First people: hypotheses, theories, proofs

The question of the origin of man and the appearance on the planet of our distant ancestors has been, for many centuries, one of the most controversial. The scientific theory of Charles Darwin, which appeared in the middle of the 19th century, according to which the first people were nothing but the ancestors of the anthropoid ape, not only did not dot all the "i", but rather gave rise to a new wave of questions and doubts.

Before answering the question of when the first people appeared on Earth, it is necessary to clearly define who should really be considered a person, and whom - just an anthropoid ape. With respect to these characteristics, more and more discussions are periodically heated, but most scientists agree that Homo genus includes all hominids whose brain has a volume of at least 600 cm3. In this case, the first people on Earth are the notorious Homo habilis, whose remains are dated by layers about two and a half million years ago.

It was to this period that the first appearance of stone implements of labor, which required a clear coordination of movements and competent control over the work of hands and fingers. No monkey, whose brain, by the way, does not exceed 400 cubic centimeters, can not perform such work.

However, if we take as a basis the fact that the first people are Homo habilis, then who is their immediate ancestor? According to the latest data, they are bipedal African monkeys, which belonged to one of the varieties of Australopithecus.

Despite the fact that in many of their anatomical data these bipedal monkeys are close to modern gorillas and chimpanzees, they were a unique genus, the hallmark of which was walking with the use of only the hind limbs - affected the gradual increase in the size of the brain and their evolution aside Homo sapiens.

The first people - Homo habilis - did not remain unchanged: the gradual increase in the size of the brain led to the development of more and more new functions that were absolutely inaccessible to their ancestors. So, seven hundred thousand years after its appearance, "a man of skill" gave way to "Homo erectus" - Homo erectus. These creatures developed areas of the brain, through which it was possible to plan their further actions, as well as those tools that, ultimately, should have been created. In particular, stone tools became more meaningful and functional: they began to be sharpened on both sides and acquire the appearance of a fang.

The first modern humans appeared on our planet about forty thousand years ago. Strongly increased in comparison with the same habilis or erectus, the brain allowed not only to master all the main types of craft, but also served as a basis for the emergence of the psyche and thinking, as evidenced by the first drawings and musical instruments discovered in the seams belonging to this period.

The first people, their appearance and development is that mystery, the interest to which will never fade. The emergence of a variety of versions - from the divine origin to the arrival of aliens - confronts scientists with the problem of finding new human remains and attracting for their explanation methods and means from various fields of knowledge.