Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [human-evolution]

The study of evolution with a particular focus on questions about the evolution of modern humans.

Questions often incorporate the study of our nearest ancestors, both the extant primates and extinct pre- Homo sapiens. Users should read the guidance on questions related to the relevant tags and and see meta where "on-topicness" of evolution questions are discussed.

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Are humans the only species who drink milk as adults?

I was drinking a glass of milk the other day and that got me thinking that no other animal to my knowledge drinks milk past their infant stages. One could argue that cats might but it isn't good for them to do. Are humans the only animal that are…
ggiaquin16
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How could humans have interbred with Neanderthals if we're a different species?

To be clear, I'm not doubting that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis did interbreed: of that much I'm convinced. Within the past few years I've seen an upcropping of pop-sci articles discussing the interbreeding between pre-historic species of…
Dave Kennedy
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Are humans more adapted to "light mode" or "dark mode"?

I was discussing with a colleague about using dark-mode vs. light mode and remembered an article arguing that humans vision is more adapted to light-mode rather than dark-mode: I know that the trend “du jour” is to have a dark mode for pretty…
Alexei
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Does it make sense to classify all humans in a single species?

For what biological reasons do we consider that all human beings belong to the same species? A Thai and a Nigerian share a common ancestor that is 140,000 years old (see Gravel et al. 2010 and this post). Would, for example, a mixed Thai - Nigerian…
Remi.b
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Is evolution a fact?

Richard Dawkins in one of his videos says that Evolution is a fact and not just a theory. He goes on to say that man and chimpanzees both evolve from apes. Is this correct (Is evolution a fact and did humans & chimps evolve from apes)?
Farhan Shirgill Ansari
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How do we know the human species arose in Africa?

I have heard (from multiple sources) that the current scientific opinion is that the human species arose in Africa. What are the reasons for this opinion? If possible, simple and non-technical explanations (as far as possible) would be appreciated.
Faheem Mitha
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Why do we have five fingers?

Humans (and other humanoid mammals) have five fingers in each hand. Curious to know, why five? Wouldn't more fingers be more useful? Is there any evidence that it used to be different and natural selection caused those with five fingers to survive?
Shadow Wizard Chasing Stars
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Why do humans suffer anxiety when they view "Trypophobia trigger images"?

When you type Trypophobia Trigger Images in google, you see a variety of images with irregular lumps and bumps among some more gory images. Many people report that these images induce phobia like symptoms of anxiety. Why do we get anxious when…
Juan J. Stábile
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Do all living humans literally descend from one ape?

In the opening chapter of Sapiens, Harari writes: Just 6 million years ago, a single female ape had two daughters. One became the ancestor of all chimpanzees, the other is our own grandmother. Is there evidence that this is literally true? There…
Philip
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Online phylogenetic tree of human lineages

I am looking for a source of information about the diversity of human lineages and their relationships. With a quick google search it is easy to find this type of tree A perfect online resource would... Contain a lot of lineages going to the most…
Remi.b
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Human genetic diversity in Africa in comparison with the rest of the world

Background The claim ... Most of the genetic diversity in humans is in Africa ... is quite common. On Biology.SE, it is easy to find posts that make this claim. Consider for example: Do humans have enough biological differences to be grouped into…
Remi.b
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Why did humans evolved the scratch reflex?

I've been wondering about this for some time, and I can't come to an answer... Everybody keeps telling me that scratching one's own skin is bad. It damages the epidermis, creates the hazard of malicious bacteria getting past the skin barrier, and…
gaazkam
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Human Evolution Chromosome 2: Fusion or Break?

I have a question regarding Chromosome 2. I've heard that there is evidence that the Human Chromosome 2 is a fusion between the two ancestral chromosomes 2a and 2b, but could it be possible that it is the other way around? That is, could it be…
Diego
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What is the closest species to humans in animal kingdom?

I presumed chimpanzees were the closest relatives of us. However, after watching this TED Talk, it seems bonobos are closer to us both in skeleton and behavioral similarity than chimpanzees. I once read in The Magic of Reality that we share quite a…
Özgür
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Why do we blink instead of winking each eye independently?

Question Why do we blink both eyes at the same time rather than winking each eye as needed? Why would winking independently be better? The benefit would be a minor improvement whereby a person would receive continuous sight of the area of vision…
JohnLBevan
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