Modern humans (Homo sapiens, primarily ssp.

Homo sapiens sapiens) are the only extant

members of Hominina clade (or human clade), abranch of the taxonomical tribe Hominini belonging
to the family of great apes. They are characterized by erect posture and bipedal locomotion; manual
dexterity and increased tool use, compared to other animals; and a general trend toward larger,
more complex brainsand societies.[3][4]
Early homininsparticularly the australopithecines, whose brains and anatomy are in many ways
more similar to ancestral non-human apesare less often referred to as "human" than hominins of
the genus Homo.[5] Several of these hominins used fire, occupied much of Eurasia, and gave rise
to anatomically modern Homo sapiens in Africa about 200,000 years ago.[6][7] They began to exhibit
evidence ofbehavioral modernity around 50,000 years ago. In several waves of migration,
anatomically modern humans ventured out of Africa and populated most of the world.[8]
The spread of humans and their large and increasing population has had a profound impact on large
areas of the environment and millions of native species worldwide. Advantages that explain this
evolutionary success include a relatively larger brain with a particularly welldeveloped neocortex, prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes, which enable high levels of
abstract reasoning, language, problem solving,sociality, and culture through social learning. Humans
use tools to a much higher degree than any other animal, are the only extant species known to
build fires and cook their food, and are the only extant species to clothe themselves and create and
use numerous othertechnologies and arts.
Humans are uniquely adept at utilizing systems of symbolic communication (such as language and
art) for self-expression and the exchange of ideas, and for organizing themselves into purposeful
groups. Humans create complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing
groups, from families and kinship networks to political states. Social interactions between humans
have established an extremely wide variety of values, [9] social norms, and rituals, which together form
the basis of human society. Curiosity and the human desire to understand and influence the
environment and to explain and manipulate phenomena (or events) has provided the foundation for
developing science, philosophy, mythology, religion, anthropology, and numerous other fields of
knowledge.
Though most of human existence has been sustained by hunting and gathering in band societies,
[10]

increasing numbers of human societies began to practice sedentary agriculture approximately

some 10,000 years ago,[11] domesticating plants and animals, thus allowing for the growth
of civilization. These human societies subsequently expanded in size, establishing various forms of
government, religion, and culture around the world, unifying people within regions to
form states and empires. The rapid advancement of scientific and medical understanding in the 19th

and 20th centuries led to the development of fuel-driven technologies and increased lifespans,
causing the human population to rise exponentially. By 2014, the global human population was
estimated to be around 7.2 billion and rising.[12][13] By February 2016, the United States Census
Bureau had estimated that the world population had exceeded 7.3 billion.[14]