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Humans (Homo sapiens, meaning 'thinking man' or 'wise man') are the most abundant and widespread species of primates, characterized by bipedality, hairlessness and large, complex brains enabling the development of advanced technology, culture and language. Humans are highly social beings and tend to live in complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families and kinship networks to political states. Social interactions between humans have established a wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which bolster human society. Curiosity and the human desire to understand and influence the environment have motivated humanity's development of science, philosophy, religion, mythology and other fields of knowledge.
Humans have a large and highly developed prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain associated with higher cognition. They are intelligent beings, capable of episodic memory, flexible facial expressions, self-awareness and a theory of mind. The human mind is capable of introspection, private thought, imagination, volition and forming views on existence. This has allowed great technological advancements through reason and the transmission of knowledge to future generations.
Humans are omnivorous, capable of consuming a wide variety of plant and animal material, and have used fire to prepare and cook food since the time of Homo erectus. They can survive for up to eight weeks without food, and three or four days without water. Humans are generally diurnal, sleeping on average seven to nine hours per day. Childbirth is dangerous, with a high risk of complications and death. Both the mother and the father typically provide care for human offspring who are helpless at birth.
Genes and the environment influence human biological variation in appearance, physiology, immune system, mental abilities, body size and lifespan. Though humans vary in many traits, any two humans are on average over 99% genetically similar, with the
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