What was the first human species?
What was the first human species?
Learn about early species in the genus Homo and scholarly debates over what defines being human.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about early species in the genus Homo and scholarly debates over what defines being human.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the Australopithecus genus.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzDiscussion of biological clocks, including an overview of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which controls circadian rhythms.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Vladislav Kochelaevskiy/Dreamstime.com; © Photoblueice/Dreamstime.comView researchers at the anthropological institute in Göttingen studying DNA taken from Bronze Age skeletons found in the Lichtenstein Cave, Harz mountains, northern Germany.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Scientists have narrowed the answer down to a single genetic mutation.
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© MinuteEarth (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Comparing the similarities and differences between the genomes of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and human beings (Homo sapiens).
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Eevlva/Dreamstime.comOverview of nuclear radiation and its effects on the human body.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © anne sarfina agustina dimyadi/Dreamstime.comLearn about human evolution.
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© American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)CRISPR and genetically modified humans.
News •
Largest fossil database ever compiled rewrites the human origin story
• Dec. 7, 2025, 12:41 AM ET (Earth.com)
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