Tracing the Roots of Humanity

The world we inhabit today may feel commonplace and unremarkable, as if this is how humans have always existed. However, that is far from the truth. Never before have we lived in a world so intricately designed to cater to our needs, allowing us to overlook our own nature and put survival concerns aside. Food, shelter, and security are, for the most part, taken for granted. Yet, we represent a privileged minority; for over 99.99% of human history, life bore no resemblance to our current experience. There is no singular human narrative. Our tale commenced 6 million years ago when the hominini tribe diverged, severing our ties with apes. Fast forward to 2.8 million years ago, when the first humans, belonging to the homo genus, came into existence.

We often perceive ourselves as the sole human species, but this is a far cry from reality. When Homo sapiens sapiens emerged 200,000 years ago, there were at least six other human species coexisting with us. These intelligent and capable cousins must have been an unnerving presence, akin to living among extraterrestrials. Some of these species were highly successful – Homo erectus, for instance, thrived for 2 million years, ten times longer than modern humans have been around. The last of these other human species vanished around 10,000 years ago, and the reasons for their extinction remain unknown. While modern humans carry a few percent of Neanderthal and other human DNA, indicating some interbreeding, it was not enough to constitute a merger between species. We can only speculate whether our cousins' disappearance was due to competition for resources or a series of minor genocides.

Ultimately, only we remain. Tracing our ancestry back to humanity's beginnings 2.8 million years ago, early humans utilized tools but made little progress for nearly 2 million years until they harnessed the power of fire. Fire enabled cooking, which increased the nutritional value of food, contributing to brain development. Additionally, fire provided light and warmth, extending the length of days and making winters more bearable. It also served as a deterrent to predators and a tool for hunting, as scorched woodlands or grasslands yielded small animals, nuts, and tubers that were already roasted.

By 300,000 years ago, most human species lived in small hunter-gatherer societies equipped with fire, wood, and stone tools. These early communities planned for the future, buried their dead, and developed their own unique cultures. Most crucially, they communicated with one another, likely using a proto-language that was less complex than ours.

If we possessed a time machine, how far into the past could we venture, abduct a few infants, and raise them today without anyone realizing they're somewhat different? The answer is a matter of debate. While anatomically modern humans emerged 200,000 years ago, it's likely that we could only travel back 70,000 years and still find a behaviorally modern human. Any further back, and the infants might lack a few essential gene mutations necessary for developing a brain capable of modern language and abstract thinking.

Around 50,000 years ago, a notable shift occurred—an innovation explosion. Tools and weapons grew more sophisticated, and culture became increasingly complex. At this point, humans possessed a multi-purpose brain and a more advanced language, enabling them to effectively communicate detailed information with one another.

What truly sets us apart from all other creatures on Earth is our capacity for close cooperation. It's not our relatively frail bodies or weaker senses, but our ability to work together flexibly in large groups, unlike the rigid organization of beehives or the intimate, yet small, wolf packs. As our brains evolved, we became capable of something life had not accomplished up until that point: 1) rapid expansion of knowledge, 2) preservation of knowledge across generations, and 3) building upon past knowledge for deeper insights.

This may seem trivial, but prior to this development, information had to be passed down through generations mainly via genetics, which proved inefficient. Nevertheless, for the following 40,000 years, human life experienced minimal change. Our ancestors were just one species among many, and without a foundation to build upon, progress was slow. Constructing a skyscraper without knowing what a house is, after all, proves quite challenging.

While it's tempting to view our ancient ancestors with a sense of superiority, doing so would be shortsighted. Humans living 50,000 years ago were exceptional survival specialists. They possessed detailed mental maps of their territories, had senses finely attuned to their environments, and had extensive knowledge about plants and animals. They could craft intricate tools that demanded years of meticulous training and exceptional fine motor skills.

Their daily routines shaped their bodies, rendering them comparable to today's athletes, and they enjoyed rich social lives within their tribes. Survival necessitated such a vast array of skills that the average brain volume of early modern humans might even have exceeded that of humans today. While we may possess more collective knowledge as a group, our ancestors were individually superior.

Then, around 12,000 years ago, agriculture emerged in various locations, and everything changed rapidly. As hunters and foragers, survival required outstanding physical and mental abilities across all domains for everyone involved.

The advent of agriculture allowed individuals to increasingly depend on the skills of others for survival. This newfound interdependence enabled some to specialize, whether by focusing on creating better tools, breeding more resilient crops and livestock, or inventing novel solutions. As farming grew more efficient, the foundations of civilization took shape.

Agriculture provided a stable and predictable food source, permitting humans to amass food on an unprecedented scale—something far more feasible with grains than meat. This stockpiling of food necessitated protection, leading to communities residing in closer proximity. Early defense structures were erected, and as the need for organization increased, so too did efficiency. Villages evolved into cities, cities into kingdoms, and kingdoms into empires.

The connections between humans proliferated, offering ample opportunities for knowledge exchange. Progress became exponential, and around 500 years ago, the Scientific Revolution began.

Mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry revolutionized our understanding of the world. The Industrial Revolution soon followed, laying the groundwork for our modern society. As efficiency increased exponentially, more individuals devoted their lives to advancing humanity's progress. Revolution after revolution unfolded.

The invention of the computer, its transformation into an everyday tool, and the emergence of the internet shaped our world. It's astounding how quickly these developments occurred. Roughly 125,000 generations have passed since the first human species emerged, while about 7,500 generations ago, anatomically modern humans appeared. Civilization, as we know it, began a mere 500 generations ago. Science took off just 20 generations ago, and the internet became widely accessible only one generation ago.

We currently live in the most prosperous era humanity has ever known. We've transformed our planet, from the composition of its atmosphere to the extensive changes in its landscape, and even the range of existing animal species. We illuminate the night with artificial stars and transport people in metal boxes in the sky. Some have even walked on the Moon, and we've sent robots to other planets. Our mechanical eyes have allowed us to peer deep into the universe's past.

Our knowledge and means of acquiring and storing information have grown exponentially. Today, the average high school student knows more about the universe than a scholar from just a few centuries ago. Humans may dominate this planet, but our reign remains fragile. We haven't changed much from our ancestors 70,000 years ago, and our current lifestyle has existed for less than 0.001% of human history. The future is uncertain – we're constructing a skyscraper, unsure if it rests on solid ground or quicksand.

With that in mind, the next time you miss your train, your burger isn't hot enough, or someone cuts in line, remember the unique and remarkable nature of our human-made world. Perhaps it's not worth getting upset over life's little inconveniences.