Final answer:
Homo erectus is thought to have given rise to anatomically modern humans through its descendant, Homo ergaster, and the subsequent evolution of species such as Homo heidelbergensis, which likely was a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens sapiens.
Step-by-step explanation:
The species of Homo erectus that is believed to have given rise to anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) is a subject of considerable debate. While Homo erectus first appeared approximately 1.9 million years ago and migrated out of Africa to Eurasia, it eventually went extinct about 800,000 years ago. Their descendant, Homo ergaster, which may be considered an early form of Homo erectus, was present around 1.8 million years ago and had an essentially modern human form. It is thought that from the line of Homo erectus, further evolved species such as Homo heidelbergensis, Homo rhodesiensis, and Homo neanderthalensis emerged, with Homo heidelbergensis being a likely candidate for the direct ancestor of modern humans. These archaic Homo sapiens evolved about 500,000 years ago, featured a larger brain capacity, and some species survived until as recently as 30,000 to 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the existence of anatomically modern humans.