Humans depicted on the Pioneer plaque Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: H. sapiens Subspecies: H. s. sapiens Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 The introduction of this article is too short. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, it should be expanded. Please discuss this on the talk page and read the lead section guide to ensure it summarizes the article. Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: "wise human" or "knowing human") in the family Hominidae (the great apes).[1][2] Compared to other living organisms on Earth, humans have a highly developed brain capable of abstract reasoning, language, and introspection. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees their upper limbs for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other species. DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago,[3] and they now inhabit every continent, with a total population of over 6.6 billion as of 2007.[4]