Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that answer the question.
Query: How old is the homo sapiens species?
The age of speciation of H. sapiens out of ancestral H. erectus (or an intermediate species such as Homo antecessor) is estimated to have been roughly 350,000 years ago.[2] Sustained archaic admixture is known to have taken place both in Africa and (following the recent Out-Of-Africa expansion) in Eurasia, between about 100,000 and 30,000 years ago.
The species binomial ""Homo sapiens"" was coined by Carl Linnaeus in his 18th-century work "Systema Naturae". The generic name ""Homo"" is a learned 18th-century derivation from Latin ' "man," ultimately "earthly being" (Old Latin ' a cognate to Old English ' "man", from PIE ', meaning "earth" or "ground"). The species-name ""sapiens"" means "wise" or "sapient". Note that the Latin word "homo" refers to humans of either gender, and that ""sapiens"" is the singular form (while there is no such word as ""sapien"").
Today, all humans belong to one population of "Homo sapiens sapiens", which is individed by species barrier. However, according to the "Out of Africa" model this is not the first species of hominids: the first species of genus "Homo", "Homo habilis", evolved in East Africa at least 2 Ma, and members of this species populated different parts of Africa in a relatively short time. "Homo erectus" evolved more than 1.8 Ma, and by 1.5 Ma had spread throughout the Old World.
DNA and anthropologic data consider modern humans ("Homo sapiens sapiens") a primate and the descendants of ape-like species. Species of the genus ‘Homo’ are all extinct except humans, which are thought to have evolved from australopithecine ancestors originating in East Africa. The development of the modern human has taken place over some 300,000 years and unique adaptations have resulted from ecological pressures that "Homo Sapiens" has faced. Due prominently to ecological and behavioral factors, the modern human muscular system differs greatly from that of our early primate ancestors. These adaptations and changes have allowed "Homo sapiens" to function as they do today.
The spelling "Neandertal" is occasionally seen in English, even in scientific publications.
Since "Neanderthal", or "Neandertal", is a common name, there is no authoritative prescription on its spelling, unlike the spelling of the binominal name "H. neanderthalensis", which is predicated by King 1864.
The common name in German is always invariably "Neandertaler" (lit. "of the valley of Neander"), not "Neandertal",
but the spelling of the name of the Neander Valley itself ("Neandertal" vs. "Neanderthal") has been affected by the
species name, the names of the Neanderthal Museum and of Neanderthal station persisting with pre-1900 orthography.
Ever since the discovery of the Neanderthal fossils, expert opinion has been divided as to whether Neanderthals should be considered a separate species ("Homo neanderthalensis") or a subspecies ("Homo sapiens neanderthalensis") relative to modern humans.
Pääbo (2014) described such "taxonomic wars" as unresolveable in principle, "since there is no definition of species perfectly describing the case."
The question depends on the definition of "Homo sapiens" as a chronospecies, which has also been in flux throughout the 20th century. Authorities preferring classification of Neanderthals as subspecies have introduced the subspecies name "Homo sapiens sapiens" for the anatomically modern Cro-Magnon population which lived in Europe at the same time as Neanderthals, while authorities preferring classification as separate species use "Homo sapiens" as equivalent to "anatomically modern humans".
The notion of ekistics implies that understanding the interaction between and within human groups—infrastructure, agriculture, shelter, function (job) -- in conjunction with their environment directly affects their well-being (individual and collective). The subject begins to elucidate the ways in which collective settlements form and how they inter-relate. By doing so, humans begin to understand how they 'fit' into a species, i.e. "Homo sapiens", and how "Homo sapiens" 'should' be living in order to manifest our potential—at least as far as this species is concerned (as the text stands now). Ekistics in some cases argues that in order for human settlements to expand efficiently and economically we must reorganize the way in which the villages, towns, cities, metropoli are formed.
Homo narrans ('storytelling human') is one of a number of binomial names for the human species modelled on the commonly used term "Homo sapiens" ('wise human'). The term posits the primacy of storytelling over, for example, language or reasoning, in differentiating "Homo sapiens" from other species of the genus "Homo".
"Homo erectus" is the most, or one of the most, long-lived species of "Homo", having existed well over one million years and perhaps over two million years;
by contrast, "Homo sapiens" emerged about a quarter million years ago.
If considering "Homo erectus" in its strict sense (that is, as referring to only the Asian variety) no consensus has been reached as to whether it is ancestral to "H. sapiens" or any later human species."Wushan Man" was proposed as "Homo erectus wushanensis", but is now thought to be based upon fossilized fragments of an extinct non-hominin ape.
By tradition, the binomial names of species are usually typeset in italics; for example, "Homo sapiens". Generally, the binomial should be printed in a font style different from that used in the normal text; for example, ""Several more "Homo sapiens" fossils were discovered"." When handwritten, a binomial name should be underlined; for example, Homo sapiens.
In physical anthropology, post-orbital constriction, often referred to as the post-orbital constriction index, is a narrowing of the cranium (skull) just behind the eye sockets (the orbits, hence the name), in primates — including primitive hominids. This constriction is very noticeable in non-human primates, slightly less so in Australopithecines, even less in Homo erectus and the most primitive Homo sapiens. The post-orbital constriction index of archaic "Homo" species begins to fall within the range of modern "Homo sapiens" during the Mid-Pleistocene era. In a departure from "Homo erectus", "Homo sapiens" manifests a reduced post-orbital constriction due to increase in cranial capacity (about 1,350 cc), accompanied by higher cranial vaults. It completely disappears in modern Homo sapiens. Thus, it is a useful, quantifiable measure of how far along the evolutionary path a hominid fossil might be placed.
The earliest members of the genus "Homo" are "Homo habilis" which evolved around . "Homo habilis" has been considered the first species for which there is clear evidence of the use of stone tools. More recently, however, in 2015, stone tools, perhaps predating "Homo habilis", have been discovered in northwestern Kenya that have been dated to 3.3 million years old. Nonetheless, the brains of "Homo habilis" were about the same size as that of a chimpanzee, and their main adaptation was bipedalism as an adaptation to terrestrial living. During the next million years a process of encephalization began, and with the arrival of "Homo erectus" in the fossil record, cranial capacity had doubled. "Homo erectus" were the first of the hominina to leave Africa, and these species spread through Africa, Asia, and Europe between . One population of "H. erectus", also sometimes classified as a separate species "Homo ergaster", stayed in Africa and evolved into "Homo sapiens". It is believed that these species were the first to use fire and complex tools. The earliest transitional fossils between "H. ergaster/erectus" and archaic humans are from Africa such as "Homo rhodesiensis", but seemingly transitional forms are also found at Dmanisi, Georgia. These descendants of African "H. erectus" spread through Eurasia from c. 500,000 years ago evolving into "H. antecessor", "H. heidelbergensis" and "H. neanderthalensis". The earliest fossils of anatomically modern humans are from the Middle Paleolithic, about 200,000 years ago such as the Omo remains of Ethiopia and the fossils of Herto sometimes classified as "Homo sapiens idaltu". Later fossils of archaic "Homo sapiens" from Skhul in Israel and Southern Europe begin around 90,000 years ago.
"H. rhodesiensis" is now mostly considered a synonym of "Homo heidelbergensis", or possibly an African subspecies of "Homo heidelbergensis sensu lato", understood as a polymorphic species dispersed throughout Africa and Eurasia with a range spanning the Middle Pleistocene (c. 0.8–0.12 mya).
Other designations such as "Homo sapiens arcaicus" and "Homo sapiens rhodesiensis" have also been proposed. White et al. (2003) suggested Rhodesian Man as ancestral to "Homo sapiens idaltu" (Herto Man).
"Homo sapiens" is the only extant species of its genus, "Homo". While some (extinct) "Homo" species might have been ancestors of "Homo sapiens", many, perhaps most, were likely "cousins", having speciated away from the ancestral hominin line. There is yet no consensus as to which of these groups should be considered a separate species and which should be a subspecies; this may be due to the dearth of fossils or to the slight differences used to classify species in the genus "Homo". The Sahara pump theory (describing an occasionally passable "wet" Sahara desert) provides one possible explanation of the early variation in the genus "Homo".
Both Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis became extinct by the end of the Paleolithic. Descended from Homo Sapiens, the anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens emerged in eastern Africa c.200,000BP, left Africa around 50,000BP, and expanded throughout the planet. Multiple hominid groups coexisted for some time in certain locations. Homo neanderthalensis were still found in parts of Eurasia c.30,000BP years, and engaged in an unknown degree of interbreeding with Homo sapiens sapiens. DNA studies also suggest an unknown degree of interbreeding between Homo sapiens sapiens and Homo sapiens denisova.[27]
Archaeological excavations have demonstrated the presence of people in Morocco that were ancestral to "Homo sapiens", as well as the presence of early human species. The fossilized bones of a 400,000-year-old early human ancestor were discovered in Salé in 1971. The bones of several very early "Homo sapiens" were excavated at Jebel Irhoud in 1991, these were dated using modern techniques in 2017 and found to be at least 300,000 years old, making them the oldest examples of Homo Sapiens discovered anywhere in the world. In 2007, small perforated seashell beads were discovered in Taforalt that are 82,000 years old, making them the earliest known evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world.
The category archaic human lacks a single, agreed upon definition. According to one definition, "Homo sapiens" is a single species comprising several subspecies that include the archaics and modern humans. Under this definition, modern humans are referred to as "Homo sapiens sapiens" and archaics are also designated with the prefix ""Homo" "sapiens"". For example, the Neanderthals are "Homo sapiens neanderthalensis", and "Homo heidelbergensis" is "Homo sapiens heidelbergensis". Other taxonomists prefer not to consider archaics and modern humans as a single species but as several different species. In this case the standard taxonomy is used, i.e. "Homo rhodesiensis", or "Homo neanderthalensis".
Most notably, however, it is "Homo ergaster" (sometimes called early "Homo erectus"), whose assemblages are almost exclusively Acheulean, who used the technique. Later, the related species "Homo heidelbergensis" (the common ancestor of both Neanderthals and "Homo sapiens") used it extensively.
Late Acheulean tools were still used by species derived from "H. erectus", including "Homo sapiens idaltu" and early Neanderthals.
Today, all humans are classified as belonging to the species "Homo sapiens". However, this is not the first species of homininae: the first species of genus "Homo", "Homo habilis", evolved in East Africa at least 2 million years ago, and members of this species populated different parts of Africa in a relatively short time. "Homo erectus" evolved more than 1.8 million years ago, and by 1.5 million years ago had spread throughout Europe and Asia. Virtually all physical anthropologists agree that "Archaic Homo sapiens" (A group including the possible species "H. heidelbergensis", "H. rhodesiensis" and "H. neanderthalensis") evolved out of African "Homo erectus" ("sensu lato") or "Homo ergaster." Anthropologists support the idea that anatomically modern humans ("Homo sapiens") evolved in North or East Africa from an archaic human species such as "H. heidelbergensis" and then migrated out of Africa, mixing with and replacing "H. heidelbergensis" and "H. neanderthalensis" populations throughout Europe and Asia, and "H. rhodesiensis" populations in Sub-Saharan Africa (a combination of the Out of Africa and Multiregional models).
Jared Diamond in "The Third Chimpanzee" (1991), and Morris Goodman (2003) 
argued that "Homo" is not sufficiently removed from "Pan" to warrant the definition of a separate genus.
Based on the Principle of Priority, this would result in chimpanzees being reclassified as members of the genus "Homo", e.g. "Homo paniscus", "Homo sylvestris", or "Homo arboreus". An alternative philosophy suggests that the term "Homo sapiens" is the misnomer and that humans should be reclassified as "Pan sapiens". In either case, a name change of the genus would have implications on the taxonomy of extinct species closely related to humans, including "Australopithecus". 
A taxonomic name given to the species of the last common ancestors of humans and chimpanzees is "Pan prior".
At least a dozen species of "Homo" other than "Homo sapiens" have been proposed, with varying degrees of consensus. "Homo erectus" is widely recognized as the species directly ancestral to "Homo sapiens". Most other proposed species are proposed as alternatively belonging to either "Homo erectus" or "Homo sapiens" as a subspecies. This concerns "Homo ergaster" in particular. One proposal divides "Homo erectus" into an African and an Asian variety; the African is "Homo ergaster," and the Asian is "Homo erectus sensu stricto." (Inclusion of "Homo ergaster" with Asian "Homo erectus" is "Homo erectus sensu lato.") There appears to be a recent trend, with the availability of ever more difficult-to-classify fossils such as the Dmanisi skulls (2013) or "Homo naledi" fossils (2015) to subsume all archaic varieties under "Homo erectus".
Extinct species of the genus Homo include Homo erectus, extant during roughly 1.9 to 0.4 million years ago, and a number of other species (by some authors considered subspecies of either H. sapiens or H. erectus). H. sapiens idaltu (2003) is a proposed extinct subspecies of H. sapiens.
Drawing on this background and research experience, Wolpoff's continuing research for the last 15 years has been the development, articulation, and defense of his multiregional model of human evolution. He suggests that after an African origin of "Homo sapiens" (including "Homo ergaster"/"Homo erectus") and the subsequent migration of "H. erectus" throughout much of the globe (Africa, Europe, Asia), local evolutionary events took place, and when they were advantageous, they spread everywhere else. According to Wolpoff, populations of "Homo" evolved together as a single species. Change in Pleistocene populations did not involve speciation (the splitting of one species into two): all this time, the geographically distinct populations maintained small amounts of gene flow. This idea directly challenges the Out of Africa model, which claims "Homo sapiens" evolved recently as a new species in Africa, and then dispersed throughout the Old World, replacing the existing human populations without mixing with them.
200,000 years ago, "Homo sapiens" evolves in East Africa. At the time, "Homo sapiens" was one of many human species, such as Neanderthals. Since 13,000 years ago, "Homo sapiens" has been the only surviving human species. Harari suggests that one of the key reasons why Sapiens is able to take control of the world is Sapiens' advanced language.
The species name is also called a binomial, that is, a two-term name. For example, the zoological name for the human species is "Homo sapiens". This is usually italicized in print and underlined when italics are not available. In this case, "Homo" is the generic name and it is capitalized; "sapiens" indicates the species and it is not capitalized.
Sagittal keels occur in several early human species, most noticeably in "Homo erectus", occasionally in "Homo heidelbergensis" and in some Upper Paleolithic Homo Sapiens specimens. Most modern "Homo sapiens" groups have lost them, likely as part of the general trend toward thinning of the cranial bones to make room for larger brains during the Pleistocene. However, there is a very small portion of modern humans who have this, but its function and etiology are unknown. Patrick Stewart of "" and the martial artist Shi Yan Ming present good examples of modern humans ("Homo sapiens sapiens") with this feature. Australian Aborigenes also possess it. The keel appears to be tied to general cranial robusticity, and is more common in adult men than in women, and absent in children.