Humans (Homo sapiens) are the only surviving species of the genus Homo.
A human being is defined as man, an animal that belongs to the family of homo sapiens . Although it is common to define ourselves at a generic level as men , this term can cause some confusion since it also refers to the male sex.
Historians say that, in prehistory , the genus homo was made up of several species. However, since Homo Neanderthalensis became extinct (an event that occurred approximately 25 thousand years ago) and Homo Floresiensis disappeared from the earth (an extinction that occurred approximately 12 thousand years ago), the only species that survives of this clan is that of homo sapiens.
The evolutionary process
Man is the result of an evolution of primates known as hominoids . Its original development was on the African continent and the genre later spread to the rest of the world.
The human being represents the highest level of complexity reached by the evolutionary scale. The brain is highly developed and allows you to carry out numerous rational activities and develop abstract, creative and other types of thoughts. After exceeding three years of age, the symbolic prevails in human thought.
It should be noted that human beings appear among the longest-lived animals with multicellular characteristics today, exceeding 100 years of age in certain cases. This circumstance has changed over the years since, in the first centuries of this era, the life expectancy of human beings was barely close to 25 years.
Distinctive characteristics of the human being
In addition to these hallmarks of the human being, we can establish that it has others that completely define it and that differentiate it from the rest of the living beings that exist on the Planet . Among those are the following:
From an anatomical and biological point of view, it must be emphasized that it has the so-called opposable thumbs thanks to which it is easier for it to carry out the use of various instruments, that it has great plasticity of movements and that it has great variety in its external physiognomy. That is, this last aspect means that there is a palpable difference between many human beings, whether men or women, in terms of height, for example.
A family brings together different generations of human beings.
In the same way, it should not be overlooked that in matters of sexuality, copulation is not only carried out for simple pleasure, and not only as a means of reproduction, but it is one of the few living beings that carries out copulation face to face.
Diet and awareness of one's own finitude
In addition to all of the above, it should also be noted that in terms of food, human beings are characterized by having a very complete diet that includes both vegetables and meat. Specifically, to enjoy magnificent health you must eat all those foods that include vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and also lipids.
At a cerebral and mental level, we should not overlook the fact that it is the living being that achieves greater evolution.
Another peculiarity of the human being is that it is the only species that is aware of its finitude: that is, man knows that, at some point, he is going to die . Human beings also believe in the existence of the soul or similar entities, which transcend bodily experience.