The fossil record helps us understand how humans, scientifically known as Homo sapiens, came to be. Here are some important points about this journey:

1. Hominid History:

   • The first hominids, or early human relatives, appeared around 7 million years ago. One of the earliest was called Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
   • Another well-known hominid is Australopithecus afarensis, famously known as "Lucy." She lived about 3.2 million years ago and walked on two legs, but still had some features like an ape.

2. Changes in Appearance:

   • As time passed, early humans went through big changes. One noticeable change was in brain size. For example, Homo habilis had a brain size of about 510 cubic centimeters. This is like a little more than half the size of a baseball.
   • By the time the modern human, Homo sapiens, appeared around 300,000 years ago, brain size had grown to about 1,300 to 1,400 cubic centimeters. That’s much bigger!

3. Walking on Two Legs and Making Tools:

   • Learning to walk on two legs helped early humans move around better and use less energy. Scientists can see these changes in their bones, like in Australopithecus.
   • The first tool makers were Homo habilis, also known as "Handy Man." They made simple stone tools around 2.4 million years ago.

4. Moving to New Places:

   • Fossil findings show that Homo sapiens started to move out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. This led them to new areas in Europe and Asia.

5. Other Hominids Disappear:

   • Other early humans, like Neanderthals, lived until about 40,000 years ago. They were around at the same time as early Homo sapiens and even shared some genes with them.

All these discoveries from fossils tell a detailed story of how early humans adapted and survived, leading to modern humans like us today.