if evolution is true...why aren't apes turning into humans today?

Answer 1

We did not originate from anything that is living today. Every living thing on the planet has been evolving for the same length of time. For instance humans did not evolve from chimpanzees a few million years ago, both species have evolved from a common ancestor that lived back then.

Organisms evolve into ecological niches which are profitable. You can't see evolution working in nature as the time scales involved are unimaginably long.

Answer 2

First things first: The way to understand evolution is to remember that living organisms are in a state of constant change - It's not that evolution *can* occur, but that it *must* occur, simply because there is no mechanism in living organisms to ensure perfect, flawless reproduction for ever.

Now, suppose you could study a population of chimpanzees in the jungle, on a timescale of millions of years. Clearly, each individual only lives a few decades, so the population is constantly being succeeded by individuals which are different from their parents, because reproduction is imperfect - and remember, this is *inevitable*. It can't *not* happen. All the time this population is inter-breeding, the genes are getting mixed together, and only genes which work well with all other chimpanzee genes will tend to get passed down to successive generations (because individuals with genes that don't work well together will tend not to survive and reproduce).

However, suppose that circumstances arise which cause a group to become genetically isolated from other chimpanzees. This could be as a result of an accident of geography (e.g. an impassable river) or breeding preference or simply great distance. There will develop two distinct groups of chimpanzees which can never again exchange genes, because they have become different enough that mating will not produce viable offspring. This is what biologists define as speciation - i.e. the population has forever split into two distinct groups. Biologists have observed many instances of speciation, so there is no doubt that it occurs.

Assuming that both groups continue to survive, it is again *inevitable* that they will diverge genetically - There is no possible way that both groups, isolated and independent from each other, can change in exactly the same ways, and the longer they continue to breed, the more different they will become. Over millions of years, given that the rate of genetic change via mutation tends to remain fairly constant, the two groups will become as distinct as today's chimpanzees and humans are from each other, and from their most recent common ancestor.

That's why other apes aren't going to evolve into humans.

All this is based on what we *know* is true - it's not supposition or guesswork, and remember it's not just possible, it absolutely *has* to happen, because there is no mechanism in biology to make reproduction a 100% perfect, flawless process.

NB: The reason we're classed as apes is that there is no valid way to group all the other apes together that doesn't also apply to humans. In other words, whatever criteria you use to define what is an ape, in order to include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangs and gibbons, humans will also fit those criteria. Indeed, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to gorillas, and gorillas are more closely related to humans and chimpanzees than they are to orangs, so any classification that separated humans out from those other apes would not make any sense.

Hope this helps...

Answer 3

Evolution is not goal orientated! It is not a race to become an ultimate form! The natural forces that guide evolution via natural selection, have not forced gorillas or other modern apes to evolve in the same way that we have - for the most part they are perfectly adapted to their environment. They are under great pressure from shrinking habitat and poaching however - and even with protection, if these animals do not adapt new traits or habits, they may not be around much longer unfortunately.

Answer 4

This question is asked so often that I do wonder why people don't just read books or at least use on-line encyclopedia?

Apes did not evolve into humans. No evolutionist claims that. Apes and humans share a common ancestor. Millions upon millions of years ago, the ape-like ancestor of humans was also the human-like ancestor of apes!
This is absolutely proved, despite what fundie creationist would like to have you think. It is proved by comparative anatomy and genetics, as well as the fossil record.

Apes are not turning into humans. Both branches are developing separately, That's evolution!

Answer 5

Humans didn't come from apes, but from the same stock (i.e. common ancestors). Evolution takes millions of years so for two reasons (at least) you won't see apes turning into humans. I suggest you read a reputable, well-researched, scientific book on evolution.

Answer 6

I know. Some kind of evidence has had to seen after "billions of years." Shouldn't we have seen at least one change of macro-evolution? There are none. And for those who say that humans did not evolve from apes, why aren't [insert species here] evolving into [insert species here]? The earth is not even billions of years old, it's like only 7000 years old. Evolution is not true.

Answer 7

Apes never turned into humans. Apes today are gradually turning into slightly different apes. In the next few million years they will turn into very different apes. And in the next 40 million years they may well become something you would not recognize as an ape.

Answer 8

Takes more time than it would take you to drink a cup of tea............ like millions of years.

However, humans today are not the same as humans a generation ago. (perhaps you should have written it as 'humans, 2006 version' ? ) ..... because we are constantly evolving to cope with the evolution of the planet. OK us humans have done a bit of damage in recent centuries to rock the boat a little bit more than would be happening in th evolution process which we havent been able to evolve/adapt to yet, but we are getting there.
Cavemen humans had a differant climate to work under so they will have looked/stood differantly.
Maybe in billions of years hence the apeman will have evolved into humans like we did ????

Answer 9

Evolution takes MILLIONS of years. Today's apes are evolving into other things, just as humans today continue to evolve.

For evidence just look at humans are getting taller and taller, and living longer and longer. We are always evolving.

Answer 10

Why should they? The ape children who survive to have children of their own will tend to replace those who have less children. That is all there is to evolution - nothing about humans in that.