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Australopithecus afarensis
~3.9–2.9 MILLION YEARS AGO
An early hominin from eastern Africa. Fossil evidence shows a combination of traits associated with habitual bipedalism and climbing.
BIOLOGICAL HISTORY / ~6 MYR
HUMAN
EVOLUTION
An interactive exploration of the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens: our hominin relatives, migrations, anatomy, genetics, environmental adaptations, and the evolutionary processes that shaped our species.
ARCHIVE MODULES
Explore the evidence.
Human evolution is reconstructed from multiple independent lines of evidence, including fossils, genetics, anatomy, archaeology, behavior, and environmental records.
Evolution Timeline
Trace major developments across millions of years.
EXPLORE →Ancient Hominins
Compare representative members of the human evolutionary family.
COMPARE →Migration
Follow major dispersals from Africa into other regions.
MAP →Adaptation
Examine how inherited variation interacts with changing environments.
ANALYZE →Genetics
Explore DNA, variation, inheritance, and evolutionary change.
SEQUENCE →Human Anatomy
Interact with a simplified anatomical model and its evolutionary context.
ANATOMY →Natural Selection
Experiment with a population simulation to see selection change frequencies.
SIMULATE →Evolutionary Tree
Explore a branching representation of human evolutionary relationships.
OPEN TREE →01 / DEEP TIME
Human evolution timeline
Evolutionary history is measured in millions of years. Select a point to inspect a major transition or event.
6 MYA
4 MYA
2 MYA
1 MYA
300 KYA
PRESENT
02 / HOMININ RECORD
Ancient hominins
The human evolutionary family contained many species and populations. Most eventually became extinct.
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Homo habilis
~2.4–1.4 MILLION YEARS AGO
An early member of Homo associated with early stone-tool traditions. Its exact relationship to other early Homo remains debated.
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Homo erectus
FROM ~1.9 MILLION YEARS AGO
A widespread Homo lineage associated with substantial geographic dispersal beyond Africa and major changes in body form and technology.
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Neanderthals
~400,000–40,000 YEARS AGO
Close evolutionary relatives of modern humans who lived across parts of Europe and western Asia and interacted genetically with some populations of Homo sapiens.
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Homo naledi
~335,000–236,000 YEARS AGO
A distinctive South African Homo species known from the Rising Star Cave system. Its unusual mixture of traits makes its place in human evolutionary history especially interesting.
🧠
Homo sapiens
~300,000 YEARS AGO–PRESENT
Our species evolved in Africa and eventually became the only surviving hominin species. Humans now occupy nearly every major terrestrial environment.
03 / DISPERSAL
Migration out of Africa
Human dispersal happened in multiple waves involving different populations and species. The map below is a simplified educational visualization, not a literal reconstruction of every migration route.
● Simplified dispersal pathways
Early Homo populations reached parts of Eurasia by roughly 1.8 million years ago. Modern human dispersal occurred much later and involved multiple episodes.
Early Homo populations reached parts of Eurasia by roughly 1.8 million years ago. Modern human dispersal occurred much later and involved multiple episodes.
04 / ENVIRONMENT
Environmental adaptation
Human populations encountered deserts, forests, mountains, Arctic environments, tropical regions, and highly variable climates. Adaptation can involve genetics, physiology, behavior, technology, and culture.
Thermoregulation
🌡️
Human bodies regulate internal temperature through physiological mechanisms such as sweating, blood-flow changes, and metabolic responses.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
High-altitude adaptation
🏔️
Some populations living at high altitude have evolved physiological adaptations involving oxygen transport and regulation.
GENETIC + PHYSIOLOGICAL
Skin pigmentation
☀️
Human skin pigmentation varies among populations and is influenced by multiple genes. Ultraviolet radiation is one environmental factor involved in its evolutionary history.
POLYGENIC TRAIT
Dietary adaptation
🌾
Human populations have experienced dietary pressures associated with local foods, animal husbandry, agriculture, and cultural practices.
GENE × CULTURE INTERACTION
05 / GENOME
Genetics & DNA
DNA stores biological information. Its double-helical structure consists of two linked strands with complementary base pairing.
The molecular language of inheritance
DNA is built from nucleotides. Four bases, adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine, form complementary pairs between the two strands.
A
ADENINE → pairs with T
T
THYMINE → pairs with A
C
CYTOSINE → pairs with G
G
GUANINE → pairs with C
Evolution occurs when inherited genetic variation changes in frequency within populations. Mutation introduces new variants, while processes such as natural selection, genetic drift, migration, and recombination influence how variation changes over generations.
06 / EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS
Natural selection simulator
This educational model demonstrates how inherited variation can change in frequency when environmental conditions alter reproductive success. It is a simplified simulation, not a complete biological model.
0
GENERATION
50%
TRAIT FREQUENCY
1.00
RELATIVE FITNESS
07 / ANATOMY
Human anatomy
Human anatomy contains structures inherited from deep evolutionary history alongside traits that changed within the hominin lineage.
Interactive anatomical model
Select an outlined structure to inspect its biological role and evolutionary significance.
🧠 Select a structure
The diagram is intentionally simplified for educational interaction. It is not a clinical anatomical model or a substitute for a medical atlas.
08 / PHYLOGENY
Interactive evolutionary tree
Branches represent hypotheses about relationships among hominins. Solid lines represent simplified relationships; dashed lines indicate uncertainty or debated placement.