Humans Evolved From A Common Ancestor That Appeared 6 Million Years Ago

Throughout our evolution timeline, we coexisted with several early human species and descended from a common ancestor 6 million years ago.

By Sara Novak
Sep 29, 2022 7:00 PMOct 5, 2022 7:53 PM
Human evolution
(Credit: Andrii Zastrozhnov/Shutterstock)

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This article was originally published on Sept. 20, 2022.

During the late Miocene epoch, between 5 and 7 million years ago, East Africa looked very different compared to today. Rather than dry deserts, the land that makes up present-day Ethiopia, Chad and Kenya was then densely wooded with rain forests and ample water supply. And within these rugged forests lived a population of primates that would become contemporary humans — millions of years down the line.

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