New Scientist Instant Expert: The Evolution of Humans

Once upon a time, the story of our species’ evolution was simple. It was the tale of a short, hairy, chimp-like creature living in Africa that gradually, over millions of years, transformed to become human. Now we know it’s more interesting than that. Our ancestors were just one of many pre-human species living across a wide swath of the globe from South Africa to the Far East. The ebb and flow of these ancient hominins saw them intermingling and sometimes interbreeding. Yet today we alone remain.
A succession of spectacular fossil finds in recent years is starting to reveal our true family tree. Some of the new species are upending what we thought be knew about the evolution of key traits such as bipedalism and brain expansion. Studies of ancient DNA allow us to see how different species are related and to track their migration across continents. We have even uncovered some pre-human genes in our own genome, revealing that many of us are related to Neanderthals and the mysterious Eurasian pre-humans called Denisovans.
How did we get to be the dominant ape? Many mysteries remain, but there’s no doubt that our ancestors had some special qualities that gave them the edge. One is language. We’ll explore it origins and development – and how it led to a cultural revolution. Then there are the opposing forces of cooperation and competition, which have played a huge role in shaping our interactions and our unique lifestyle. Above all, what sets us apart is the human brain, distinguished by its size and diversity. We can see the growth of this beautiful mind in the fossil record but we can also trace its emergence through the art and artefacts of prehistory.
There has never been a more exciting time to explore human evolution. Join our speakers on a journey to explore our origins and it will transform the way you see yourself.