| Homo (genus) |
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Information AboutHomo (genus) |
''Homo'' is the Genus that includes modern Human s and their close relatives. The genus is estimated to be between 1.5 and 2.5 million years old. All species except ''Homo sapiens'' (modern humans) are extinct. '' Homo Neanderthalensis '', traditionally considered the last surviving relative, died out 30,000 years ago while recent evidence suggests that '' Homo Floresiensis '' lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. A minority of zoologists consider that the two species of Chimpanzee s (usually treated in the genus ''Pan''), and maybe the Gorilla s (usually treated in the genus ''Gorilla'') should also be included in the genus based on genetic similarities. Most scientists argue that chimpanzees and gorillas have too many anatomical differences between themselves and humans to be part of ''Homo''. The genus ''Homo'' is most closely related to '' Kenyanthropus Platyops '', which is likely to be an ancestral species. Through that species, ''Homo'' is next most closely related to the group of extinct species in the genera '' Paranthropus '' and '' Australopithecus '', whose evolutionary branch split off from the proto-''Homo'' line some 5 million years ago. The word ''homo'' is Latin for " Man ", in the original sense of "human being", or "person". The word " Human " itself is from Latin ''humanus'', an adjective cognate to ''homo'', both derived from PIE "earth" {Link without Title} . SPECIES
''H. heidelbergensis'' and ''H. neanderthalensis'' are closely related to each other and have been considered to be Subspecies of ''Homo sapiens'', but analysis of Mitochondrial DNA from ''H. neanderthalensis'' fossils suggests that the difference is great enough to count as a separate species. ''H. rhodesiensis'' and ''H. cepranensis'' are also more closely related to each other than to the other species. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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