years earlier than another female hominid skeleton "Lucy" found in Ethiopia earlier, and it is the earliest hominid skeleton so far.

But there are two hypotheses about the origin of modern people. At present, many scientists support the "African origin theory", that is, Africa is the hometown of modern people.

A few scientists support the "multi-origin theory", that is, modern people originated in Europe, Asia and Africa.