If we evolved from monkeys!!! why are there still monkeys that haven't evolved??

Answer 1

Just like there are humans who never evolved, they're known as Republicans.

Answer 2

Indeed there are monkeys who did not evolve. The reason is they chose not to. This is how it happened, there were clever monkeys and there were stupid monkeys living together somewhere in Africa. One day the clever monkeys discovered a way to an evolution which would end up in humans. Those who evolved would walk upright, have opposable thumbs, be taller, and less hairy. But then they would live in cramped cities, breathe smog and kill each other for money, fun, race or religion. As you can guess all the stupid monkeys chose to be humans while the others had all the riches of African jungles to themselves. Unfortunately they did not calculate that humans would come back to make them pay... You think it did not happen? Then why do you have the 99% of the genetic material of a chimp in your blood?

Answer 3

for the same reason that some people still believe in religion. some people are prepared to put up with the same old cr8p from outdated and irrelevant sources and either don't see a need to, or are unwilling to change. Think of it this way other primates have a book (their Genome) and behaviour patterns which they have successfully used over thousands or years, they seem happy with it, some humans have another book (be it a Bible, Torah, Koran) which seems to persuade them that what was written anywhere between 1200 & "n" thousand years ago is completely valid today and therfore they don't need to change or think that there may be a smarter way of doing things). There are others not labouring under the accumlated prejudice and bogitry inherent in all forms of organised religion that others may actually have a point, others may have a better way of doing things.

besides which I don't think anyone has actually said we are evolved from monkeys, just that we share a common genetic ancestory as other primates (approx 90-98% [ mind you we also share approximately 60% of the genome of the banana plant]). At some point, in the not too distant past mankind went down a different pathway than other primates.

Answer 4

Humans are a sort of ape. Apes are a sort of monkey. Monkeys are a sort of primate. Primates are a sort of mammal, etc etc. Monkeys did not stop evolving when apes arose and modern monkeys must to some extent be different from monkeys existing when apes arose. Species change when a problem arises in the environment they have to solve to exist. Possibly when the forest got smaller in some places some monkeys could carry on living in the trees, but where there were no longer as many trees the local monkeys would have to change to survive and maybe develop standing on two legs to see further and talking to help them cooperate to hunt now there weren't so many leaves and fruits to eat.

Answer 5

If Christianity evolved out of Judaism, why are there still Jews? The answer to both questions is the same.

In fact, just as Judaism has evolved since Christianity split off, so also have the *apes* evolved since the human line split off. They have just evolved in different directions.

Answer 6

We did not evolve from monkeys. We share a common ancester with the monkey.

And for the debate of Evolution vs. Creationism:
“Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.”
Ashley Montagu

I find that this quote is very pertinent to the debate between evolution and creationism. It is true that science has proof without any certainty, certainly when it comes to the theory of evolution. But the lack of certainty does not lie with wether or not evolution occured, but with the specific mechanisms of evolution. Life on earth has evolved and continues to do so, this is a fact. To disregard evolution is to be ignorant to the facts. Creationists seem to be certain that god just put life on earth as is, even though there's no proof. I can see how some religious person with no scientific background can argue intelligent design, but i cannot comprehend how someone with any sense of logic could dismiss evolution and believe in creationism.

Answer 7

We did NOT evolve from monkeys.

It is thought that humans and monkeys and chimps and all primates existing today evolved from a common ancestor in many intermediary steps. This ancestor was a type of ape which no longer exists.

I believe it was called...and I'm sure I'll spell it wrong, Australiopithicus.

Answer 8

We didn't evolve from monkeys, we had a common ancestor. We evolved into what we are now, and monkeys took a different path, that's all.

Answer 9

"Humans are universially better adapted to survival in the current environment than very similar and closely related creatures such as apes, so why are apes still around at all?" That seems to be implied in your questions. I would they fill niches where we choose not to expand into and compete with them for resources or eat them. else there would not be any left. it is theorized many, many large mammals (and "cousins" like cro-magnon man) did not survive human becoming hyper intelligent. Plus monkeys are cute, and have little meat on them, so we let them be. but "evolved" is not really a goal, it is just a chronological description. to use envolved in the way you did, assumes evolution is a process that culminate in producing humans. but that is a bit arbiratry.

Answer 10

This is a common question from the creationists and it makes no sense at all. Modern day apes descended from their early ancestors traced back to a hominid species dating over 2.7 to 4 m.y.a.

Modern man belongs to the genus Homo, which is a subgroup in the family of hominids. What evolved into Homo was likely the genus Australopithecus (once called "man-ape"), which includes the famed 3.2 million-year-old "Lucy" fossil found three decades ago.

The whole human family tree, being able to connect the branches is the life work of anthropoligists and other scientists. The great apes are man's closest cousins, they developed off the main family of hominids over 4 m.y.a.

Answer 11

We did not evolve FROM monkeys, although we do all have a common ancestor. All life has evolved from a common ancestor. The common ancestor of primates split sometime in the past to become the strepsirhines primates such as leumurs and loris' and the haplorhines such as tarsiers and anthropoids (great apes and us).