Humans are extremely complex and unique beings. We are animals, yet we often forget our origins and place in the natural world and consider ourselves superior to nature. Humans are animals, but what does it mean to be human? What are the distinctive characteristics that differentiate us from other animals? How are we different? Human origins begin with primates, however through evolution we have developed unique characteristics such as larger brain size, language capacity, emotional complexity, and habitual bipedalism that have separated us from other animals and allowed us to further advance and survive in the world natural. Furthermore, humans have been able to develop culture, self-awareness, symbolic behavior, and emotional complexity. Human biological adaptations separated humans from our ancestors and facilitated learned behavior and cultural adaptations that widened that gap and made humans truly different from any other animals. Biological Evolution Biological evolution is the change in the hereditary and genetic characteristics of a species. Much of what makes us human is our physical appearance and biological adaptations. Human ancestry originates in primates and over time we evolved very physically to become the modern humans we are today. Humans have larger brains, longer legs, and are routinely bipedal, all characteristics that biologically separate humans from other animals and create human identity. One of the most important and crucial physical and biological adaptations that separate humans from other mammals is habitual bipedalism. According to Darwin, as reiterated by Daniel Lieberman, “it was bipedalism rather than large brains, language, or tool use that first set the… center of the paper… drawn. What makes us human? Through examining human evolution, it is possible to recognize both biological adaptations and cultural adaptations as distinct from humans. Biologically speaking, humans are unique in that they are bipedal, have larger brain sizes, and longer legs. When we examine the cultural evolution of humans, we have a complex language system, live in communities, engage in symbolic behaviors, and act through emotional impulses. Although we are often considered superior to all other animals, it is important to recognize that, despite being animals, we have very distinct characteristics and adaptations that separate us both biologically and culturally from all other animals. Works Cited Lieberman, Daniel. "The History of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease" https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0307907414