There is no single "first person" on Earth in a scientific sense because human evolution was a gradual process over millions of years. Modern humans (Homo sapiens) emerged around 300,000 years ago in Africa through a merging of populations from earlier hominins such as Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus

. The transition from archaic humans to anatomically modern humans was gradual, so there was no distinct individual who can be identified as the first person. From a scientific perspective, humans evolved over time from earlier species like Homo habilis and Australopithecus afarensis (e.g., the famous fossil "Lucy" who lived about 3.2 million years ago and is a close relative but not a direct ancestor of modern humans)

. The evolutionary process involved populations rather than a single "first human." In contrast, many religious traditions identify a specific first person. For example, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Adam is described as the first human created by God, formed from dust and given life

. Islamic traditions also regard Adam as the first human and prophet, created by Allah and significant in religious history

. To summarize:

• Scientifically, there was no single first person; humans evolved gradually from earlier hominins over millions of years

• Religiously, figures like Adam are considered the first human in various faiths

Thus, the concept of the "first person on Earth" depends on whether one refers to scientific evolutionary history or religious belief.