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- Dictionaryhuman being/ˌhjuːmən ˈbiːɪŋ/
noun
- 1. a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance.
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A human being is an individual of the species of primate mammal that walks on two feet, is related to the great apes, and is distinguished by a greatly developed brain with capacity for speech and abstract reasoning. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related entries of human being.
Sep 18, 2024 · Human being is a culture-bearing primate classified in the genus Homo, especially the species H. sapiens. Learn about human evolution, the gap in cognition and anatomy with great apes, and the diversity and history of human culture.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn the origin, history, and usage of the term human being, which refers to any individual of the genus Homo, especially a member of the species Homo sapiens. See examples of human being in sentences from various sources.
A human (being) is a person, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. Learn more about the pronunciation, synonyms, and related words of human (being) from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary.
- Humans as Primates
- Uniqueness of Human Beings
- Biology
- History
- Psychology
- Culture
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Humans are classified in the biological order Primates, a group of mammals containing all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes. Primates are characterized by being anatomically unspecialized, with limbs capable of performing a variety of functions, refined five-digit hands adapted for grasping (including opposable thumbs), ...
Because humans are classified as primates and because apes are considered to be our biological ancestors, there is a modern tendency to consider humans as "just another primate" or "nothing but an animal." Indeed, the physical similarity between humans and other members of the "great apes" is so striking that efforts are underway to treat apes as "...
Genetics and physiology
See also: Human body Humans are an eukaryotic species. Each diploid cell has two sets of 23 chromosomes, each set received from one parent. There are 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. By present estimates, humans have approximately 20,000–25,000 genes. Like other mammals, humans have an XY sex-determination system, so that females have the sex chromosomes XX and males have XY. The X chromosome is larger and carries many genes not on the Y chromosome, which means that rece...
Skin color, hair color, and "races"
The hue of human hair and skin is determined by the presence of pigmentscalled melanins. Human skin hues can range from very dark brown to very pale pink, while human hair ranges from blond to brown to red to, most commonly, black (Rogers et al. 2004). The differences in skin color between various people is due to one type of cell, the melanocyte. The number of melanocytes in human skin is believed to be the same for all people. However, the amount of pigment, or melanin, within the melanocyt...
Life cycle
The human life cycle is similar to that of other placental mammals. New humans develop viviparously (live birth) from fertilization of an egg by a sperm (conception). An egg is usually fertilized inside the female by sperm from the male through sexual intercourse, though the recent technology of in vitro fertilization is occasionally used. The fertilized egg, called a zygote, divides inside the female's uterus to become an embryo that is implanted on the uterine wall. The fetal stage of prena...
Origin of Homo sapiens sapiens
The scientific study of human evolution concerns the emergence of humans as a distinct species. It encompasses the development of the genus Homo, as well as studying extinct human ancestors, such as the australopithecines, and even chimpanzees (genus Pan), which are usually classified together with genus Homo in the tribe Hominini. "Modern humans" are defined as the Homo sapiens species, of which the only extant subspecies is Homo sapiens sapiens. There is substantial evidence for a primateor...
Rise of civilization
Up until only around 10,000 years ago, all humans lived as hunter-gatherers (with some communities persisting until this day). They generally lived in small, nomadic groups. The advent of agriculture prompted the Neolithic Revolution. Developed independently by geographically distant populations, evidence suggests that agriculture first appeared in Southwest Asia, in the Fertile Crescent. Around 9500 B.C.E., farmers first began to select and cultivate food plants with specific characteristics...
Habitat and population
Early human settlements were dependent on proximity to water and, depending on the lifestyle, other natural resources, such as fertile land for growing crops and grazing livestock, or populations of prey for hunting. However, humans have a great capacity for altering their habitats by various methods, such as through irrigation, urban planning, construction, transport, and manufacturing goods. With the advent of large-scale trade and transport infrastructure, proximity to these resources has...
The brain is a centralized mass of nerve tissue enclosed within the cranium (skull) of vertebrates. The human brain is the center of the central nervous system in humans, as well as the primary control center for the peripheral nervous system. The brain controls "lower," or involuntary, autonomic activities such as the respiration, and digestion. T...
Cultureis defined here as a set of distinctive material, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual features of a social group, including art, literature, value systems, traditions, rituals, lifestyles, and beliefs. The link between human biology and human behavior and culture is often very close, making it difficult to clearly divide topics into one a...
Astner, S. and R. R. Anderson. 2004. Skin phototypes 2003. Journal of Investigative Dermatology122. Retrieved July 13, 2020.Banton, M. 1977. The Idea of Race. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN 0891587195.Benthall, J. 2007. Animal liberation and rights. Anthropology Today23(2): 1-3. Retrieved July 13, 2020.Block, 1995. On a confusion about a function of consciousness. Behavioral and Brain Sciences18(2): 227-287.- Mammalia
- Primates
- Animalia
- Chordata
Humans are anatomically similar and related to the great apes, but have a more highly developed brain for speech and reasoning. They are classified in the genus Homo, especially the species Homo sapiens, and display erect posture and manual dexterity.
HUMAN definition: 1. being, relating to, or belonging to a person or to people as opposed to animals: 2. having the…. Learn more.
