Evolution?

Question

I was thinking about evolution recently, mostly about the theory on how man/woman evolved from the ape/gorilla etc. A question arose in the form of "if we evolved from said animals, then how are said animals still in existence?" It seemed a logical inference to me that If something evolves/metamorphs into something else, then it can no longer be what it was. Should this theory be taken as only a select strong and superior few evolved, while the weak and inferior majority stayed the same? Just curious if anyone knows anything about this theory. Thanks!

Answer 1

"It seemed a logical inference to me that If something evolves/metamorphs into something else, then it can no longer be what it was."

Yes. You are correct!

But that's only half the story! That describes the change over time of a species. That is all evolution is ... slow change over time.

What you're missing is the idea of how *one* species can branch into *two*. It is not *just* about the change in one species ... but rather how this relates to the fact that subpopulations of a species often get separated from each other.

If this separation is temporary ... less then a few hundred generations ... then when they are re-introduced to each other, they will continue to interbreed, and any changes acquired while they were separated will diffuse back into the general population.

But if the isolation between the two subpopulations is for long enough ... more than several hundred generations ... then the accumulated changes will be enough to make interbreeding first undesirable (they show no interest in each other), and then impossible, (their genes have accumulated so many differences, that they are reproductively incompatible).

At that point, the genetic isolation is *permanent*. They cannot interbreed even if they are re-introduced and they try to. They have become the definition of what we call two species.

And that is how both humans and apes now co-exist. It is NOT that humans evolved from (what is now) apes/gorillas. But that humans and (what are now) apes/gorillas evolved from a common ancestor. This common ancestor species split into *two* subspecies about 6 million years ago. And modern apes/gorillas have evolved (changed) just as much in those 6 million years as humans have.

This is why ***the single most important thing*** to understand about evolution is that it is a branching TREE ... not a long continuous chain. It is all about branching! Even after that branch 6 million years ago, the ape branch went on to branch again ... several times ... producing gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimps ... and the chimp branch itself branched into paniscus chimps and bonobo chimps. And the human branch, itself branched into several subspecies (like Neanderthal and Homo erectus), but many of these went extinct ... in fact all of these other branches went extinct except for one, Homo sapiens.

Branching, branching, branching. Life is a tree, not a chain.

It is THE key to understanding evolution!!!

Answer 2

It's not a theory. It's empty Creationist rhetoric (the only kind of Creationist rhetoric). Let's say you come from a family of electricians. Your grandfather was an electrician, your father was an electrician, and your brother is an electrician. You decide to become a computer programmer. The fact that you went down a different path does not zap your brother out of existence. Apes, including humans, evolved from a common ancestor. Modern apes are adapted to their environments. The human line just happened to go on a path that is best characterized by intelligence and tool making. There is no "inferior majority" that stayed the same. Evolution is about gradual changes, not "morphing".

Answer 3

i don't think you get it, sorry ;-)

it's a bit as if you said, "mobile telephony evolved from fixed telephony (in the sense that people still wanted to communicate but wanted to do it more flexibly), so why is fixed telephony still around?"

evolution also works in the business world. One could argue that in the business world you've got a lot of people with long-term vision, but in real life it's mostly people trying new ventures hoping they will yield superior returns. Still, that's one difference with evolution, because when a gene mutates it's pure random, it is not "hoping" that this will yield a superior result (and in most instances, it does not).

as for apes and gorillas, yes they are still around as they should be. This being said you probably know that their numbers are very small (total world population probably less than that of a small human town - for the gorillas even much less) - so maybe you're not that wrong after all, it's a couple hundred thousand to 7 billion...

Answer 4

That's not quite how evolution works. Picture 1000 animals, all pretty much the same. Two of them have an offspring that, for the first time, has an opposable thumb. This makes the offspring MUCH better at finding food in certain regions that are beautiful, but where you have to climb trees to get to the food. So that offspring, after marrying of course, moves to the new area. The "old" tribe stays where it is, and the new one, with the opposable thumbs, moves to the new area and has lots of kids. Eventually, someone in the new tribe is born with the ability to stand erect, and can see the tigers coming from farther away to eat him. He warns the rest of the tribe, and in their gratitude, they let him procreate with all the pretty girls in the tribe. That way MANY more babies are born able to walk erect.
None of this means that the old tribes have to become extinct. Sometimes they do, though, as I believe that our most ape direct ancestors do not exist any more. The link below has a nice explanation.

Answer 5

Consider: What if the forebearers founded multiple lines, each of which was suited to a particular niche environment? Also keep in mind that competition is not an instantaneous phenomenon, and is still occurring among non-extinct species.

No modern biologist says that humans evolved from gorillas. Rather, DNA fingerprinting points to a common ancestor. The fossil record demonstrates that *many* other species in that tree have already died out.

I would suggest that you take a course in modern biology, so that you are able to frame your questions more scientifically.

Answer 6

Christians evolved from Jews, so how come there are still Jews?

Only an isolated population of apes, in the east part of Africa, evolved into people. Apes in the other parts of Africa, not having the same selection pressures on them, evolved into the apes we have today. Our ancestral apes weren't necessarily stronger or superior. They were just in the right place at the right time.

Answer 7

I'm no anthropologist and if the guy I had in school was here he could tell you something on the expert level on the subject. They say our closest living relative is a chimpanzee meaning that way, way, way back one herd went one way and became us and one herd stayed and is the modern day chimpanzee. Before that there was much branching off (other apes) and dieing off of lineages and that has happened with or herd to with all these half ape half human looking skeletal finds. Of course some of those skeletal reamains are are descendents (if true) and some are not
because they went bye bye like the neanderthals. Personally I think some of them mixed with modern humans to because every now and then I think I see one!

Answer 8

Man actually evolved from an 'ape-like creature'. Though people often mis-state this question, as you did.

As poster #1 said, man and apes evolved from a common ancestor. Each evolving along separate pathways to accommodate to their environment. That's what evolution is about 'adaptation to environment'.

Answer 9

If you were driving down the road, and you took a fork in the road, would the other fork then not exist?
In fact, the apes we evolved from are not still in existence, but they have other descendants who are apes. Just as it is possible for parents to have multiple and differing offspring, it is possible for ancestral species forms to have multiple and differing species forms.

Answer 10

As you state its a theory and not a fact. The evolutionary so called "fossil record" is full of gaps like swiss cheese.
No continuos link between the evolved species to stand up as credible evidence to call evolution a FACT. Lets say evolution emphasis is on THE STRONGEST SURVIVES. It does not tell us how they ARRIVED