Final answer:
Anatomically modern Homo sapiens first appeared in the fossil record about 200,000 years ago in Africa, with the oldest known fossils dating to around 300,000 years ago. The 'Out of Africa' model suggests they then expanded out of Africa 100,000 years later, replacing other human species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first anatomically modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record around 200,000 years ago in Africa. These early humans are classified as 'anatomically modern' due to their physical characteristics, such as the presence of a chin, which mirror those of humans today. However, they had not yet developed the full range of cultural and technological behaviors that are associated with later Homo sapiens. This emergence of Homo sapiens marked a significant point in human evolution, signifying a species with biology identical to contemporary humans.
The so-called 'Out of Africa' model is the most widely accepted theory explaining the origins of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. It proposes that these early humans first appeared in Africa and then expanded out of the continent roughly 100,000 years ago, displacing other hominin species in the process. The discovery of the oldest known modern human fossil in Morocco in 2017, dating to about 300,000 years ago, has pushed back the date of the appearance of Homo sapiens and continues to inform and revise our understanding of human evolution.