Human origins quiz: How well do you know the story of humanity?

Some hominin species, like Australopithecus afarensis (shown here), survived for around a million years. (Image credit: David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel via Alamy)

Our species, Homo sapiens, has been evolving for more than 300,000 years, but the story of human origins starts much earlier. Since evolving from the common ancestor that we share with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, there have been many different species along the human lineage — known as hominins.

Scientists who study human origins and evolution, called paleoanthropologists, sometimes find new hominin fossils that give us a glimpse into our evolutionary history. And advances in the analysis of ancient proteins are helping to identify which species a fossil belongs to, and whether they were male or female. We now know there were large periods of time when multiple hominin species shared the landscape, and that sometimes they mated.

Question 1

Which of the following traits is not a defining characteristic of hominins?

Walking upright on two legs on the ground

Question 2

Where in the world did hominins first evolve?

Question 3

When do scientists believe hominins first evolved?

0.5 million to 1.5 million years ago

3.5 million to 5 million years ago

6 million to 8 million years ago

9 million to 10.5 million years ago

Question 4

Which hominin species that wasn't modern human was the first to be discovered?

Australopithecus africanus

Question 5

Which species of hominin is the famous "Lucy" fossil?

Australopithecus afarensis

Australopithecus africanus

Question 6

Which species is the earliest named member of the genus Homo?

Question 7

The earliest named member of the genus Homo was Homo habilis. What does the name translate to?

Question 8

How old is the oldest Homo fossil we have on record?

Question 9

True or false: The world's oldest human fingerprint belongs to a Neanderthal?

Question 10

In which country has an ancient hominin fossil not been discovered?

Question 11

True or false: Homo sapiens were the first hominins to bury their dead.

Question 12

Which Homo species is also known as "hobbit"?

Question 13

Which hominin species is known as the "Nutcracker Man"?

Australopithecus anamensis

Question 14

Which species is believed to be the earliest hominin currently discovered?

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Question 15

Besides mating with Homo sapiens, which other species do we know the Neanderthals mated with?