Us
Homo sapiens
315–0 ka·315 ka·Discovered 2017
Description
2017 redating pushed our origin back 100,000 years. The only surviving hominin — for now.
Notable facts
- We left Africa ~70,000 years ago
- We replaced all other species
- Reached Australia 65,000 years ago
- Your species is ~315,000 years old — a geological blink
Key specimens
Jebel Irhoud
Earliest H. sapiens
315,000-year-old fossils from Morocco. The 2017 redating moved our origin back 100,000 years.
Omo Kibish 1
Omo I
Long-debated 195,000-year-old Ethiopian skull, recently redated to ~233,000 years.
Misliya-1
Maxilla, Israel
180,000-year-old maxilla showing early H. sapiens dispersal out of Africa.
Anatomy
Globular braincase, small face, chin, gracile postcranium.
Locomotion
Modern bipedal — efficient long-distance walking/running.
Diet
Maximally flexible omnivory.
Tools & culture
Symbolic thought, language, art, agriculture, technology — full behavioral modernity.
Where to see it
Originals across many countries; key originals in Morocco, Ethiopia, Israel.
Media & references
Image ·
Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia article
Hublin et al. (2017). New fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens. Nature.
doi: 10.1038/nature22336 ↗