* Common Ancestor with Chimpanzees: Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor that lived around 6-8 million years ago.
* Australopithecines: A group of early hominins (members of the human lineage) that emerged around 4 million years ago in Africa. They walked upright and had smaller brains than humans. Famous examples include "Lucy" (Australopithecus afarensis).
* Homo Habilis: Appeared around 2.4 million years ago. They were known for using tools and had a slightly larger brain than Australopithecines.
* Homo Erectus: Appeared around 1.8 million years ago. They were the first hominins to migrate out of Africa and had a larger brain and used more complex tools.
* Homo Neanderthalensis: Closely related to modern humans, Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. They had brains comparable in size to ours and were skilled toolmakers.
* Homo Sapiens: Our own species emerged around 300,000 years ago in Africa. They were the first to develop language and complex social structures.
It's important to remember that evolution is a gradual process, and there were many intermediate species that have not been discovered or are poorly understood. The relationships between these species are still being studied and debated by scientists.
Key Points:
* Humans evolved from primates, specifically apes.
* Evolution is a continuous process, and there is no "single ancestor" but rather a series of related species leading to modern humans.
* The human lineage is not linear but branched, with several species existing at the same time.
It's also crucial to note that humans did not evolve from chimpanzees or any other living primate species. We share a common ancestor, but both humans and chimpanzees have evolved independently since then.