The First Hominins (That We Know Of) | Lindsay Nikole
Where did humans really begin? In this first episode, Lindsay explores some of the earliest known species that might be part of our family tree. From the discovery of the famous Toumaï skull to the big question of whether these ancient creatures actually walked on two legs, Lindsay dives into what their fossils reveal and why scientists are still debating their place in human history.
A huge thanks to the team for helping bring this video to life!
Research: Mark Lokier, Carys Phillips
Scripting: David Moscato
Editing: Spencer Hoffman-Edminster, Gianfranco Botto
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ABOUT LINDSAY NIKOLE
Join zoologist Lindsay Nikole for vivid stories about evolution, animal behavior, and the wonderfully weird life around (and before) us. Each video dives into creatures you’ve never met and facts you’ll never forget, blending science with humor, visuals, and memorable explanations. From viral mystery IDs and prehistoric deep dives to myth-busting and conservation context, this channel makes complex biology easy and exciting to understand.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to Human Evolution
2:20 Primates, Hominins, & Hominids
5:09 Why Evolution is a Branching Tree
6:08 Early Hominin Traits
10:00 Sahelanthropus: The Earliest Hominin
12:06 How Scientists Date Fossils
18:28 Anatomy & Lifestyle of Sahelanthropus
21:35 Orrorin: The Millennium Man
27:27 Summary of the Earliest Hominins
The First Hominins (That We Know Of) | Lindsay Nikole
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrc2iv2-G1FZ3VscM3zu2jg
@itsmeebz
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
13:43 NITROGEN 🌈🏳️🌈💞💫✨
@AleXanDraPR369
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Sólo estoy curiosa, ¿porqué pusiste la bandera de Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 cuando dijiste “dientes” en español?
@aBrightWhiteGuy
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Do you date specifically black guys ? I get that vibe
@omgitzpaige2013
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
it’s really cool how recently these fossils were discovered. like these hominins were not known when i was born, which is crazy
@omgitzpaige2013
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
1:36 ALL TIME LOW IS MY FAVORITE THAT IS DOPE AS HELL
@S8tan7
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
5:00 why was that the most photogenic baby ever, kid looked like a damn movie star
@faygo_cupcake
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
My mom likes to joke that in evolved cus I was born without top adult canines cus we don't eat raw meat anymore😅
@r3l4x69
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
hope you go back to science soon instead of making youtube videos about it
@Lovelyinternetperson
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
0:09 corruption.
@AmandaHugandKiss411
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Do I need to tell you that our current Magnetic Poles which you showed are wrong.
Our Magnetic North Pole is actually what people common mistake as our Magnetic South Pole.
As our Magnetic North Pole has a Negative Charge not a Positive Charge.
If it Had a Positive Charge our compass which contains a Magnetic bar with a positive charge that points north.
<cough> opposite polarity charge electrons attract each other, those with the same polarity charged electrons repell each other.
They have known this for a good thousand years. A French scientist pointed this out in around 1400s but was told to shush because well basically we live in a Northern centric society and they didn't want to point out that the Northern hemisphere is the Southern hemisphere and vise versa. North was on Top and they wanted it to remain that way.
So they, in school explain how magnets work and polarity. Then later they teach us about the Magnetic Poles and Magnetic Field around the earth. But don't both to point out DIRECTLY that the Magnetic North Pole isn't located in the North. In some ways it doesn't matter that much because our tilt, location in relation to the sun and in our orbit arround the sun is correct.
But: When it comes to our Magnetic Field, solar flares etc, this is a massive misunderstanding.
The North Pole has a negative charge polarity and as the earth is bombarded with electrons from the sun, the are pulled towards via our Magnetic field to the South Pole which has a positive charge. Over time a build up happens and the polarity flips. This happens over and over again over the ages. The earth, as you said doesn't flip although it does wobble somewhat on its axis. The Magnetic Field protects our Earth from radiation* and other things from hitting the Earth. Yes I worded it that way radiation is used generally as laymans term. There's many forms of waves and electrons etc that the Sun is giving off at any given moment. And our Magnetic Field is far more complicated than simply electrons moving from one point to another.
A third grade student can figured out how Magnets work and therefore the Magnetic North Pole isn't located in the North ❤
BTW this also means the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Your compass is mislabeled deliberately. It still points to the right direction but not based on the commonly used diagram that they haven't bothered to change.
We have a global standard today that states that North is up, South is Down, The Northern Hemisphere is up etc. 😢
@CliffMiyoshi
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
If you really want to study a living caveman take a look at Darrell Brooks!
@muddysteam
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
67
@arttay1090
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
All I heard was they are in fact putting things in the water to turn the frogs gay
@ryanthunder3247
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
0:10 We?
Bold assumptions
@amyleah08
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
I don't know if you'll ever see this comment Lindsay, but I just want to put it out there that you have been so helpful in my deconstruction of religion. Your videos and the way you explained evolution never made be feel stupid for believing whatever creationist bs I'd been taught, and it is what got me to actually listen. Basically, you made evolution make sense to me since I had never given it the chance it deserved.
All this to say, thank you so much Lindsay for everything you do to make these videos approachable for people like me 😊
@sighman9209
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Awesome video and while you did mention Crete briefly there is another contender, for the earliest basal/stem Hominin, whose research is being blocked by a private pool of all things, the 7,2 million year old Graecopithecus. Found in 1944 when Nazis were building a bunker around Athens, with a later find in Bulgaria. The things holding it back are being heavily fragmentary and in Europe. Granted Balkans and Anatolia have been known to house the ancestors of various other fauna associated with modern Africa around that time like Rhinos or Giraffes, as well as other more complete hominids.
@samlukowski3562
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
FUN FACT:
I went to high school with Alex and Jack – not important – but still true
@lurdeimierda
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
My autistic ass loves this videos
@mybloodtypeKRYLON
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
My dad called us homo erectus like it was a insult when me and mh brothers were teens 😂
@ClayManIon
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
I see what you did there. Looooool
@Jeffindsm
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Poor little monkey man has a crooked head
Probably walks a crooked path for a crooked mile
Poor little crooked monkey man.
First hominids were crooks.😐
@sethfrail
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
⏳🐇
@WilliamRozanski
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Still can’t get over your elbow is knob high
@The7thGradeEmoPhase
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
watching this to help me study for my Human Origins class 😅 i have a midterm coming up lol
@cholulahotsauce6166
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
I'm a hominin.
@Yourboitayy
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
11:45😁
@coolcoolercoolest212
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Based science educator. Spreading knowledge pilled.
@craigkdillon
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Lindsay Nikole is the craziest girl — THAT I know of.
@nickapvikes
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Beryllium … Vermillion …
This has been the non sequitur zone with Lindsay Nikole
@theCoC2025
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
<3
@thorium222
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
I find it very interesting that the teeth honing complex was lost so early in hominin evolution, because it points to totally different social structure. We know that brain growth happened much, much later, so the direction which defines our human niche wasn't that, but most likely social cooperation, which made our ancestorial line successful. Even the most intelligent human being on earth would not manage more than the most primitive stone-age technology or would not even get there before dying if he was dropped naked and alone in the wilderness.
@thorium222
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Right now the data we know seems to indicate that walking upright originally evolved in our ancestors as method of moving in the trees, where you stand on branches and stabilize yourself by grabbing onto other branches overhead. And then these upright walking critters found themselves more and more on the savannah, where their upright walking had to become more efficient. That is way cool, showing how things evolve for one thing and then get adapted through selection for another thing.
@DLYChicago
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
So Sahelanthropus Tchadensis was a total Chad.
@Huntyvr9
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
I’m super offended!!! Why are your curse words censored? That shit is lame! No bleeps!
@thomahal1
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
The way I remember the hominin/hominid difference is hominIN means IN line to us (or IN the club, whichever is easier to remember).
@itsbaileybtch
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
4:36 HominiN is more HumaN than HominiDs. The word Hominin is closer to the word Human and is also closer relation
@itsbaileybtch
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
1:08 do I spy another Collab with Milo??? https://youtu.be/ka-X8ccvwUw?si=pTOM8BJao0Ffig0K
@KitGames825
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
Do penguins count? I thought they literally waddle cause they are forever squatting, or is the knees in the chest not real? I need a penguin videos those mf are weird and I love it
@Nara.Shikamaru
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
@1:35 OH MY GOD HAVE YOU HEARD THEIR NEW ALBUM!? “Sugar” IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS THEY’VE EVER DONE.
@brantschuenman
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 am
11:45 hit me like a truck…
Comments are closed.