Is it true that humans didn't evolve from apes?

Question

But rather apes and humans both evolved from common ancestors?
If so do they have the evolution of apes like they do humans? For example, for humans they have australopithecus, homo habilis, homo erectus, to show for it. What do they have to show for apes?

Answer 1

Yes. See the links below. I highly encourage everyone who doubts evolution to spend a little time browsing the "tree of life web" site www.tolweb.org. Look both at the tree diagrams, showing how life has evolved into different species, but also look at the titles of the papers that are referenced on each page. For example, from the Primates page, there are papers with these titles:

"Toward a phylogenetic classification of primates based on DNA evidence complemented by fossil evidence. "
"A molecular view of primate phylogeny and important systematic and evolutionary questions. "
"Molecular timing of primate divergences as estimated by two nonprimate calibration points."
"The oldest known anthropoid postcranial fossils and the early evolution of higher primates."
"Molecular evidence on primate phylogeny from DNA sequences. "

There is a huge body of scientific literature that doesn't just say "we think we evolved from apes". It explains in great detail the evolution of all life, and shows where humans fit in the families of hominids, primates, and mammals. There is a great deal of evidence, not just from fossil evidence, but from DNA evidence. The DNA evidence is now far more powerful than the fossil evidence.

Answer 2

1. Same reason dogs were domesticated from wolves but we still have wolves. 2. They did. They evolved in the ape species we see today. 3. Technically we are still apes right now. Humans are classified as a primate. 4. By definition you have to have children in order for evolution to take place. 5. The question is nonsensical. Asking for a half man half ape is like asking for a half duck half bird. 6. Same thing I eat just now. I'm just going to skip the rest because they all stem from this massive misconception. That individuals evolve. They don't. Individuals are born and die. It is the population that evolves over time.

Answer 3

Correct. You can use various terms "proto-ape", "common ancestor", and so on. In simplest terms, modern apes are not our ancestors; they're our cousins. The human line of apes took more to dry plains where most other great apes are rain forest dwellers. The rainforest is a poor environment for fossilization as moisture and abundant life tend to destroy skeletons too quickly. Still, a chimp fossil was discovered last year. Sometimes the distinction pre-human and pre-gorilla can be hard to make since when they first could be considered diverged, they were still fairly similar. Classification leads to debates, but there is strong evidence for primate evolution.

Answer 4

You are right, humans today evolved from Homo sapiens not apes, but before them, there were many species like the Homo ergastor (believed to be the first to experience emotion, and bury their dead), Homo erectus (the first upright standing human), Neanderthol aka cave man ( however, we did not evolve from their bloodline, nor was our bloodline mixed with theirs in any way according to recent DNA studies).

The origin of modern Homo sapiens is not yet resolved. Two extreme scenarios have been proposed. According to the first, the distribution of anatomical traits in modern human populations in different regions was inherited from local populations of Homo erectus and intermediate "archaic" forms. This "Multiregional Hypothesis" states that all modern humans evolved in parallel from earlier populations in Africa, Europe and Asia, with some genetic intermixing among these regions. Support for this comes from the similarity of certain minor anatomical structures in modern human populations and preceding populations of Homo erectus in the same regions.

Answer 5

Humans ARE apes. We once (very recently, evolutionarily speaking) shared a common ancestor with what we now call apes, that is, chimps and gorillas and whatnot. It's a bit like your fifth cousin three times removed... you wouldn't recognize them as "family", but they are there on your family tree nonetheless.

Answer 6

Well, I was told apes and humans have a common ancestor.

Answer 7

There is absolutely no connection between the two!! Even Darwin pointed out that there are no subspiecies or connecting species fossils ever found proving evolution cannot exist. If it did you would find the fossils of species either human or ape that were evolving...to date none have ever been found...in fact no species has ever had fossils that represent an evolving species....go figure...no missing link...

Answer 8

Some believe that most of the apes you see today are descended from the Gigantopithecus. It was a huge 10 foot tall gorilla.

Answer 9

Sorry to have to tell you this--but no, we didn't evolve from apes. We ARE apes. Great apes, to be exact, just like Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Bonobos. I know this is a radical idea to most people, but the fact is that we are more biologically similar to a chimpanzee than a chimpanzee is to an orangulan. By logical extension, that makes us apes!

Answer 10

Yes it is believed we both decended from a common ancester but I dont know if they've bothered tracing the monkey line back. Besides with species of monkey would you use as a starting point?