Homo (genus)

Homo; Fossil range: 2.5–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pliocene to Recent
	; Skull of Homo neanderthalensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukarya;
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Chordata;
Class:	Mammalia;
Order:	Primates;
Family:	Hominidae;
Subfamily:	Homininae;
Tribe:	Hominini;
Subtribe:	Hominina;
Genus:	Homo; Linnaeus, 1758
Species
	Homo sapiens; See text for extinct species.

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For other uses, see Homo.

Extant Hominoid family tree

Homo is the genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives. The genus is estimated to be about 2.5 million years old, evolving from Australopithecine ancestors with the appearance of Homo habilis. Appearance of Homo coincides with the first evidence of stone tools (the Oldowan industry), and thus by definition with the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic.

All species except Homo sapiens (modern humans) are extinct. Homo neanderthalensis, traditionally considered the last surviving relative, died out 24,000 years ago, while a recent discovery suggests that another species, Homo floresiensis, may have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. Given the large number of morphological similarities exhibited, Homo is closely related to several extinct hominin genera, most notably Kenyanthropus, Paranthropus and Australopithecus. As of 2007^[update], no taxon is universally accepted as the origin of the radiation of Homo.

[edit] Naming

Further information: List of alternative names for the human species

The word homo is Latin, in the original sense of "human being", or "person". The word "human" itself is from Latin humanus, an adjective cognate to homo, both thought to derive from a Proto-Indo-European word reconstructed as*dhǵhem- "earth"^[1]. Cf. Hebrew adam, meaning "human", cognate to adamah, meaning "ground". (And cf. Latin humus, meaning "soil" and Slavic земля meaning "land, earth".)

[edit] Species

Comparative table of *Homo* species
Species	Lived when (Ma)	Lived where	Adult height	Adult mass	Brain volume (cm³)	Fossil record	Discovery / publication of name
H. habilis	2.2 – 1.6	Africa	1.0–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft)	33–55 kg (73–120 lb)	660	many	1960/1964
H. erectus	1.4 – 0.2	Africa, Eurasia (Java, China, Caucasus)	1.8 m (5.9 ft)	60 kg (130 lb)	850 (early) – 1100 (late)	many	1891/1892
H. rudolfensis	1.9	Kenya				1 skull	1972/1986
H. georgicus	1.8	Republic of Georgia			600	few	1999/2002
H. ergaster	1.9 – 1.4	E. and S. Africa	1.9 m (6.2 ft)		700–850	many	1975
H. antecessor	1.2 – 0.8	Spain	1.75 m (5.7 ft)	90 kg (200 lb)	1000	2 sites	1997
H. cepranensis	0.9 – 0.8?	Italy			1000	1 skull cap	1994/2003
H. heidelbergensis	0.6 – 0.35	Europe, Africa, China	1.8 m (5.9 ft)	60 kg (130 lb)	1100–1400	many	1908
H. neanderthalensis	0.35 – 0.03	Europe, W. Asia	1.6 m (5.2 ft)	55–70 kg (120–150 lb) (heavily built)	1200–1700	many	(1829)/1864
H. rhodesiensis	0.3 – 0.12	Zambia			1300	very few	1921
H. sapiens sapiens	0.2 – present	worldwide	1.4–1.9 m (4.6–6.2 ft)	50–100 kg (110–220 lb)	1000–1850	still living	—/1758
H. sapiens idaltu	0.16 – 0.15	Ethiopia			1450	3 craniums	1997/2003
H. floresiensis	0.10 – 0.012	Indonesia	1.0 m (3.3 ft)	25 kg (55 lb)	400	7 individuals	2003/2004

Species status of Homo rudolfensis, H. ergaster, H. georgicus, H. antecessor, H. cepranensis, H. rhodesiensis and H. floresiensis remains under debate. H. heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis are closely related to each other and have been considered to be subspecies of H. sapiens, but analysis of mitochondrial DNA from Homo neanderthalensis fossils shows that H. neanderthalensis is genetically closer to chimpanzees than H. sapiens is, thereby suggesting that H. sapiens is the more derived of the two.^[2] for more information see Human evolution

[edit] References

Serre et al. (2004). "No evidence of Neandertal mtDNA contribution to early modern humans". PLoS Biology 2 (3): 313–7. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020057. PMID 15024415.