Human Characteristics: What Does it Mean to be Human The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program
Genes and the environment influence human biological variation in visible characteristics, physiology, disease susceptibility, mental abilities, body size, and life span. Though humans vary in many traits (such as genetic predispositions and physical features), humans are among the least genetically diverse primates. Humans are omnivorous, capable of consuming a wide variety of plant and animal …