It is incorrect to claim that humans descended from monkeys. Humans and modern apes share common ancestors whose traces disappear deep into millions of years of evolution. Going even further back in time, humans share common ancestry with all mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and indeed with every form of life on Earth — plants, bacteria, and microorganisms.
Human beings are part of nature itself: a product of the Earth that shaped them and of the universe that made the emergence of life possible. At some point millions of years ago, one evolutionary branch of primates separated from other related groups and, through countless generations of change, eventually led to the appearance of humans.
The phylogenetic tree of life contains countless branches; on one of them appeared the hominoids, the group to which humans also belong. About 12–14 million years ago, the ancestors of orangutans diverged from the evolutionary line that later led to humans and the African apes. Later, around 8–10 million years ago, the ancestors of gorillas split away, while approximately 6–7 million years ago the evolutionary lines of humans and chimpanzees separated.
Similarities in hemoglobin, myoglobin, and especially DNA confirm the close relationship between humans and chimpanzees. Human DNA is approximately 98–99% similar to that of chimpanzees, making them our closest living relatives.
The identity of the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees remains a subject of scientific debate. New fossils continue to be discovered, often changing our understanding of human evolution.
Some scientists believe that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which lived about 7 million years ago in present-day Chad, may have been close to the last common ancestor. Others place greater importance on Orrorin tugenensis, which lived around 6 million years ago in what is now Kenya.
Whichever species stood closest to that common ancestor, it is certain that some group of primitive hominins gradually began to develop traits that would eventually lead to the appearance of the first humans. Through countless generations of evolutionary change, their descendants acquired a more upright posture, larger brains, and characteristics increasingly similar to those of modern humans.
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