As millions of years have past, human evolution has put humans through many changes, both mentally and physically. Scientists have outlined the various stages of human evolution based on the evolution evidence that has been presented to us through physical and material evidence. Although researchers of human evolution cannot agree on the prime origins, evolution evidence shows universally that life resembling humans closely started about 2.5 million years ago.
The three underlying stages of human evolution are the Neanderthal stage, the Cro-Magnon stage, and the Homo sapien stage. Using these three categories, understanding the development stages of human evolution can be a lot of easier to understand.
1. Homo Habilis
There is a lot of evolution evidence that humans first appeared 2.5 million years ago in the continent of Africa and these early humans were ape-like in appearance. This first stage of human evolution is called homo habilis. Evolution evidence suggests they had a skull half the size of modern humans and according to fossil evidence, had very long arms.
2. Homo Erectus
The homo erectus chain of human evolution, according to evolution evidence, began during the same time as homo habilis. Evolution evidence suggests that the homo erectus showed the first signs of humans using tools created from stones. This signified the start of the Paleolithic era, which in a significant stage in human evolution, also led to the migration of humans from Africa to other continents.
3. Homo Georgicus
Humans during this era of human evolution had many modern characteristics. Evolution evidence suggests that during this stage, the homo antecessor existed, the earliest known link between Neanderthal and modern humans.
4. Neanderthal
According evolution evidence, Neanderthals started about 600,000 years ago in Europe. In this stage of human evolution, the Neanderthals started to create more complex tools using stones as well as the use of other materials such as wood to make tools. The Neanderthal stage even showed evidence of the first use of musical instruments. According to fossil evolution evidence, they seemed to have died out about 30,000 years ago, as no Neanderthal fossils have been found any younger than that.
5. Cro-Magnum
The cro-magnum is a grouping of humans in later human evolution stages whose time period overlapped with Neanderthal. There is a wide debate about the role they played in human evolution. Some believe that cro-magnum and modern humans show similar enough characterists that they should not be separately classified, however some evolution evidence shows enough difference that they should be identified as a separate group the bridges Neanderthals and modern humans.
Cro-magnums were shorter in stature than modern humans. They are also accredited in human evolution in taking technology of tools to a whole new level. They discovered burial methods, they began religious views and organized religion, and even created social systems around 60,000 years ago. Although it is hard to pinpoint, cro-magnum gave birth to modern humans about 30,000 years ago.