Anatomski recentni ljudi su evoluirali od arhajskih populacija vrste Homo sapiens iz srednjeg paleolita, od prije oko 200.000 godina.[4] Pojavio se u praskozorje podvrsteHomo sapiens sapiens – vrste Homo sapiens kojoj pripadaju i svi ljudi današnjice. Najstariji fosilni ostaci anatomski recentnih ljudi jesu fosilni ostaci koji potiču od prije 195.000 (±5.000) godina, a uključuju dvije djelomične lobanje i kosti ruku, nogu, stopala i karlice.[5][6]
^Anthony Wilder Wohns, Yan Wong†, Ben Jeffery, Ali Akbari, Swapan Mallick, Ron Pinhasi, Nick Patterson, David Reich, Jerome Kelleher†, (2022): A unified genealogy of modern and ancient genomes Gil McVean, Science 25 FEBRUARY 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6583; page: 836.
^Nitecki M. H., Nitecki D. V. (1994): Origins of anatomically modern humans. Springer Verlag, Stuttgart.
^Schopf J. W. ed.: Major Events in the History of Life. 168.
^Bradshaw J. L.: Human Evolution: A neuropsychological perspective. Str. 185
^McDougall I., Brown F. H., Fleagle J. G. (2005): Stratigraphic placement and age of modern humans from Kibish, Ethiopia. Nature, 433 (7027): 733–736.
^White T. D. et al. (2003): Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia. Nature, 423 (6491): 742–747.
^Trinkaus, E. (1993): Femoral neck-shaft angles of the Qafzeh-Skhul early modern humans, and activity levels among immature near eastern Middle Paleolithic hominids. Journal of Human Evolution, 25 (5): 393–416.