For the scientifically inclined.?

Question

First of all, I am not stupid. I believe scientific evidence that we can all see and touch. Man did evolve.

I see this question and I do not know the true correct answer. The question is if man evolved from apes why are there still apes?

I am thinking that there are many species of chimpanzees and maybe it was only one species that eventually evolved? I could be way off.

Please enlighten me.

Thank you all so much. I appreciate your answers and I appreciate that you answered me in words that this simple girl from Texas can comprehend.

Answer 1

Evolution is a branching tree. Humans are currently at the end of one branch, Gorillas at the end of another, chimpanzees at the end of another, and orangutans at the end of yet another. We have a common ancestor, but you must trace the branch very far back to locate the common species out of which each current ape species emerged.

Our closest relatives are the chimpanzees and bonobos, so the common ancestor species is closer to the ends of our mutual branches, but still far back. Species differentiation also led to several hominid branches that went extinct (for example, the Neanderthals)

Should a major environmental change occur (such as nuclear holocaust or impact from a large meteor or comet), any of these species branches could again branch further into different lines that carried whatever genetic mutations that allowed the individuals to survive in the face of the environmental calamity. (Or alternatively, all ape and hominid species could become extinct.)

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Answer 2

I have heard scientists say and I agree; 'to say man evolved FROM apes is not exactly true'. It is primarily speculation but there seems to be a growing consensus that man and apes descended from a common ancestor.

Fossil records are sketchy and will probably remain so. The conditions necessary to fossilize an animal are uncommon. Everything has to come together just right for it to happen. I suppose it is conceivable that we will not find the common ancestor for a very long time if ever.

I don't know if this is the correct answer, it makes very good sense to me but like all scientists, I reserve the right to reevaluate my position if and when new evidence is presented. I do think we may have some very good answers in a decade or so. My speculation is based on the growing understanding of DNA. I anticipate this field will continue to grow and with that growth will come greater and greater knowledge.

I hope this helps. I am no expert but, like anyone else, I can read the evidence and form an opinion. That is what I have done and attempted to convey to you.

Answer 3

Actually, if a species were to split into two groups and move into areas with different environmental pressures, one group could remain the same while the other evolves.
There is also something called destabilizing selection which pushes different parts of a species towards different ends of some trait, and this can also cause separation of species.
The thing to remember is that we didn't evolve from modern day apes. We split off along with what are now modern day apes from a common ancestor we share. What we did evolve from no longer exists, just its evolutionary descendants including us and apes.

Answer 4

Evolution is more random than you're making it. It basically favors genetic mutations that help a species survive in its environment.

So just because some animal develops a mutation that allows it to stand upright and move on two legs, doesn't mean that all the animals that walk on four legs can't keep surviving. It just means that the two-legged animals have access to different resources and can do different things.

Somehow this allows them to survive and breed, while others of their species don't breed as often or as much. (For example, if you can stand on two legs, maybe you can scare off competition for mates, or maybe you can pick up stuff and throw it at enemies, or maybe see predators from a distance, etc.)

So let's say the "mutant" creature using these abilities gets to breed and have lots of little mutant offspring, while it's cousins who don't have these powers die younger, or get chased away from potential mates, or otherwise don't have as many offspring.
Each of the mutant offspring will have the same traits, and so over time, this mutation will begin to become more and more prevalent (because the creatures who have it are having more offspring). Eventually, a unique species emerges.

But in the original species, maybe another mutant develops bigger ears. This lets it hear better, and notice predators from a greater distance. This allows it to survive longer than its cousins, and so be able to breed for more years. Thus it survives over time and emerges as yet a different species.

Just because this species doesn't walk upright doesn't mean it doesn't have something that allows it to survive better than its predecessors. That's how different evolutionary paths are formed. So over time, different mutations happen on each of these different paths, creating al kinds of different species. As long as each can keep surviving, there's no reason it should die out.

So while some "two legs" evolved toward opposable thumbs & bigger brains (humans), others evolved toward massive bodies that could fend off predators (apes), and others evolved toward smaller bodies that could climb higher into the trees to avoid predators and access food suplies (chimps). Thus, humans didn't evolve from chimpanzees, we both evolved from some earlier common ancestor.

Answer 5

Because environmental pressures act differently on different species in different habitats. Not every primate will evolve and adapt into the alpha predator as man did. Mankind evolved because of unique evolutionary pressures causing him to do so. Other species of primate filled a niche within the food chain hence they had no need to evolve. Man's evolution became self perpetuating-his ability to dominate other species in his surrounding environment meant that he had the best opportunity to exploit the available food resources which in turn helped the growth in brain tissue that made him the most succesful species on the planet.

Answer 6

I would never say that you're stupid!

But I want to challenge your first assumption....
"I believe scientific evidence that we can all see and touch. Man did evolve."

Do you actually have evidence that you can see and touch that proves man evolved?

If you are honest with yourself, then you'll agree that you have no proof, but you have speculations and explanations that make sense to you. None of these can actually be recreated in a lab, so you have no proof.

A biblical answer to your question "Why do apes still exist" is simply because they were created distinctly from man, by God, and their species has not gone extinct. (There are many species created by God that have gone extinct.)

Your question brings to light many of the problems with evolution. Why is not there fossil evidence of more intermediate species? According to evolutionary theory, small changes occur in a creatures genome that give it an advantage over it's brethren... so to go from ape to man would require Millions and Billions of these mutations. You should see all sorts of species in the fossil record in between, "this critter" and "that critter", but you don't.

I'm glad you're honestly searching. Keep it up!

Answer 7

Think of it in a more scientific way, hon. We, all, primates have a common ancestor, way far down the branch in the tree of evolution that leads to homo sapiens. The branch split many times and there are now all sorts of primates(branches) -- all monkeys, chimps, apes, orangs, indiris, etc. You are not a monkey's uncle, and you did not evolve from an ape, or chimp. They evolved right beside you and are on the same level of evolution as are you. Just on another branch.

Answer 8

Evolution does not necessarily mean replacement, just differentiation. The idea is that organisms adapt in response to the environment. Apes are adapted to the environment in which they live, they don't need to evolve, and they continue to fill the niche that they are optimized to fill.

In some cases, of course, the more evolved version DOES replace the ancestor, but that is usually because the ancestor is not properly adapted to survive in a new environment.

Answer 9

Humans and apes do indeed share a common ancestor. Your question is best answered with an analogy -- dogs and wolves, for example. Both have a common ancestor, but at some point evolution changed them into two distinct groups.

All great apes -- humans included -- are Family Hominidae. From there there are subfamily offshoots, Ponginae for orangutans and Homininae for gorillas, chimpanzees -- and us.

Check out this website for more info: http://www.amonline.net.au/human_evolution/about.htm

Answer 10

Because people didn't evolve from Chimpanzees. Theory states that somewhere along the line, there was a split of one species of primate, and that humanids came to be, and so did chimps. I guess the humanids had bigger brains or something and that allowed them to advance themselves.