Commercial Break: Pre-Adamic Man: No Such Thing

While having literary, political and theological meaning, the myth of Adam, Eve and the Garden is not any actual account of human origins or "first parents", a mere 6000 years ago.

Theology? Yes.  Human origins? No. 

 

Homo habilis and the Dawn of Human Intelligence (2.4–1.5 Million Years Ago)

^{Around 2.4 million years ago, the first members of the genus Homo appeared. Homo habilis, or “handy man,” was named for the stone tools found near its fossils. These early humans had larger brains than Australopithecus and were likely more dependent on tools for survival.}

^{They lived in complex social groups and may have scavenged or hunted small animals. Their teeth were smaller, suggesting a shift in diet. The use of tools allowed them to crack open bones for marrow—a rich source of calories that may have fueled further brain growth.}

^{Although they still looked primitive by today’s standards, Homo habilis marked a turning point. The cognitive gap between them and earlier hominins was vast. The line between survival and innovation was beginning to blur.}

Homo erectus: The First Global Wanderers (1.9 Million–140,000 Years Ago)

^{Around 1.9 million years ago, Homo erectus emerged in Africa. This species was larger, stronger, and more advanced than its predecessors. Its brain was about two-thirds the size of a modern human’s, and its body proportions were similar to ours. Homo erectus used more sophisticated stone tools, possibly controlled fire, and built shelters.}

^{But perhaps the most remarkable trait of Homo erectus was its wanderlust. It was the first human species to leave Africa. Fossils have been found in Georgia (1.8 million years ago), Indonesia (1.6 million years ago), and China (1.2 million years ago). Homo erectus adapted to many environments, from tropical forests to dry grasslands.}

^{Fire provided warmth and protection, allowing these early humans to settle in colder climates. Cooking may have made food more digestible, improving nutrition and supporting brain growth. Social bonds deepened. Cooperation became essential. The long human journey had gone global.}

Neanderthals, Denisovans, and the Branching Tree of Humanity (800,000–40,000 Years Ago)

^{From Homo erectus came a variety of species adapted to different environments. In Europe and western Asia, Homo neanderthalensis—the Neanderthals—evolved around 400,000 years ago. In eastern Asia, another group emerged: the Denisovans, known primarily through genetic evidence and a few fossil fragments.}

^{Neanderthals were not brutish cavemen, as once believed. They had larger brains than modern humans, buried their dead, cared for the injured, and created art and tools. Their lives were hard, marked by cold climates and dangerous hunts, but they were intelligent survivors.}

^{Meanwhile, early Homo sapiens were evolving in Africa. Fossils from Morocco, dated to around 300,000 years ago, show a mix of modern and archaic features. These early humans had high foreheads, smaller faces, and behavior increasingly shaped by culture.}

Homo sapiens: The Emergence of Modern Humans (300,000 Years Ago–Present)

^{Modern humans, Homo sapiens, emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago. They spread slowly at first moving into the Middle East around 100,000 years ago. and into Europe and Asia by 60,000 years ago..}

^{Along the way , they encountered and interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovians, leaving traces of these ancient relatives in our own DNA.} 

^{What set Homo sapiens apart was not just biology, but behavior. Around 50,000 years ago, a “cognitive revolution” occurred. Humans began to make intricate tools, jewelry, cave paintings, and musical instruments. They developed language, rituals, and myths. Culture became a survival tool as powerful as fire or stone.}

^{As humans spread across the globe, they adapted to new environments, domesticated animals, and transformed landscapes. By 15,000 years ago, they had reached the Americas. By 4,000 years ago, they had colonized remote Pacific islands.}

Agriculture, which began around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, changed everything. People settled into villages, built cities, and formed civilizations. Writing was invented, and with it, history began.

From a historical perspective, literacy levels for the world population have risen drastically in the last couple of centuries. While only one in ten people in the world could read and write in 1820, today, only 1 in 10 remains illiterate. .

Humans became  personally conscious about 3300 BC to 2100BC, 5,300 to 4,100 years ago when writing was invented with reading came next.  It was at this time the personal "I" came into being .

From Homo Erectus, 2 million years ago, up until the last Neanderthal, the hand axe never changed. This personal Acheulean handaxe is about 800,000 years old

 

 

From 60,000 years ago to today, modern humans went to the moon and invented AI

 

AI beings may prove to be the next new species putting the existence of modern humans at risk if quardrails aren't enforced. 

 

Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins