Final answer:
Homo erectus, originating in East Africa around 1.9 million years ago, was the first hominin to migrate out of Africa, leading to the evolution of various human species including Homo sapiens. These migrations and adaptations are critical to understanding human evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Origins and Evolution of Homo erectus
Homo erectus, an early species in the genus Homo, evolved around 1.9 million years ago in East Africa. This species is considered to have migrated out of Africa, spreading to Eurasia and eventually giving rise to Homo heidelbergensis and other human species. The migrations of H. erectus out of Africa are crucial to understanding the spread of early humans and the evolution of modern humans.
H. erectus was the first hominin to migrate out of Africa, with evidence of this migration dating back between 1.8 and 1.5 million years ago. As they migrated, these populations evolved and adapted to different environments, leading to a diversity of human species including H. heidelbergensis, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and ultimately Homo sapiens. Modern humans, or Homo sapiens sapiens, are thought to have arisen in Africa from H. erectus stock before migrating out of Africa in a much later second wave, about 100,000 years ago.
H. erectus possessed several features that were more similar to modern humans than those of earlier hominins, including size and brain capacity, and are known to have used fire and tools.