I am not being hostile, but honestly wondering...If you believe in evolution, where are the "cavemen" type humans? If we came from apes, where is the middle animal that went from them to us? If they died off, why did the types of apes that are around now stick around?
2006-12-14 11:27:43 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Excuse me for using "cavemen", I wrote the question quickly and didn't think about the correct term. Ok so Neanderthals..what happened to them?
2006-12-14 11:34:52 · update #1
For the record, I am Christian, and I beleive that God created everything, and I do intend on reading up on many things, evolution being one of them, but this is a Q&A place, and I just like to see what other peoples perceptions are. So I guess I am honestly wondering what others think, esp. the people on here, since I am on this site almost every day.
2006-12-14 11:41:37 · update #2
Well let's even go further back. What created the big bang?
2006-12-14 11:29:38 · answer #1 · answered by jonathan x 3 · 3⤊ 5⤋
The concept of "transitional forms" is a setup for a strawman argument (a fake argument that is easily defeated). The "cavemen type" humans (our evolutionary ancestors) likely evolved with us, like what happens in most evolving populations. There are only certain cases where only a portion of the population evolves while the remaining population stays the same (different forms of selection that I'll not go into here). This case of evolution doesn't happen all the time and it's not at all unlikely that our ancestors' populations continually evolved into today's form.
The "apes that are around now" stick around because they are successful enough in their environment to maintain survival. Evolution, after all, is literally survival.
Besides, it's not like the apes get together every so often in a council and say, "Gee, those humans really got us beat. I can't believe we didn't go for the larger brain capacity instead of brawn. Should give this up now, or what?"
If you're "honestly wondering", then you should pick up a few books, or stop by the library. Biological evolution is a very interesting topic and not as intimidating as anti-science people may lead you to believe. Look up "natural selection", as a good starting point.
2006-12-14 19:36:14 · answer #2 · answered by godlessinaz 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Where are the cavemen type humans:
Either those particular subspecies are now extinct because they were poorly adapted and died off, or, they evolved into us.
Where is the middle animal:
A valid question. In this case, the fossil record shows that the common ancestor (I forget its taxinomic name [like humans are Homo sapiens sapiens] though) went extinct somewhere over 4 million years ago, and the hominids have been their own branch for most of that duration.
Why did the types of apes that survived ... survive:
Most of the apes alive now live in environments that have remained relatively unchanged for the past four million years. Since there has been no selective pressure, evolution has been progressing slowly if at all. It is possible for a species to reach homeostasis (balance) with its environment if the environment does not significantly change for some time. The hominid line, however, migrated so much and so fast that it forced itself into different environments, thus in a way forcing its own adaptation and evolution.
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Johnathan: Evolution has nothing to do with the beginning of the universe, the formation of the Earth, or even the origins of life. Just as optics presupposes the existence of sand for the manufacture of glass, Evolution presupposes the existence of at least rudimentary life. The origins of life fall under the field of abiogenesis, and the origins of the universe fall under the field of cosmology. Please keep your fields separate lest you look like a fool.
2006-12-14 19:34:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The "cavemen" type humans are a figment of our imagination, made up for cartoons, and such. The real "cavemen" (a term a use very loosely) are the Neanderthals, the Australopithecines, and hominids such as them. They were also the "middle animal", by the way.
We didn't come from apes. Let's do it like this: the letter "A" represents humans. Letter "B" represents all modern apes. A and B all descended from "C", a common ancestor. The types of apes stuck around because they have/had traits favorable for survival.
2006-12-14 19:32:24 · answer #4 · answered by Nowhere Man 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Evolution is a tricky subject, but most people believe it to be true including Christians. The problem I have is the big bang. If matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, where did all that matter and energy that is the universe come from? This is a very important question that cannot be answered, and possibly wont be answered. That's what we call faith. We feel the wind, and postulate what wind is, but cannot confirm it until we get to a detailed level. Maybe in a million years we'll know for sure.
2006-12-14 19:44:14 · answer #5 · answered by Julio Cesar C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Neanderthals died off because they were out classed by Humans. Out hunted, faster and stronger. Neanderthals were already feeling the stress after the ice age ended. Having to fight the smarter faster humans was too much for the "Cavemen"
2006-12-14 19:38:32 · answer #6 · answered by melissa 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we have found several types of "cavemen. type humans.
Naturally the population was low so your not going to find hundreds.
as for the ape bit we did not evolve from apes but a common ancestor to all. We went in one direction and they went in another.
2006-12-14 19:31:14 · answer #7 · answered by Gamla Joe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We have found the remains of several "missing links" with the ancestors that we share with other apes, they died out as evolution progressed and the more intelligent apes were able to survive. The other apes that live today were simply better suited to live in the environments that they did live in.
2006-12-14 19:35:23 · answer #8 · answered by fleaciante 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are actually MANY intermediate species.
Australopithecus, Homo Habalis, Homo Erectus, Homo Sapien and modern Homo Sapien-Sapien.
The reason those intermediates died off is because of the varying climates that they evolved to live in. Remember the last 3 million years of earth history went through over 11 Ice ages, and warming periods. Life that adapted to the cold or warm died off, as did all the other life dependent on them.
It has only been the last 30 thousand years that earths climate has been stable.
We have been very lucky.
2006-12-14 19:33:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
If that guy in the Geico commercial sees this, expect a thumbs down.
Modern humans moved in on Neanderthal territory and now they're gone.
Unfortunately, many great apes may be facing extinction as we encroach on their territories.
2006-12-15 01:22:20 · answer #10 · answered by novangelis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Accually, 'cavemen' WERE the people, by theroy, who we evolved from they weren't just one kind of human by itself, you have like, 5 or 7 diffrent ansestors, but this is comming from a use-to-be antheist. I'm now Pagan, which it a whole lot less confusing... :P
2006-12-14 19:34:38 · answer #11 · answered by Buffy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋