The American Museum of Natural History made this short video to visually explain the 7 million year evolution of our species (to date).

Scientists use fossils to reconstruct the evolutionary history of hominins — the group that includes modern humans, our immediate ancestors, and other extinct relatives. Today, our closest living relatives are chimpanzees, but extinct hominins are even closer. Where and when did they live? What can we learn about their lives? Why did they go extinct? Scientists look to fossils for clues.