We are descended from Homo Erectus and share the vast majority of our DNA with that species, yet it is also extinct. Species are about populations, extinct spe

We are descended from Homo Erectus and share the vast majority of our DNA with that species, yet it is also extinct. Species are about populations, extinct species occur when there are no extant populations. You can dig down into the definition of species and what defines the boundaries between them, that's a big topic with basically no bottom.