Final answer:
Modern humans, Homo sapiens, originated in Africa and spread globally, interbreeding with other human species like Neanderthals. They reached Europe, Asia, and Australia, and later populated the Americas through Bering Land Bridge and seafaring means, developing distinct civilizations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The species Homo sapiens, to which modern humans belong, originated in eastern and southern Africa around 200,000 years ago. From Africa, they migrated and spread across the globe. A significant migration event took humans out of the African continent around 100,000 years ago, following which they likely traveled along the coasts of Asia, reaching India and China by about 70,000 years ago. Early humans encountered other human species such as Neanderthals with whom they interbred. They first left Africa about 40,000 years ago and, over millennia, moved across Europe, Asia, and Australia. The peopling of the Americas started around 18,000 years ago, and human populations subsequently established diverse cultural traditions and civilizations across North, Central, and South America. Early humans managed to adapt to a wide variety of climates before the development of advanced technologies associated with civilization. They achieved transcontinental and transoceanic voyages, visible from the archaeological evidence found in various regions of the world, including the lasting remnants of their unique cultural and agricultural practices.