With 2023 starting, some of the prophecies made by the Nostradamus of the Balkans – Baba Vanga, are seemingly coming true. This has quite surprisingly led to evolutionary theorists and scientists picking up one of the prophecies that states – humanity is nearing its end, albeit (physically – emotionally perhaps it exists only in spurts). Furthering this thought – social media seems abuzz with the trending query – how long have humans been on earth?
Despite discords from multiple domains, the latest acceptable response seems to be – anatomically, they appeared 300,000 years ago, while ‘behavioural modernity’ evolved 50,000 -65,000 years ago.
As your browsing engine has led you to this post, which has been specifically curated with the assistance of some noted evolutionary theorists and peer students – be assured of getting all the related feedback concerning this question. Let’s continue –
For how long have humans been on earth?
If that has been a query you have asked as a child – you might have got to hear the Biblical version of the tale – the very own story of the Ultimate Sin, the Adam, Eve, and the Satan story. As a child – you may have loved that story – the ultimate trajectory of the creation of Adam from God – the creation of his partner Eve from him, and his luring by the Serpent – Satan – his banishment from the Garden of Eden – the story of the creation of the First Man (Early Centuries of 1st Millenium BCE).
However, with age – the Biblical story started requiring a little logical explanation, especially with you reading about the Darwinian theory of evolution and watching Jurassic Park for cinematic pleasure.
Keeping the geographical context in mind – you must note that –
- Around 7 million years ago – the lineage of humanity following the split from chimpanzees kickstarted
- However, only around 2-3 million years ago – the official set of Homo Sapiens emerged.
- Then – again if you go back around 30,000 years – traces of cave paintings (the latest that goes back to pre-historic standards found in Haryana, India) showed the enhancement of man’s depiction of life.
- It is only a mere 12,000 years ago – that the concepts of hunting, gathering and food production evolved.
Does that one date – 2-3 million create a snag in your eye? Well – that’s quite the discorded (but closely rounded off by most theorists) date to answer the query – how long have humans been on earth?
THIS IS OUR STORY
Understanding the date –
When you ask about anatomically modern humans, Africa is the bassinet, with the earliest skeletons found in Ethiopia (the famed Herto and Omo skeletons). That is speaking of 200,000 years ago when the available anatomy represented – reduced brows, slender figures, and high foreheads. They were different from Neanderthals, who co-existed with their heavy set of tools, thicker bones, and body size.
When you get to analyze the anatomy and behavioral pattern of the Siberian Denisovan group of people, you will find that they were distinctly different from the Neanderthals (whom we may call our ancestors or, at times, may not since further discoveries are on the way). Yet, when it comes to an understanding of human evolution, there are other aspects that are highlighted vis-a-vis this.
So, what is the time span of human evolution and stay? The hominins will have the answer.
From amoeba to dinosaurs to the hominin
As a science student, you must have already read that amoeba was the first ‘living’ element found on Earth. Also, the science theories and multiple Godzilla and Jurassic Park movies have already taught you that dinosaurs predated humans. However – when it came to reverting to the query – of how long have humans been on earth, multiple theories have originated. One of them is the theory of the hominin.
Let’s understand that. According to the Smithsonian Institute, the key to ‘modern humans’ or ‘humans as we know today emerged from one of the earliest ancestors – Sahelanthropus. To understand how long humans have been on Earth – one has to uncover the older lineages of hominins (the group of our modern humans and closest but extinct ancestors) and place them with respect to their creations and the climatic factors.
Though, as humans, we would prefer to be the masters of climate. Yet, the constant shifts in climate and temporary breakdown of Earth’s magnetic field have led to the distinction of humans from other species and even our ancestors.
The remains of the fossils(fossils found in Jebel Irhoud, one of the oldest excavation sites), skeletons, rock culture, cave paintings, tools, and further DNA testing procedures would help us guide us to answer the length of human presence on Earth.
Well – that is just touching the tip of answering the human evolutionary iceberg. The history of human existence on Planet Earth just starts here!
Africa – The cradle of modern humans
According to data obtained from the Smithsonian Institution – the initial tangible link to humanity began almost 6 million years ago, with a connection to Ardipithecus, a primate group. Based out of the African domain, this primate group kickstarted the process of ‘upright walking’.
Going chronologically, the Australopithecus group of primates was the next in line with the ability to walk upright and climb trees. The third in line was the Paranthropus, with their comparatively larger teeth, hands and wide range in terms of diet.
Lastly on this list – is the current set of our ancestors – the Homo Sapiens who were accustomed to not just the walking or tree climbing process, but had developed bigger brains, knew the art of tool making, had almost tamed a couple of animals and last but not the least – had integrated the capacity to thrive in the face of climate adversity.
It is only 60,000 – 80,000 years ago that parts of the human race started straying beyond the African domain and made their presence felt in other parts of the world – especially in what is today’s America and South-eastern ends of the world. “This great migration has brought the human species to a position of domination, which it has not relinquished in all these years”, reads an extract from the Smithsonian Magazine.
As you proceed further in this article, you will understand deeper concepts associated with the evolutionary theories, a detailed analysis of how long have humans been on earth, and most importantly – the orbit of the human journey.
From Homo Habilis to Homo Sapien
This segment is divided into two portions – one following the trajectory of human evolution since the documentation period and another understanding this evolution process from the initial Homo to the modern civilized Homo Sapien – as we call ourselves today.
Orbiting the human evolution –
Referring to it as the ‘Great Leap,’ scientists from multiple domains of the world have accepted that – for 200,000 – 300,000 years after the arrival of Homo Sapiens, the tools were quite similar though a tad better than the Neanderthal technology.
The cave paintings and idols are references to the creativity of man, and it can be stretched as far off as – men navigating to different areas (Australia had been the immediate destination).
Therefore – this development has been officiated a name, that is, the evolution of a complete modern brain.
The next point that will be discussed here is anatomical modernity. During bone analysis sessions held in the USA from the ones that were discovered in Africa, it was noted that – the skeletal bone case had almost become akin to the current set of cranial anatomy by close to 100,000 years.
However, the data analysis mentioned above is restricted only to fossil findings. When one considers human DNA analysis, the data shows the ancestors of modern humans to be living 260,000 – 300,000 years ago and sharing certain fundamental commonalities with modern-day – man.
#Note – When you check the behavioral patterns of tribes such as Bantu, Aztec, Tamil, Maori, and Aboriginals, you will immediately notice specific behavior absent in other sets of apes but fundamentally present in the modern human race. This itself sets them apart from the apes (who are counted to be originators of man).
The final point of this trajectory is the network effect. Though archaeology and biology state different parts of the human story. When archaeology speaks of the tools, it depicts the brainpower achieved by humans of that era to develop the same. At the same time – the biological aspect, such as fossil analysis and DNA tests, reflect the evolution of the brain from the neanderthal to ape-man and the current crop of men.
So, it may be stated that – standing strong today at 8 billion and counting – it is not just the brain that has undergone the change, but the cultural changes have pushed us ahead as a race.
It is now time to understand the path that humans walked – from the earliest to the current range.
From Homo Erectus to Homo Sapien
The initial travail of humans from Ardipithecus to Paranthropus has been documented before. Now it is time to get to the specifics of the same –
The Homo Species
Between 1-2.5 million years, the ‘Out Of Africa’ concept developed that showed how the humans who started off their journey in Africa, very soon with their personal evolution, fared out to the other parts of the world.
However, some recent scientific knowledge has brought to light a fact that – even beyond the African domain an independent human population grew, which not only negates the previously mentioned ‘Out Of Africa’ theory but also answers the spinning query regarding the sudden changes in anatomy and biology in humans in certain parts of the world.
The Homo Habilis
Answering the query of how long have humans been on earth comes to the next segment – officiated as Homo Habilis, the first of modern humans. With a comparatively larger brain structure and a conspicuously smaller facial structure – the first of such remains was discovered in Tanzania.
The Homo Erectus
Anatomically they are similar to modern humans, their existence being located around 1.2 – 1.8 million years, characterized by – shorter arms and teeth and long legs. One of the initial examples of this has been referred to as the ‘Turkana Boy’ of Kenya.
The Homo Sapiens
The only species of the Homo genus that is not yet extinct and is the most advanced is the Homo Sapiens. In fact, with over 8 billion of them gracing the planet Earth this time, it would only take a planetary-level catastrophe to finish it off (God forbid)!
For the record – Apart from the Homo Sapiens who survived the evolution process, the others of the same fold – such as the Homo neanderthalensis (which lived in Europe) but became extinct 40,000 years ago. Similarly, the Homo florensiensis (the Hobbit) evolved in Asia but became extinct in 50,000 years. One of the oldest – Homo hiedelbergensis lived in China and Europe apart from parts of Africa – became extinct 200,000 years ago.
Speaking of the spread – the earliest of them came out of Africa to spread to Asian, European, and Oceania domains. From there, the Eurasian population migrated off to the Americas, and with time – Canada and Polynesia got inhabited.
Differentiating the current set of Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals
The factors and statistics mentioned above have already given you an idea that – neanderthals may have some connections with the current set of Homo Sapiens. Still, there is a difference between the two.
- The Homo neanderthals came with a jocular stock feature and strong bodies specifically suited for cold weather. On the contrary – the developing Homo Sapiens had physical features more suited to African weather – but had the strong ability to adapt. This feature caused the extinction of neanderthals and the constancy of the current crop of humans.
- Another critical feature is – in the case of neanderthals, the level of adaptability was one-sided while Homo Sapiens had the capacity not just to adapt but to alter the environment concerned. This started from the Anthropocene geological period itself – a topic that will be discussed shortly.
Darwinian theory of Evolution
The Theory of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin is one of the crucial aspects to answering the cause of the presence of humans on Earth. Based on his theory, one understands the evolution of organisms over time, the alterations in categorical aspects, and the factors that cause one species to survive while the other is wiped out.
It is this that forms the basis of – ‘survival of the fittest’ – the famous Darwinian Theory that describes why certain organisms exist and why some perish.
This theory leads to a flurry of queries without a doubt and also asks for a deeper understanding of how humans survived the myriad alterations.
Anthropocene and humans – the geographical facet
As has been mentioned before in this post, that, climate change has considerably affected the presence of humans. Now – it is important to determine the trajectory of humans who have been resilient in the face of climate change, leading to answering the simple query – how long have humans been on earth?
Hominins first appeared in the Miocene period, followed by the Pleistocene period into the Holocene period. This was finally followed up by the Anthropocene period, which in current geographical times has acted as the narrative between the intermingling of humans and climate (a very ancient structure of what we today call the human and nature conflict).
However, in this feature itself, it is important to understand the role that the climate had with respect to the presence of humans. Standing today – when spoken geographically, the Anthropocene, out of all the geological periods, is crucial in terms of the presence and evolution of humans on earth.
It has drastically altered the orbit of human presence – according to studies established by the National Institute of Science (a US-based science-backed independent organization).
In the next segment, you will discover this facet associated with human evolution from the neanderthal and hominin stage to the ‘emergence of modern man’ scenario.
The ambit of human evolution in the Anthropocene period
As you have previously understood, the evolution of Homo Sapiens from its very crude to the current scientifically backed setup has faced multiple aversions. Climate is one of the salient factors in this, with understanding the Anthropocene period becoming extremely important.
The Earth’s environment has constantly undergone multiple changes, even in the Anthropocene period. However, human beings adaptability standards made them compatible with the environment.
As found from fossil-premise-based shreds of evidence, the first of the bipedal hominins were compatible both on the ground as well as the trees, which assisted their survival when the habitats oscillated between myriad ecosystems.
With time – they developed multiple tools, food habits, and controlling factors, thereby altering their character in general. This allowed them a wider arena when it came to them moving out of the African crib to expand into multifarious ecosystems, thereby facing the toughest of conditions – a fact that has conditioned the current human mental setup.
As a matter of fact, the usage of tools in the Anthropocene period allowed the hominins to diversify their diet, giving them an alternative when there was a lack of availability. The Smithsonian Institute reportedly found multiple objects in Africa, such as tools, imprints, and data on increasing brain size – all of which point toward the survival instincts of humans in the Anthropocene period – one of the most crucial and most studied periods of geology.
Since you have been reading this document for a considerable period now, you must have understood the African human story, the Darwinian version of evolutionary theory, and the path humans have traveled in these monumental years. In the next segment of this content on how long have humans been on earth – you will get an elaboration on the transition of individuals – from the primal tribal format to reach the domain of Mars.
From the tribes to reaching the Mars
You must have heard of the forest fires that ravaged the Amazon basin (2021) and how one of the oldest tribes of humans was affected critically. Well – another set of the oldest tribes of Africa – the San and the Khoikhoi have also been in the news, unfortunately for the same news for their critical scenario.
Once upon a time, the ‘Great Leap’ was all about moving from the USA to other parts of the continent, a facet of human evolution and distance as was never seen before. However, in the post-World War era – migration has led to humans leaving the Earth in general and looking forward to settling down elsewhere (if conditions favor).
The process started with Russian cosmonaut Gagarin making a singular orbit around the earth, which was again forwarded by humanity’s stepping on the moon. Since this occasion, human colonization strategies have shifted to space, with numerous space stations hoarded up for further expeditions.
Taking this further – India has been the first country to complete the Mars mission successfully, while the other superpowers such as Russia, the USA, and China are planning on sending expeditions not just to Mars but to the Sun and other planets of the Universe as well.
This is merely one of the paradigms that do not just depict the scenario with regard to how long have humans been on earth but also portray the path that humans have traversed to reach where they have today.
From a group of ‘just developed into something unique’ hit from the chimpanzee faces, today they create unique things – all in a span of albeit million years. With another couple of centuries to go before the Earth officially ends, it is important that some more inventions are made, some unique aspects are discovered, and humans become more polished compared to the current times. Most importantly – humanity, which has been drastically rationed in the current times, must remain.
Wrapping up
So, do you have a fair idea now about how long have humans been on earth? Hopefully, this content could give you a better insight into this query and reverberate certain geographical aspects that you might have missed out on in the rush of time. Read well and keep your humanity intact in the upcoming tough times. As they always say – “Change is the only constant”.