Around 1.8 million years ago, human evolution passed a milestone. Our ancestors before then were little more than bipedal apes. Those so-called hominids had chimpanzee-size bodies and brains, and they still had adaptations in their limbs for climbing trees.

When did the human genus first appear?

Identification and Morphology. The genus Homo originated some time between 3.0 and 2.5 million years ago (Grine and Fleagle 2009). Although there are no definitive specimens of Homo from this time period, the Homo lineage most likely diverged in Africa because the earliest putative Homo fossils are all African.

Who was the first member of our genus?

The Genus Homo. The earliest fossils of our own genus, Homo, are found in East Africa and dated to 2.3 mya (Kimbel et al. 1997). These early specimens are similar in brain and body size to Australopithecus, but show differences in their molar teeth, suggesting a change in diet.