7 Million Years of Human Evolution in 20 Minutes

Human evolution from the chimpanzee split to today, played as a retro pixel-art tech tree: 7 million years of upgrades, and every branch that went grey. Sources are below. Where scientists still argue, the video says so. CHAPTERS 0:00 Start: human evolution in one run 0:38 World 1: The split from chimpanzees and the first hominins 2:31 World 2: Lucy, Laetoli footprints and the first stone tools 5:05 World 3: The first Homo, Oldowan tools and Nutcracker Man 6:50 World 4: Homo erectus leaves Africa, handaxes and Turkana Boy 8:38 World 5: The first fire and a near extinction 10:27 World 6: Hobbits, the oldest engraving, wood and making fire 12:10 World 7: Homo sapiens appears, Neanderthals and Denisovans 14:15 World 8: Neanderthal DNA, the first drawing, out of Africa 16:33 World 9: The last Neanderthals, the first music, the Americas 17:51 World 10: Farming, milk and why evolution never stopped 19:08 Final: human evolution on a 100 meter track SOURCES Smithsonian species: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/... Douka 2019: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-08... Sutikna 2016: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179 Smithsonian FAQ: https://humanorigins.si.edu/education... Smithsonian genetics: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/... Brunet 2005: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03392 Daver 2022: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04... Cazenave 2025: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2024... Williams 2026: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv0130 White 2009: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1175802 Cerling 2010: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1185274 Smithsonian behavior: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/... Sockol 2007: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0703267104 Harmand 2015: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14464 NHM London: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/ser... Plummer 2023: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo7452 Villmoare 2015: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa1343 Villmoare 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09... Cerling 2011: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1104627108 Smithsonian facts: https://humanorigins.si.edu/education... Zhu 2018: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-02... Lordkipanidze 2005: https://doi.org/10.1038/434717b Smithsonian traits: https://humanorigins.si.edu/human-cha... Hatala 2024: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado5275 Huguet 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08... Berna 2012: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1117620109 Marin-Monfort 2026: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.... Davis 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09... Hu 2023: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq7487 Nature news: https://www.scientificamerican.com/ar... Zhou 2026: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag157 Zohar 2022: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01... van den Bergh 2016: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17999 Nobel 2022: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/med... Joordens 2015: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13962 Barham 2023: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06... Meyer 2016: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17405 Dirks 2017: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24231 Nature news: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02... Hublin 2017: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22336 Vidal 2022: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04... Jaubert 2016: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18291 Reich 2010: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09710 Fu 2025: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu9677 Rizal 2020: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-18... Slon 2018: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-04... Henshilwood 2018: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-05... Krause 2007: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.10... Atkinson 2018: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.0... Oktaviana 2026: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09... Clarkson 2017: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22968 Smithsonian intro: https://humanorigins.si.edu/education... Sumer 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08... Prufer 2017: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao1887 Huerta-Sanchez 2014: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13408 Higham 2014: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13621 Xia 2024: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07... Conard 2009: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08169 Bennett 2021: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg7586 Pigati 2023: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh5007 Evershed 2022: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05... MedlinePlus: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/cond... Plomp 2015: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-015-03... Worldometer 2026: https://www.worldometers.info/world-p... Which topic should we speedrun next? Tell us in the comments. #humanevolution #evolution #science #pixelart #speedrun