nadreamia.com - humanoid - essays - humanevolution
Here's a diagram I drew up that traces the path of evolution from the beginning of the universe that led to modern humans. It is by no means authoritative, and there are still missing pieces and parts where we're not sure how they fit.
Any group followed by "(x)" is presently extinct.
Very hot soup of particles (about 13.7 billion years ago)
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electrons and quarks
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electrons, protons, and neutrons
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electrons, protons, and helium nuclei
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hydrogen and helium atoms
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Stars
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Atoms (including hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen)
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Molecules (including water H2O, methane CH4, ammonia NH3, and hydrogen H2)
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Complex Molecules (including amino acids and RNA bases)
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Naked RNA (RNA bases attached into strands) <--- life
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RNA protected by lipid bilayers.
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still need to fill some steps here.
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+---> Eubacteria ("True bacteria", Mitochondria, Chloroplasts)
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+---> Archaea (Methanogens, Halophiles, Sulfolobus, and relatives)
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Eukaryotes, Organisms with nucleated cells
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+---> Many branches including plants and protists.
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Opisthokonts
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+---> Fungi and Microsporidia
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+---> Collar-flagellates (choanoflagellates)
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Animals (Metazoa)
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+---> Porifera (sponges)
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+---> Many branches including corals and jellyfish.
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Bilateria, Bilaterally symmetrical animals with three germ layers
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+---> Many branches including arthropods (insects, spiders, crabs...),
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Deuterostomia
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+---> Echinodermata & Hemichordata (including starfish)
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Chordata
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+---> Calcichordata (x)
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+---> Urochordata
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+---> Cephalochordata & Yunnanozoon (x)
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Craniata (animals with skulls)
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+---> Hyperotreti (hagfishes)
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Vertebrata (animals with backbones)
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+---> Hyperoartia & Euconodonta (x)
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+---> Pteraspidomorphi (x) & Thelodonti (x)
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+---> Anaspida (x)
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+---> Galeaspida (x)
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+---> Pituriaspida (x) & Osteostraci (x)
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Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates)
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+---> Placodermi (x)
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+---> Condrichthyes (sharks, rays, sawfish, and chimeras)
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Teleostomi
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+---> Acanthodii (x)
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Osteichthyes
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+---> Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
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Sarcopterygii
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+---> Onychodontifornes (x) & Coelacanthimorpha
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+---> Porolepimorpha (x) & Dipnoi
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+---> Rhizodontimorpha (x)
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+---> Osteolepimorpha (x)
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Terrestrial Vertebrates
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+---> Skipping 13 branches, all of which are extinct.
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+---> unnamed branch with many extinct children except for Living Amphibians
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Anthracosauria
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+---> Solenodonsaurus (x)
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+---> Diadectomorpha (x)
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Amniota
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+---> Reptilia (includes dinosaurs, living reptiles and birds)
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Synapsida
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+---> Skipping 9 branches, all of which are extinct.
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Therapsida
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+---> Skipping 15 branches, all of which are extinct.
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Mammalia
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+---> Triconodonts (x)
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+---> Monotremata (platypus, echidnas), & Multituberculata (x)
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+---> Marsupialia (Kangaroos and stuff)
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+---> Palaeoryctoids (x)
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Eutheria (placental mammals)
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+---> Edentata (anteaters, sloths, armadillos) & Pholidota (pangolins)
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+---> 4 big branches whose exact relationships are unknown
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+---> Chiroptera (bats) & Dermoptera (flying lemurs)
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+---> Scandentia (tree shrews)
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Primates
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+---> Strepsirhini (lemurs, galagos, lorises, etc.)
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+---> Tarsii (Tarsiers)
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+---> Platyrrhini (new world monkeys)
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Catarrhini
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+---> Cercopithecidae (old world monkeys)
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+---> Hylobatidae (gibbons)
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Hominidae
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+---> Pongo (orangutan)
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+---> Gorilla
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+---> Pan (chimpanzees & bonobos)
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+---> Ardipithecus (x)
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+---> Australopithecus (x)
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Homo (humans)
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+---> 4 extinct branches
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Homo sapiens (modern humans, including Charles Darwin)
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+---> old school humans
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Genetically enhanced humans
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Nanotechnologically enhanced humans
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Brains in jars
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Glowing blobs
All the information between eubacteria and homo sapiens is taken from the tree of life project at www.tolweb.org
The information before eubacteria comes mostly from my memory and stuff I could dig up.
The information after homo sapiens is my own prediction.
Human Evolution, by The Humanoid