Human evolution

Six million years of us.

Our lineage split from the chimpanzees around six million years ago. What followed was a mosaic of species, not a straight line.

1. Sahelanthropus tchadensis

   7 – 6 Mya

   One of the earliest possible hominins, found in Chad.

2. Ardipithecus ramidus

   4.4 Mya

   Bipedal but with a grasping big toe; forest floor.

3. Australopithecus afarensis

   3.9 – 2.9 Mya

   'Lucy'; upright walking; small brains.

4. Homo habilis

   2.4 – 1.4 Mya

   First stone tools of the Oldowan tradition.

5. Homo erectus

   1.9 Mya – 110 kya

   First hominin to leave Africa; controlled fire.

6. Homo neanderthalensis

   400 – 40 kya

   European and West Asian; buried their dead.

7. Homo sapiens

   300 kya – present

   Us; symbolic thought, agriculture, cities, spaceflight.