Homo sapiens is the only human species still alive on Earth, as all the others have become extinct. The Latin word Homo means human, while sapiens refers to wise in Latin. Homo sapiens is typically translated as a Wise Man.

The first humans evolved from an earlier genus of apes in Africa around 2.5 million years ago. Some remained in their homelands, while others began to migrate to the vast areas of Asia and Europe. Since living conditions varied widely around the world, humans began to evolve in different directions, and many distinct human species came into being.

Africa, too, remained the birthplace of many new human species, and around 315,000 years ago, one of those eventually evolved into our own, Homo sapiens.¹

Homo sapiens turned out to be a highly invasive species (harmful to others) and became the cause of the ongoing sixth mass extinction. They abandoned lives in small groups of hunter-gatherers (Agricultural Revolution 12,000 YA) and built cities, states, and empires inhabited even by hundreds of millions, if not more. Sapiens discovered writing systems to control and manage, created laws to govern, and developed weapons to rule these vast entities. They invented ever-more complex tools to utilize resources and found means to spread to every corner of the planet Earth and even beyond – to space.

However, while trying to satisfy the needs, desires, and cravings of the ever-growing number of people, Homo sapiens began to destroy the nature of planet Earth by overcutting forests, contaminating waters, and polluting the air – the very resources making our planet habitable to us and other animals.

Besides, Sapiens are building weapons capable of killing millions at once (hydrogen bombs), giving birth to deadly viruses in laboratories, and creating tools that someday can be too smart to be controlled (artificial intelligence), perhaps even hostile to their hosts.

It is almost certain that Homo sapiens will be the last human species to inhabit planet Earth since there are no more isolated corners enabling new ones to evolve. But how long will our kind survive?

¹ Homo sapiens evolved from an earlier human species known as Homo heidelbergensis. Homo heidelbergensis was also a direct ancestor of Homo neanderthalensis. The last common ancestor of these two human species lived around 600,000 years ago before evolving into distinct species.

Bibliography

Pettitt, P. 2022. Homo Sapiens Rediscovered the Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins. London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson. 304 p. ISBN 9780500252635. Pages 15, 32, 40-42, 72, 86-88.

Potter, W. 2023. Homo Sapiens the History of Humanity And the Development of Civilization. London, United Kingdom: Arcturus Publishing Limited. 256 p. ISBN 9781788280914. Page s 9,13.

Dartnell, L. 2019. Origins How the Earth Shaped Human History. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Random House. 346 p. ISBN 9781784705435. Page 16.

Panciroli, E. 2022. The Earth a Biography of Life The Story of Life On Our Planet Through 47 Incredible Organisms. London, United Kingdom: An Hachette UK company. 255 p. ISBN 9781529413984. Pages 240-244.

Frankopan, P. 2023. The Earth Transformed an Untold History. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. 695 p. ISBN 9781526622563. Pages 44-53.

Harari, Y. N. 2015. Sapiens a Brief History of Humankind. London, United Kingdom: Vintage. 512 p. ISBN 9780099590088. Pages 6-8, 15, 19-20, 72, 79-82.

Harari, Y. N. 2017. Homo Deus a Brief History of Tomorrow. London, United Kingdom: Vintage. 513 p. ISBN 9781784703936. Pages 249-254, 361, 370-382.

Smil, V. 2023. Invention and Innovation a Brief History of Hype and Failure. Cambridge, United States: MIT Press. 219 p. ISBN 9780262048057. Pages 138-140.

Rutherford, A. 2020. The Book of Humans a Brief History of Culture, Sex, and the Evolution of Us. London, United Kingdom: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 240 p. ISBN 9781615195909. Pages 153-154, 177.

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2.5 MYA
Humans evolve

Around 2.5 million years ago, the first humans evolved from an earlier genus of apes in Africa. Some remained in their homelands, while others began to migrate to the vast areas of Asia and Europe. Since living conditions varied widely around the world, humans began to evolve in different directions, and many distinct human species came into being.