The phylogeny of the primates 
        Arboreal insectivores
       Lemurs
       New World Monkey
       Old World Monkey
       Great apes


Humans, together with the now extinct ape men such as the robust australopithecines, form the group known as hominids. Hominoids are a wider group containing both apes and hominids. A larger group, the higher primates, includes monkeys, and a wider group still, the primate includes other animals such as lemurs.
 Ape Man
Until the 1970s, prevaiding opinion held that humans and apes had separate evolutionary histories going back as far as 15 million years or more. The point at which the gibbons split off from the evolutionary line was put as far back as 30 million years or more. But in the 1980s these views were overturned, especially in the light of molecular and genetic research. Today it seems that all living apes have evolved within the last 20 million years or so, with humans and chimpanzees showing a common ancestor as recently 7 million years ago.

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HUMAN EVOLUTION

Fossils and fragments of jaws suggest to scientists that the ancestors of monkeys, apes, and humans began their evolution approximately 50 million years ago. Additional evidence for this evolution has been
derived from experiments in biochemistry and changes  that occur in the DNA of cells. Mutation rates in the DNA have been calculated, and evolutionary changes can be determined from these calculations. By noting mutation rates, scientists can estimate the time since two species diverged from a single ancestor, and they can develop a family tree.
Australopithecus The scientific evidence indicates that the first hominids (humanlike creatures) belonged to a group called Australopithecus. Members of the genus Australopithecus are believed to have displayed a critical step in human evolution: the ability to walk upright on two feet.
 In 1924, the complete skull of a young child was found in a limestone quarry in South Africa. The fossil was unlike any ever seen before. The fossil was named Australopithecus africanus. Since then, several other A. africanus fossils have been found, showing heavy jaws, low foreheads, and small brain capacities. In 1974, a team led by Donald Johanssen and Tim White found a nearly complete skeleton of a female in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The fossil, which is earlier than A. africanus, is widely known as "Lucy," but it is classified as Australopithecus afarensis. In 1977, Mary Leakey and her group made
another important discovery--a set of fossil hominid footprints. The footprints, dated at some 4 million years of age, show that the two Australopithecines that made the footprints walked erect. Members of the Australopithecus genus are considered the first hominids, but not the first humans. Their brains were small in comparison with human
brains, and they had long, monkeylike arms. Other members of the Australopithecus genus have been classified as A. robustus and A. boisei. These different species of Australopithecus lived in Africa and are believed to have been primarily plant eaters.
Members of the Australopithecus group eventually died out about 1 million years ago.
Homo habilis Fossils dating back about 2 million years ago have been found with brain capacities much larger than any Australopithecus fossil. On the basis of brain size, these fossils are named Homo habilis. Homo habilis is regarded as the first human and the first species of the genus Homo. Homo habilis means "handy human." Members of this species were apparently able to use tools, build shelters, and fashion protective clothing. Members of the species appear to have spent much time in trees as well as on the ground, and to have walked erect on two legs. Homo habilis is thought to have been the predominant species during the Stone Age, a time during which stone tools were fashioned by humans. Homo habilis eventually became extinct, presumably about 35,000 years ago.
Homo erectus The first hominid to leave Africa for Europe and Asia was Homo erectus. Evidence suggests that Homo erectus replaced Homo habilis. Homo erectus was about the size of modern humans and was fully adapted for upright walking. Its brain was much larger than its ancestor's brain, but it had features that separate it from modern humans. The tools of Homo erectus were more sophisticated than the tools of Homo habilis. Homo erectus was perhaps the first hunter-gatherer.
Homo erectus was skillful at hunting and butchering animals and is presumed to be the first user of fire. Archaeologists believe Homo erectus established early cultures and had methods for communicating information to the next generation. The concept of language is believed to have existed in Homo erectus.
Homo sapiens The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens date to about 200,000 years ago. Homo sapiens means "intelligent human," and modern humans are classified in this species. Homo sapiens is believed to have evolved from Homo erectus. The evolution is thought to have taken place in Africa. The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens show a gradual change over the last 200,000 years into varieties of Homo sapiens, but not new species.
The oldest fossils classified as Homo sapiens are the Neanderthals, who lived from about 125,000 years ago to about 35,000 years ago in Europe. Neanderthals were short, stocky, and powerfully built. They had large skulls and heavy faces with prominent brow ridges, a sloping forehead, and a heavy jaw but a small chin. Their large heads contained larger brains than those of today's humans. Neanderthals made tools of various types and lived in caves and huts. 
While Neanderthals were still in existence, the oldest fully modern variety of Homo sapiens emerged.  This modern variety is called Cro-Magnon, for a cave in southwestern France where the first fossils
were found. Cro-Magnons were somewhat similar to Neanderthals, but they had smaller heads and less prominent faces. Cro-Magnons are similar to modern humans. Cro-Magnons hunted, displayed culture, and showed the gradual development that led to today's societies. About 10,000 years ago, the first evidence of cities and social structure existed, and by about 5000 years ago the first great civilizations began to flourish.Today's humans are the descendants of this variation of Homo sapiens.                                                                   
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