Our line splits from the chimpanzees
Two branches of the same tree go separate ways
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Molecular clocks date the split to roughly 6–8 million years ago; Sahelanthropus and Orrorin sit near the branching point. The decisive change is bipedal walking, which evolved long before large brains. Standing upright frees the hands, saves energy over long distances and improves visibility in open terrain — an advantage as East Africa's forests gave way to savanna. Humans and chimpanzees still share around 98.8 per cent of their DNA.
For children
About seven million years ago an ape species lived in Africa. Its descendants split into two groups: one became chimpanzees, the other became us. So we are not descended from chimpanzees — we are cousins.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org