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How many times have human species gone extinct?

By Michael Alan Prestwood

Author and Natural Philosopher

05 May 2024
Published 2 years ago.
Updated 2 weeks ago.

How many times have human species gone extinct?

The short answer is 15 to 20! That’s up to twenty known chapters of human history that have closed forever. 

When we refer to “human species” going extinct, we’re discussing members of the genus Homo, all the distinct human species that have disappeared since the emergence of Homo habilis about 2.3 million years ago.

Our planet has been a bustling stage of human evolution, where various human species have walked, foraged, and hunted. To date, numerous human species have gone extinct. These include well-known names like Neanderthals and Homo erectus, as well as less famous but equally intriguing ones like Homo habilis, Homo heidelbergensis, and the recently discovered Homo luzonensis.

Each of these species once roamed different parts of our world, adapting to diverse and changing environments but ultimately not surviving to the present day.

Michael Alan Prestwood
Author & Natural Philosopher

Prestwood writes on science-first philosophy, with particular attention to the convergence of disciplines. Drawing on his TST Framework, his work emphasizes rational inquiry grounded in empirical observation while engaging questions at the edges of established knowledge. With TouchstoneTruth positioned as a living touchstone, this work aims to contribute reliable analysis in an emerging AI era where the credibility of information is increasingly contested.

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