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hominin
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Diagram tracing the evolutionary split of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas over the past 12 million years, with skull illustrations for key hominin species and African great apes, and branching lines showing divergence points. Map of Ethiopia highlighting new hominin fossil sites in the Middle Awash region. An inset shows the locations of Ardipithecus and Australopithecus fossil discoveries near the Awash River and Yardi Lake, marked with colored dots. Surrounding countries and major cities in Ethiopia are also labeled. A timeline chart showing the evolution of hominins over the past 4 million years, with colored bars representing different Australopithecus and Homo species diverging over time, ending with Homo sapiens at present.
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Diagram tracing the evolutionary split of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas over the past 12 million years, with skull illustrations for key hominin species and African great apes, and branching lines showing divergence points.
human evolution The divergence of humans and great apes from a common ancestor.

hominin

primate
Also known as: Hominini
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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hominin, any member of the zoological “tribe” Hominini (family Hominidae, order Primates), of which only one species exists today—Homo sapiens, or human beings. The term is used most often to refer to extinct members of the human lineage, some of which are now quite well known from fossil remains: H. neanderthalensis (the Neanderthals), H. erectus, H. habilis, and various species of Australopithecus. In addition, many authorities place the genera Ardipithecus, Orrorin, and Kenyanthropus in Hominini....

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