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We are all apes: the Hominidae

Fast facts: Homo sapiens

  • Homo sapiens evolved around 300,000 years ago in Africa and conquered the world towards 8 billion indi-viduals today.
  • Homo sapiens are great apes and have 98.77% of identical genetic code with the next relative: the chimpan-zee.
  • Homo sapiens have a much bigger brain and more synapses compared to chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla and bonobo.
  • Homo sapiens can plan and predict (imagination), much better than our relatives.
  • Homo sapiens become most dominant species on earth in the last 150 years.

Hominidae are a taxonomic family of primates, the great apes. Five of the great apes still exist: the chimpanzee, the bonobo, the gorilla, the orangutan, and in the last 300,000 years we, the humans.

Photo 1: The 40 pieces of the skeleton of Lucy, a female Australopithecus afarensis, found 1974 in Hadar in Ethiopia (here exhibited as copy in the Ethiopian National Museum) are with 3.2 million years the oldest human bones.


The primary divergence probably lies in the brain. Chimpanzees have a brain weight of about 300 to 400 g and a volume of about 300 to 400 cm³, only one-third that of humans. The human brain has a volume between 1,270 cm³ (male) and 1,130 cm³ (female), weighing around 1,350 g (male) and 1,250 g (female), respectively, with wide variations. As seen in both males and fe-males, brain weight is not the sole parameter for greater intellectual capacities, as described by Liu et al. (2020). The largest brain belongs to the blue whale, weighing 9,000 g. Brain structure is also relevant. The human brain has approximately 86 ± 8 billion neurons. Each neuron can connect with others using 10,000 synapses, resulting in a total length of approximately 5.8 mil-lion kilometers. The human brain can understand complexities and is flexible in thoughts. This allows permanent new ideas and development of technology, culture, and social live, as the Eu-ropean Union financed Human Brain Project concluded. This capacity for thought far exceeds what current computers can achieve. Artificial Intelligence will likely reach this level soon, as promised by the Big Five Information Technology companies (GAMAM).

The human brain comprises only 2% of the body weight but consumes 20% of the total body energy (at rest). It is the most active organ in our body. Energy primarily comes from food (or in cases of hunger, from the body). However, energy alone is not sufficient. Adequate nutrition is crucial for brain growth during pregnancy and in the first years of a newborn's life. Develop-ing a brain with high intellectual capacities requires specific nutrients such as energy, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. Without proper maternal and infant nutrition, the young brain cannot develop optimally and may not fully recover later in adulthood. Malnutrition in the early stages can lead to stunted growth. The impact of education, in terms of knowledge and skills, remains limited throughout life.

(Photo made: Bonobo: 2022 in Congo DCR: Sanctuaire Lola ya Bonobo: 4°29'12.7"S 15°15'57.7"E, 317 m asl, Gorilla: 2022 in Central African Republic: Parc Nationa de Dzanga-Ndoki: 2°30'01.1"N 16°10'01.8"E, 412 m asl, Orangu-tan: 2021 in Malaysia (Borneo): Sepilok, Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre: 5°51'24.5"N 117°57'03.4"E, 61 m asl, Chimpanzee: 2023 in Sierra Leone: Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary: 8°24'43.2"N 13°12'17.0"W, 500 m asl, Human: 2014 in Germany: Thünen-Institute of Organic Farming, Trenthorst: 53°46'48.4"N 10°31'03.5"E, 40 m asl) (© Rahmann: www.world-of-agriculture.info)

Photo 2: The family picture of the five existing Hominidae. Today we find chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans in sanctuaries, and rarely in the wilderness. Humans have conquered the world and became the dominating species. This is surprising, because we still share 98.77% of our genetic code with our closest relatives, the chimpanzees (Mikkelsen et al. 2005).


Despite humans having comparatively weak bodies - many other animals are faster, larger, stronger, or possess better senses, and some can fly or dive - no other species has the strength if acting as a group. Merging and melting individual knowledge, skills, and attitudes into group 
Agriculture would have not been developed without our big and well-nourished brain. Not only the brain, also the omnivore digestion was important for mammal “human” development. We can eat plants and meat. Nevertheless, we cannot digest roughage like ruminants. Our stomach and digestive tract are effective in utilizing the available food. Humans have hunted and gathered food, followed food as seasonal nomads or in migration. Humans settled down, if enough was locally available, lake at the lakes and seashores.


Photo 3: Chimpanzees are the closest relatives to human, with 98.77% genetical similarity, but have lost the game of evolution. This chimpanzee is living in a sanctuary in Cameroon, rescued as baby, after her mother was poached by hunters for bush meat. In such sanctuary they are save but live is controlled by human.

For hundred-thousands of years, human hunted game and gathered wild plant. Not more than five to eight million people roamed in a mobile lifestyle throughout the African continent to search food. 130,000 years ago, groups moved to other continents: Asia and Europe, later Oce-ania, and Americas. It can be imaging, that searching for food was the main driving factor. Mo-tivated, brave, and clever human groups were able to adapt new conditions. They had to gain knowledge and learn unique skills to survive. Hunting was the most important way to have food. Humans as omnivores (we can digest plants, milk, and meat) behaved like carnivores (meat eater). Meat is rich in essential amino acids and proteins, what is important for the devel-opment of the human brains. The feathers, hides, hairs, and bones of hunted animals have been used for clothing, decoration, tools, and housing.


In some regions, humans have been so successful, that the local fauna extinct due to hunting. The big fauna in Australia, Americas, Asia and even Europe. Only in Africa is the big fauna widely present till today. Fishing had a comparable impact. Whales are killed for oil and nearly extinct. Many other wild fish species are close to extinction as well, because of too much fish-ing or the impact of fishing (nets) and environmental contamination and massive utilization of water. Today, the wildlife biomass is less compared to human and livestock biomass. Greenspoon et al. (2023) have calculated the wild land-based mammals’ biomass with about 20 mil-lion tons (95% certainty, 13-38 Megatons) and marine wild mammals (50% whales) at 40 mil-lion tons (20-80 Mt). That are about 3 kg and 6 kg wild mammal biomass per person on earth. Humans have a 6.5 times higher biomass (390 million tons) and the mammal livestock kept by humans even 10.5 times higher biomass (630 million tons) than all wild mammals together.


Photo 4: Humans have conquered the world, and food is found even in big cities of millions of humans. A big contrast to the lifestyle of the other Hominidae, even in sanctuaries.

Despite meat was the main food for humans in most of the time in history, regions, and cul-tures, gathering of wild plants for food, medicine, housing, tools, and cloths as well. Because of the risk of poisons, eating not known plants was risky. The knowledge about the toxicity of plants, was important, to use them as food. The knowledge about edible fruits, leaves, seeds, tubers, and roots, and skills about proper processing (conservation, cooking) and consumption decided about life and death. Using herbal medicine became part of the knowledge. Food and health cultures appeared.