Hominin taxonomy

Hominin taxonomy classifies living humans and extinct species on the evolutionary lineage closer to humans than to chimpanzees. It organizes their names and proposed relationships while reflecting uncertainty in the fossil record.

Hominin: A primate on the evolutionary lineage closer to humans than to chimpanzees. This broader group defines which species hominin taxonomy includes.
Holotype: A single specimen designated as the name-bearing reference for a newly described species. A hominin species name is anchored to its designated type specimen.
Australopithecus afarensis: An East African hominin species that lived roughly 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago. Its abundant fossils make it a central case in hominin classification.
Homo sapiens: The living human species, characterized by complex language, cumulative culture, and distinctive anatomy. Its placement is clear, but its boundaries with archaic populations are debated.
Ancient DNA: Genetic material recovered from archaeological or paleontological remains long after an organism's death. It has exposed interbreeding and lineages absent from morphology-based classifications.
Biological species concept: A species concept that defines species by actual or potential interbreeding and reproductive isolation. Fossil hominins cannot usually be tested directly for reproductive isolation.
Morphological species concept: A species concept that distinguishes species by consistent differences in observable form and structure. Fossil hominins are often classified through anatomical comparisons.
Homo naledi: An extinct hominin species known from fossils found in South Africa's Rising Star cave system. Its unusual mix of traits complicates simple placement within the genus Homo.
Homo heidelbergensis: An extinct hominin species name applied to Middle Pleistocene fossils, especially from Europe and Africa. Researchers disagree about whether this name groups distinct regional lineages.
Ancient proteins: Proteins preserved in ancient remains that can provide biological evidence when DNA is unavailable. Protein sequences can help place fossils too old or warm for DNA recovery.

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