Human evolution

Human evolution is the process of change and development, or evolution, by which human beings emerged as distinct species. It is the subject of a broad scientific inquiry that seeks to understand and describe how change and development took place. The study of human evolution encompasses many scientific disciplines, but most notably physical anthropology and genetics. The term "human", in the context of human evolution, refers to the genus Homo, but studies of human evolution usually include other hominids, such as the australopithecines.

See also

• Archaeogenetics
• Evolutionary medicine
• FOXP2
• Graphical timeline of human evolution
• Homo neanderthalensis
• Jeffrey H. Schwartz
• Mitochondrial Eve (African Eve theory)
• Multi-regional origin
• Physical anthropology
• Single origin hypothesis
• Theories of the origin of humans