Once and for all. . .?

Question

Okay, evolution people,
I keep seeing people say we didn't come from apes but from a common ancestor, but didn't this "common ancestor" come from apes??
I don't know, so please tell me all about this!!

Answer 1

Evolution is a myth there is only one creator and that is God.

Answer 2

Yes, the common ancestor of all modern apes, the "proto-ape" probably had all the features that define apes. I say probably because we do not have a clear fossil of this proto-ape group from 25 - 35 million years ago. The common ancestor was tailless with slightly more mobile shoulders than the old world monkeys. This creature was probably as closely related to primitive (not modern) old world monkeys of its era as we are related to the gibbons (lesser, as opposed to great, apes).

The problem lies in the typical question, "If we come from apes. why are there still apes?" The point is that modern apes (including man) did not evolve from modern apes. The common ancestor did not come from apes, but was the first ape, hence you see the more knowledgible people on Y!A using the term "proto-ape" which means "first ape". As a note, our common link to the monkeys would not qualify as a monkey, as its eyes were side facing, not forward facing.

Answer 3

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060920-lucys-baby.html

That is the oldest ancestor found so far. It is a common ancestor between humans and apes. What constitutes the name ape is somewhat debatable--some would call Australopithecine apes and some wouldn't. Read the article and if you have any more questions you would be better off in the Biology section.

Answer 4

Sigh.

Common means common - both man and modern apes are descended from the common ancestor.
For apes to also be its ancestors would require time travel.

Answer 5

No, apes came from this common ancestor. As did we. That's what the phrase "common ancestor" means.

Answer 6

The common ancestors would be Adam and Eve,---
lol we would all be incest if that were true.
And boondocks thats an awesome show.
It is believed and being studied by SCIENCE not faith that we are related to chimpanzees and apes by a common ansestor but they think that we split off and began to roam the savanna type fields which is believed to be how we started to walk upright to be able to see alot further in the savanna and we walk on two legs to conserve energy

Answer 7

The ancestor of man is man, who has the rational sense that the monkey and all other animals don't have.
In earlier time of the earth, man might have the shape of the fish, but he was man, not fish.
Man has the body with senses like the animal, but he has the soul to reach heavenly realms with all high thoughts and glorious virtues. All these sublime attributes are not learned from experiences, but are potentially endowed in our mind to be developed under the divine guidance. This is the foundation of human unity and equality. This is why the illiterates can reach the highest dignity and saintity like learned people. Learned people are advanced in physical studies, not in spiritual progress.
You can see more greatness of the human soul by learning and practicing the teachings of the Messengers of the One True God.

Answer 8

Why are you trying to start a debate in the Religion & Spirituality section instead of asking experts in the Biology section when your own lack of knowledge and research is the problem here?

The common ancestor was Australopithecus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus), and it did not evolve from apes. Apes evolved from this common ancestor, branching off in one direction, while the Homo species diverged from the Australopithecines in another direction.

Also, you address 'evolution people': I would like to point out that 99% of scientists in the US (which is an extremely religious country) support evolution, and these are the same type of scientists using the same methods as others who have pioneered technology to allow miracles such as instant communication and modern medicine. In fact, worldwide, science unanimously supports evolution. So you should change 'evolution people' to 'smart people'.

Answer 9

No, this common ancestor did not come from apes, this common ancestor is accepted today as Australopithecus afarensis, which was the species of "Lucy", which is one of the earliest bipedal hominids found to this day. It was a species all by itself.

Answer 10

It was a "common ancestor" which then divided into what we call apes, and what we call humans (over millions of years).

Answer 11

theory of the origins of the human species, Homo sapiens. Modern understanding of human origins is derived largely from the findings of paleontology, anthropology, and genetics, and involves the process of natural selection (see Darwinism). Although gaps in the fossil record due to differential preservation prevent the complete specification of the line of human descent, H. sapiens share clear anatomical, genetic, and historic relationships to other primates. Of all primates, humans bear particularly close affinity to other members of a group known as hominoids, or apes, which includes orangutans, gibbons, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. Humans and their immediate ancestors, known as hominids, are notable among hominoids for their bipedal locomotion, slow rate of maturation, large brain size, and, at least among the more recent hominids, the development of a relatively sophisticated capacity for language, tool use, and social activity.