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Homo sapiens (Latin for "Man the Wise") is the only extant species of the genus Homo (humans), first being classified as such by Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus in his magnum opus Systema Naturae (1758). It is also the most common species of primate, numbering at an estimated 8 billion as of 2022. Homines sapientes are characterised by their bipedality, dexterity, and well-developed brains which enable complex thought.
Homines sapientes emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago and have since spread to all other continents on Earth, adapting to a variety of harsh climates by developing the appropriate tools and clothing and by modifying their surroundings. Homines sapientes are highly social creatures, creating complex social structures such as class, family, and religion.
Throughout most of their history, homines sapientes lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers, but with the dawn of agriculture following the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 years ago came the emergence of large-scale human settlements and, as a result, the formation of class society. Over time, as the existing relations of production have become an active hindrance to the further development of the productive forces, this has led to class struggle and eventually the overthrow of the existing social order. Through this process, homines sapientes (and no other species) have advanced through the slave, feudal/Asiatic, and capitalist modes of production, albeit at varying speeds and not necessarily in a linear progression.