Public opinion reflects new stance
It is believed that the Denisovans branched off the Neanderthals and headed to Asia instead of Europe. They too interbred with modern humans and might have been the last archaic human species to become extinct.
Remains of this species of human were found in a cave in Siberia in 2010. It's estimated that they lived about 400,000 years ago.
In 1933, a skull was found in Harbin, northeastern China. It was larger than modern humans, but it featured almost square eye sockets and thick brow ridges. It was nicknamed "Dragon Man."
Possibly the most famous archaic human species, the Neanderthals lived from about 24,000 to 200,000 years ago. These quintessential "cavemen" are likely the closest extinct relative to our species.
They shared features with both Australopithecus and humans. They had small heads, but their brains were built like ours.
Though unlike other ancestors, the Homo antecessor had similar features to those of modern humans, including their faces and hunting lifestyle.
They were tiny compared to modern humans, but were fierce hunters. Weapons used to hunt stegodon (a type of extinct elephant) were found. Scientists believe the species descended from Homo erectus and adapted to island life by developing into dwarfs.
They were the first human species to be adapted to the cold. This means that they were pretty good at mastering fire, finding and building shelter, as well as developing tools and weapons, such as spears.
The Homo ergaster cohabited our planet at the same time as the Homo erectus. They were, however, generally more slender than Homo erectus. Though they too had a similar diet and lifestyle, and also used tools.
They had larger bodies and smaller teeth than Homo habilis, and were more similar to modern humans. Though they had shorter arms and longer legs than us.
The Homo ergaster lived in Eastern and Southern Africa between 1.4 and 1.9 million years ago. Like with Homo rudolfensis, scientists still debate whether the Homo ergaster is indeed a species on its own or a subspecies of Homo erectus.
The Australophithecus species is one of the best-known ancestors of the modern human. The Australopithecus afarensis, in particular, is well known for a skeleton discovered in 1974, which was nicknamed Lucy (depicted).
The Australopithecus afarensis lived between 3 to 3.7 million years ago in East Africa. They had a small frame and a small brain. Their height ranged from between 3.2 ft (96 cm) to 5.5 ft (165 cm), and they weighed between 55 to 141 lbs (25-64 kg).
In 2015, over 1,550 fossils were found in the Rising Star Cave System in South Africa. The species found was dubbed Homo naledi. It's estimated that this species lived from approximately 236,000 to 335,000 years ago.
Fossils have been found in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Australopithecus afarensis ate mostly a vegetarian diet.
The Homo heidelbergensis lived between 200,000 to 600,000 years ago in various regions. Fossils indicate they roamed eastern and southern Africa, as well as Europe, and possibly China.
Unlike their ancestors, the Homo habilis also ate meat. They are known for having developed a range of tools, hence their name, which means "handy man."
Neanderthals were smaller than modern humans, but had a very robust build. They lived in Eurasia during the Ice Ages, so they adapted to the cold weather. Neanderthals developed advanced weapons and tools, made clothes, and built shelter.
Scientists discovered the Homo floresiensis in 2003, in the Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia. It is estimated that this early human species lived 50,000 to 100,000 years ago.
The first fossils of the Homo antecessor were discovered between 1994 and 1996 in Atapuerca, Spain. Scientist dated them back to 800,000 to 1.2 million years ago.
It was not until 2021 that scientists considered it a unique human species. The fossil dates back to around 146,000 years ago. The Homo longi as a species, however, is still up for debate, as some scientists claim that it is a Denisovan.
Sources: (Grunge)
See also: The most endangered animals in Africa
Their appearance was smoother and rounder when compared to Australopithecus, but they were still smaller than modern humans, weighing an average of 75 lbs (34 kg).
They had a similar size to us, at about 4.9 ft (150 cm) to just over 6 ft (180 cm), and weighed an average of 150 lbs (68 kg). The Homo erectus was the first human species to travel outside of Africa.
Neanderthals might have gone extinct, but they interbred with modern non-African humans, so their genomes are still present among us.
They also had larger brains and were more intelligent than other species. Neanderthals also displayed signs of culture and spiritual beliefs, including ritualistic burials, art, and even musical instruments.
Scientists still debate whether the Homo rudolfensis had indeed the homo genus or if it was just an Australopithecus with a larger brain. They lived approximately 1.7 million years ago, which means that they would have coexisted with Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
The Homo habilis is the first early human species (with the genus "homo"). They descended from the Australopithecus. The Homo habilis lived approximately 1.4 to 2.3 million years ago in South and East Africa.
There are not many fossils of this archaic human species. Only one cranium was discovered in the Turkana Basin in Kenya, and then a mandible in Malawi. The skull indicates that their brains were larger than those of Homo habilis.
Unlike the previous example, there are numerous fossils of Homo erectus, dating back from between 110,000 to 1.89 million years ago. The Homo erectus was the longest-existing species of human ever to have walked on Earth.
Well done Homo sapiens! Yes, that's us: the modern human. We avoided extinction and thrived. But this was not the case for any other archaic human species. And if you think that we simply evolved in a direct line, you couldn't be more wrong. In fact, other species of humans cohabited on our planet at the same time. And yes, we even bred with some of them. However, in the end, we were the only ones who survived.
But how different were these early human species from us, really? Click through the gallery to find out.
Extinct human species: how different were they from us?
Our DNA carries remnants from our prehistoric ancestors
LIFESTYLE History
Well done Homo sapiens! Yes, that's us: the modern human. We avoided extinction and thrived. But this was not the case for any other archaic human species. And if you think that we simply evolved in a direct line, you couldn't be more wrong. In fact, other species of humans cohabited on our planet at the same time. And yes, we even bred with some of them. However, in the end, we were the only ones who survived.
But how different were these early human species from us, really? Click through the gallery to find out.