Modern humans evolved in stages from a series of ancestors, including several earlier forms of humans. The bodies of these ancestors changed over time. In general, their brains became larger. The jaws and teeth became smaller. Human ancestors also began walking upright on two feet and using tools.

The first Homo sapiens, the ancestors of today's humans, evolved around 200,000 years ago. It was known for centuries that man and the apes were related. At heart, their anatomy is similar, despite many superficial differences. This was the reason why Buffon and Linnaeus, in the 18th century, put them together in one family.

Human evolution is the process of gradual genetic change that led, over millions of years, to the development of our species, Homo sapiens. Humans evolved from ape-like animals. We belong to Hominidae, the great ape family, and share a common ancestor with the other living great apes.

The theory of human evolution is centred around the idea of natural selection, which is accredited to the famous naturalist, Charles Darwin. Natural selection is the process by which an organism’s genetic makeup changes over time to allow it to become better suited to survive in its environment.