Human

Homo sapiens

Created by: Peekajinx

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."

-- Desmond Tutu

Basic Information

Anatomy

The human species is considered a carbon-based life form consisting primarily of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen along with other elements. The human body consists of a torso with two legs, two arms, a neck, and a head. They are bipedal (use only two legs for walking). Human bodies are supported by a strong bone and muscular structure.
They are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females exhibit different characteristics. The worldwide average height and weight for males is 172 cm (5 ft 7½ in) and 70-83 kg (154-183 lb). The worldwide average for females is 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) and 64 kg (119-141 lb). However, body weight and type can vary wildly in individuals based on genetics, diseases, and environmental influences.
The majority of the human species appear relatively hairless with the exception of the top of the head, face (on males), underarms, and pubic region. There are much finer hairs over most of the body with the exception of the palms and bottom of the feet. This hair can sometimes be hard to see unless viewed closely, and in many cultures it is the norm for females to shave the hair from most of their body.

Genetics and Reproduction

In order to reproduce, a male and female human must copulate wherein the male will impregnate the female, who will then carry the child for a nine month (36 week) gestational period. During the initial process of impregnation, the offspring receives 23 chromosomes from each parent, which contains the DNA information that will determine the genetic outcome of the child.
As with all mammals of Earth, humans have two genders. This gender is determined by the X and Y chromosomes. A female's sex chromosomes will consist of XX and a male will consist of XY. It is the male's half of the chromosomes that are passed on to the offspring that will determine the gender.

Growth Rate & Stages

After a child is born, it spends the first decade of its life entirely dependent on its parents for care. The following decade is then spent teaching the child how to live independently until they have reached ages 18-21, in most cases, and they set out on their own. Despite the twenty years it takes for a child to grow into an adult physically, adult maturity may not be reached until the ages of 25-30, or even further in life.

Ecology and Habitats

Humans are found on six of the seven continents, Antarctica being the only one not able to sustain human life for an extended period of time. While specific needs such as nearby water were required for settlements, technology has allowed humans to adapt their world to fit their needs and have set up large-scale cities to host thousands, with the largest settlements containing millions.
There is almost no where on Earth a human couldn't live since they are a highly adaptable species that can persevere in some of the harshest conditions. It's truly amazing how capable and survivable the human race is. According to records, the population of the human race is currently shown as living 61% in Asia, 14% in the Americas, 14% in Africa, 11% in Europe, and 0.5% in Oceania.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Humans are omnivorous, meaning they eat meat and plants for sustenance. Unlike their ancestors, most modern humans no longer have to hunt or gather their food. A strong agricultural infrastructure has been implemented in many areas to help supply the population with their dietary needs.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Humans have five traditional senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Other senses are based off of these five in some way. The weakest of the senses when compared to other Earth life is smell. However, they make up for it with their eyesight, which is far more sophisticated than most other animals.
Human eyesight in particular has become a fascinating study such as the way the images their eyes perceive are very different from what the brain tells them they see. For example, pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where a person can discern images or patterns as faces. There are theories as to why the human brain does this such as protection from predators.
Another very interesting phenomenon is the saccade. This is when the human eyes move in quick jerks simultaneously, usually when following a moving object or when trying to just perceive everything that is in front of them. During this movement, the human is actually blind as the images are processed by the brain to naturally “photoshop” the motion blur and other things the brain deems unimportant. A person will not realize that this is happening as the movement itself happens in a fraction of a second and the brain processes it just as quickly.
A good way to understand this is to imagine the eye is a camera taking rapid photos that are being developed in real time, but every time the shutter comes down, that means for a split second the person is blind until the shutter reopens to take another picture. A human can actually see this effect in a multitude of ways. For instance, if a person were to be watching a clock with a second hand or perhaps a small LED light that blinks at a regular interval, if they look away for a moment then look back at it, the second hand or light will appear to delay before resuming its regular interval. There have also been studies that have been shown that when an object moves fast enough, it can actually “hide” in the interval between saccades and the brain will not process that anything was there.
In reality, it’s funny that humans trust what they see at all as this is only a couple of examples of a small list of ways that the brain can misperceive what the eyes are showing it.

Scientific Name

Homo sapiens