The story of human origins is complicated since our ancestors swapped genes (and probably skills). The first humans emerged in Africa around two million years ago, long before the modern humans known as Homo sapiens appeared on the same continent.

Human evolution, the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates. Viewed zoologically, we humans are Homo sapiens, a culture-bearing upright-walking species that lives on the ground and very likely first evolved in Africa about 315,000 years ago.

The first modern humans began moving outside of Africa starting about 70,000-100,000 years ago. Humans are the only known species to have successfully populated, adapted to, and significantly altered a wide variety of land regions across the world, resulting in profound historical and environmental impacts.