If we evolved from apes, does that mean in the future?

Question

that they'll evolve into humans, and we'll evolve into something else??

A-dawg
Dude, your spelling makes no 'sence'!

I don't want this to turn into a religion vs science debate!!
Please stay away if you have nothing valuable to add!!

Answer 1

Well first I;'d like to answer those that asked why there are still apes if we evolved from them. Current theory states quite clearly that both we and the different types of apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans etc) all evolved from the same 'grandfather' species. Evolution took different paths at different points in history. So we didnt evolve from chimps or gorillas, but rather they are our evolutionary brothers or cousins, with us sharing the same common ancestor.

Secondly, as to what the human race will evolve into, I actually think that science is in strong danger of stopping human evolution. If evolution is survival of the fittest, with those possessing characteristics best suited to their environment surviving and reproducing, then what does that mean in a world where modern medicine means that strong and weak, fit and ill alike can both survive and thrive equally? There is a strong chance that we are currently at an evolutionary dead end, which of course brings up the question that if we humans don't evolve, will there come a point where we have done everything and learnt everything that it is possible for a human being to do and when there will be nothing new or original to discover?

I should actually have said natural evolutionary dead end. During this century we will very probably debate start on genetically modifying humans to make them stronger, smarter etc. So maybe we'll make ourselves evolve without any help from nature...

Answer 2

This is a very vague question. The answer to it depends on many confounding factors such as: 1) the time frame you are considering, 2) the environment the organisms are in, 3) the stability of the environment over the time of selection, 4) the selection pressures that are present (i.e. ecological pressures such as competition, predation, and the aquiring of resources), and of course 5) the anthropological influence - if present.

1) Natural selection's greatest smithy is time. If a small amount of time is present, selection based on survival of the most dominant creatures will occur. Subsequently, a small amount of population change will occur and evolution of a new species will be stalled. Over a greater length of time, species bow to the selection pressure placed upon them from outside ecological factors. Your ape example would most likely need millions of years to evolve into a different form.

2) The environment affects the organisms that live within it and vice versa. The change that an organism undergoes in an environment is mirrored by the requirements of that environment. For example, if your ape were to be living in a savannah instead of a rainforest, it would be more adept to be taller to look over grasses for predators - apes that were shorter and less able to spot predators would therefore have a disadvantage in this environment and would theoretically be killed first. This would lead to a directional selection towards taller apes.

3) The environmental stability of an area is crucial. If an organism lives over millions of years in an environment that constantly changes, the selection pressures within that environment will constantly change and natural selection would not have constant pressures to act on.

4) Selection pressures, such as the predatory pressure mentioned in point 2, would drive the evolution of an ape. Selection pressure (i.e. the force behind natural selection) drives all evolution, and would also do so in your ape example.

5) Finally, if humans continue to do what they are doing now, apes will most certainly be extinct within the next 100 years. Unfortunately, I doubt your grandchildren will be asking this question, as he/she will have only known of apes from history books.

Therefore, apes will most likely not evolve into humans any time soon. Human evolution took millions of years with stable selection pressures in the savannahs of Africa. That stability is no longer present in our world. The second part of your question seems linked to the first but I don't know why - just because apes may evolve does not mean that we would also evolve.

Answer 3

I'm gonna just keep posting this until it sticks:

Here we go with the correct but still unpopular answer.

In order for evolution to proceed you need genetic variation that is acted upon by natural selection. Natural selection dictates that less fit individuals will reproduce less (or not at all) than more fit individuals. Without natural selection THERE IS NO EVOLUTION.

So, if you look at human beings, we've had the technology for centuries to assure that all humans (or at least a random sampling) reach adult reproductive age, regardless of fitness (those 6 billion people out there must be proof of that). Hence there is no natural selection in human populations, hence there is no evolution in human populations.

Human technologies may evolve, but humans as a species have stopped undergoing biological evolution long ago

Answer 4

Well, humans and apes evolved from the same creatures. Humans have evolved differently as can be seen by the different characteristics on each continent. Apes have evolved differently as well and will continue to evolve differetly to match their environment.

Since humans have removed "natural selection" from the equation, their "evolution" takes a different turn. In theory, the human will evolve into one "nationality" and there will be fewer and fewer differences. This is good and bad. Interracial relationships help insure the survival of the species due to what is called "Hybrid Vigor." The bad is that the weaker humans continue to breed keeping the process from growing at a more excellerated level.

Of course everything is mere speculation when it comes to the future. We can only guess. I choose to believe we evolve into one people with no more bigotry and racism. We don't belittle people for having blue eyes.... why belittle someone for having a different skin tone? People are stupid in general, hopefully we evolve into something much more intelligent :-)

Answer 5

Taxonomically we are Apes (Homonid).
Selection pressure has relaxed in the developed world so any evolution would be expected to arise in the developing world, eg sickle cell anaemia.
The most gentically diverse population are the Congo Pygmies. The question is what would be the selection pressure that would require a drastic survival adaptation.
Other Great Apes are under severe population pressure as the rainforests are destroyed, would these adapt to become scavengers say of human refuse... Baboons have been observed scavenging from human refuse, chimps have intelligence to produce tools and cooperate to hunt monkeys, these are key developments.

Answer 6

Any big changes will require a big chunk of time or deliberate human tinkering.

No, we're in the process of driving apes into extinction as things stand.

No, even if apes were to become bipedal, hairless and highly intelligent they would not be human, they would just be another species of sentient hominoids. They would be as different from us as a chimp is from an orangutan.

If we were to back off or pack up and leave they would likely just evolve into different kinds of apes. Maybe they might become more intelligent, but most likely not, given that it wasn't a wildly successful strategy for the most of the other hominids who went in that direction.

Us? If we avoid killing ourselves in the near future our hypothetical descendants would eventually become something we wouldn't be comfortable calling human.

Answer 7

you've missed the point of evolution with regards to humans and apes. Both of us evolved from ONE Ape 'like' creature. This then branched into present day apes and humans; as siblings with the same parent.

What could happen now is that humans could evolve/branch into a new species, or several different species'

and separately

Apes could evolve/branch into a new species, or several different species'

But I suppose that with time, apes could have a branch that is very similar to us humans.
And as for us humans, we may never evolve. Reson being that currently there is no reason to do so. Take the shark for examle, it has remained unchanged fo 50 million years!

Answer 8

If the major factor influencing evolution is environment, then probably not, seeing as when the first humans evolved from apelike thingies... the world was a very different place.

Apes now would probably evolve to suit today's environment, not that of many thousands of years ago.

Answer 9

Part of the reason why some apes evolved into humans was because of a mutation that caused apes to develop a larger brain.

I think that that type of scenario could happen again. A mutation could occur in certain apes, and they could develop larger brains. But...it would take thousands, perhaps millions of years to happen.

Also, we humans (as vicious as we are) would kill off that species of ape before it would even get a chance to develop into a more intelligent type of being.

Answer 10

Maybe apes will evolve into human type creatures but only if it benefits their survival. Equally they could just become larger hairier apes.

With humans as most people get to breed and pass on to the next generation our evolution will probably slow down