The Making of Mankind: Evolutionary Insights into the Origin and Rise of Homo Sapiens

by Alex M. Vikoulov

​“Homo sapiens does its best to forget the fact, but it is an animal. And it is doubly important to remember our origins at a time when we seek to turn ourselves into gods.”   –Yuval Noah Harari
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Humans are arguably the most peculiar species that has ever existed. Characterized by exceptionally large brains capable of abstract thought, invention, and sophisticated communication through language, humans are also notable for their near hairlessness, weak jaws, and disproportionately large reproductive organs. We are highly social and face unique challenges in childbirth. How did such an unusual species come to be?

We now know that all existing lifeforms stem from a solitary progenitor known as LUCA, or the Last Universal Common Ancestor. This perspective is perhaps the most cohesive view of life imaginable. Every living entity is connected back to this singular, simple cellular origin—the most fundamental root of the elaborate Tree of Life. Reversing life’s timeline, this microscopic entity appears as the initial spark of biological evolution, setting the stage for a dramatic unfolding over 3.5 billion years that leads to us.
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Throughout most of Earth’s history, life was dominated by prokaryotes—simple, single-celled organisms lacking nuclei and organelles. These organisms first appeared around 3.5 billion years ago, and their evolution into more complex eukaryotic cells remains a topic of scientific debate. Prokaryotic fossils have been discovered in ancient rocks, predating many geological periods. While Earth remains the only confirmed habitat of life, some evidence suggests Mars may also harbor fossilized or living prokaryotes.
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About the Author:
Alex M. Vikoulov is a Russian-American futurist, evolutionary cyberneticist and philosopher of mind, CEO/Editor-in-Chief of Ecstadelic Media Group, filmmaker, author of "The Syntellect Hypothesis: Five Paradigms of the Mind's Evolution," "The Origins of Us: Evolutionary Emergence and The Omega Point Cosmology," "The Physics of Time: D-Theory of Time & Temporal Mechanics," "The Intelligence Supernova: Essays on Cybernetic Transhumanism, The Simulation Singularity & The Syntellect Emergence," "Theology of Digital Physics: Phenomenal Consciousness, The Cosmic Self & The Pantheistic Interpretation of Our Holographic Reality," "NOOGENESIS: Computational Biology," "TECHNOCULTURE: The Rise of Man," "The Cybernetic Singularity: The Syntellect Emergence," "THEOGENESIS: Transdimensional Propagation & Universal Expansion," "The Omega Singularity: Universal Mind & The Fractal Multiverse." Self-described neo-transcendentalist, cybertheosopher, transhumanist singularitarian. Lives and works in California's Silicon Valley. More Bio...

Author Website: www.alexvikoulov.com
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e-mail: [email protected]

*Image: The Making of Mankind by GeoMindGPT​

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