Darwin's theory of evolution.......?

Question

This is not a debate question. My anthropology professor didnt answer this question today, maybe he couldnt.........
If humans evolved from ape, then why are they not evolvig anymore? Did the evolution just stop? And since evolution cant produce a new species, then why are we not genetically similar to primates of today since we are so close to a frog?
Im not trying to disprove the theory, I cant get a knowledgable answer about it. Im a christian and I believe God made man...and so forth down that road. But scientist have had over 100 years to study evolution since Darwin theorised it..............where is the results of the studies? Im not talking fur color of the artic hare, Im talking about something actually evolving from what it was, not just a genetic change.
Im just confused because I fell evolutionist cant explain their own theory. And also...why is it still a THEORY, why not fact............?

Answer 1

"Did the evolution just stop?"

Come on. Can you honestly look at a Homo erectus (or one of the numerous other fossils in the genus Homo) fossil and say that it stopped evolving.



"And since evolution cant produce a new species, then why are we not genetically similar to primates of today since we are so close to a frog?"

You are incorrect. Evolution has produced every new species.

"Im not trying to disprove the theory, I cant get a knowledgable answer about it."

I think you only hear what you want to hear.


"Im a christian and I believe God made man..."
So you acknowledge your bias

"and so forth down that road. But scientist have had over 100 years to study evolution since Darwin theorised it..............where is the results of the studies? "
And in those hundred years, a mountain of evidence has been generated so much so that it is hardly doubted by anyone willing to look at the evidence.

Frankly I think you are simply preaching and not open to any new facts.

Answer 2

I'm not sure how you can say that humans aren't evolving. I suspect they aren't, because genetics currently have little impact on human reproductive sucess. That is, one need not be the smartest, fastest, etc. to get food and a mate and provide for one's children. Evolution can produce new species, that's what it does. Your question makes too many sttements of fact that simply aren't true. It appears your confusion arises from a lack of understanding of facts, rather than a problem with the 'theory.' Also, evolution is genetic change, the difference between us and apes is genes. As we have evolved from what we were, unicellular organisms billions of years ago, this constitutes genetic change.

Answer 3

First, humans are classified as apes. We did not evolve from them, we ARE them. Second, humans are evolving. Evolution is measured over many generations, so if we look at fruit (life span of a couple days) we can see quicker changes than if we look at humans (life span of around 70 years). Changes are occurring, like people are getting taller on average. Its important to think over thousands of years (and even longer increments) verses a few decades when looking at human evolution.

Species are typically created when a population is separated from other members of the species. Each group goes through their own changes and over time they become so different they can not reproduce viable offspring if they interbreed.

Humans’ closest extant relative is the chimpanzee (either common or bonobo, there is still debate). This has been shown both but looking at common characteristics and the more recent studies of genetics. Chimpanzees are actually more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas. Also, the main reason Non-human primates are often used in animal research is because they are more closely related to humans than other species (non-human primates are often the “last step” before human testing). I am unsure where your frog statement came from.

In science, a theory is a proposed description, explanation, or model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena, capable of predicting future occurrences or observations of the same kind, and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise falsified through empirical observation. It follows from this that for scientists "theory" and "fact" do not necessarily stand in opposition. For example, it is a fact that an apple dropped on earth has been observed to fall towards the center of the planet, and the theory which explains why the apple behaves so is the current theory of gravitation. (entire paragraph taken from Wikipedia, because the site said it better then I could).

I am unsure what your idea of evolution is. It is based on simple genetic changes. The scientific work of evolution is pretty big, if you want to see some of the studies that have come from it try looking for scientific journals in your college library, one that comes to mind is Journal of Human Evolution but there are many others. Also, try looking at the fossil evidence for Human evolution to see what biological anthropologists are talking about. While it may not fit your world view, this is what is supported by the technology and theory we currently have.

Answer 4

Our closest "guess" is that man evolved from ape. That is why they call this a theory. We as man are genetically closest to the ape, not frog. Evolution takes millions of years, and in your lifetime you will never see anything noticeable. Man, animals, language, cars, electronics, etc..., are always evolving. In fact, everything on earth goes through evolution. There is only one unexplainable thing that we know of that did not go through evolution, the ancient Mayans. This early society showed up, was highly evolved, and then disappeared thousands of years later.
Oh, and as you read one of your other answers, there is no theory of gravity, gravity is a fact. Also the earths rotation around the sun is fact, not theory. Once a theory can be scientifically proved, it then becomes fact.

Answer 5

We ARE evolving, but it used to be a slow process( scientific progress will change that). Evolution works by specialisation and speciation, often involving geographical separation. New species are being formed, but imperceptibly slowly. We share more than 98% of our genes with our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, with whom we shared a common ancestor 5,000,000 years ago, less with the gorilla (7,000,000 yrs ago) and even less with orangutans (8,000,000 yrs ago). Genetic change IS evolution. Look at the various breeds of dog, at what we have done by selective breeding ( a special type of accelerated evolution, NOT involving natural selection ) over hundreds of years, from the single wild strain. The scientific method is about disproving incorrect hypotheses; you can't prove one! Spend years studying and you will find more than enough to convince any open minded person that the fossil and genetic evidence is now so conclusive in favour of evolution as to be indisputable. This site is for people who want to learn about science, as well as those who have something to offer: you would be far happier in a group devoted to creation myths such as bible studies, so go away and stop bothering us!

Answer 6

I agree with most of the other cogent answers provided here. You need to actually do your own research on the topic, with an open mind. If you think it's bunk and refuse to read what those who actually study in the field have to say in support of evolution, with all its variability and complexity, than you're constantly going to be confident in your own beliefs without really knowing what it is you think you are debunking.

In addition to other suggestions, you might also want to read any of paleantologist Stephen Jay Gould's writings on the subject - like "The Panda's Thumb". As a side note, there are many Christians who believe in God who also accept evolutionary theory; they are not necessarily incompatible but are often made out to be by those who insist on a literal reading of the bible (my favourite are those who refuse to believe in dinosaurs because they're not mentioned in the bible).

In short, we are still evolving, but as others have pointed out, it occurs over a very long period of time, and will not be noticeable to individuals in any specific period of time (you can't look at someone and see them evolving). Also, evolution occurs at a population wide level, not at the individual level. That is, the next generation might be slightly different than the preceeding one, but a single individual is not going to "evolve" over their lifetime. This means that we need to do historically comparative studies to see what has come before and after in a long line of human forms - see the archaeological record and the work of biological/evolutionary anthropologists.

By they way, I'm still waiting for someone to "prove" beyond any shadow of a doubt the existence of god to me. Hard evidence in god is a lot harder to come by than evolution.

Answer 7

research this for yourself, All the answers your going to get are going to be biased in one way or another. While the Evolutionist say they have enough evidence that evolution should be a fact, the truth is they do not have the transitional fossils to back that statement and they have no idea how life originated at all. Even Stanley Miller the evolutionary biologist who is probably in your Biology text book states they have no idea for the origin of life.

Answer 8

I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle between religion and science. If God created all living things as the bible teaches us then we must also understand that God stopped after creating those original life forms to allow evolution to do its work as He would have created this as well.

Evolution of any species take several, tens of thousands, of years to occur. and often new species are created BUT it is only the strongest and the ones that adapt to change to best that will survive and continue the development of the species.

All life continues to evolve. Evolution con only be stopped if an entire species dies out like the dinosaurs. You however will not see the effects of evolution because our lives are so short and evolution is a long, slow process which cannot be measured in the increments of one human life time.

Answer 9

People don't have to evolve physically, they can evolve mentally. Throughout time our brain size has been gradually increasing so that now we have to be born with our skull in pieces. I read this site that said in millions of years we would be cone heads.
I think both religion and science agree on one thing. Life started from nothing that got zapped with some kind of cosmic energy, from God or otherwise.
Evolutionists cannot explain their own theory and they can't give any justification to render it fact. The truth is they don't know anymore than anyone else. Darwin's theory was not intended to explain how all life came from one cell, or how life began. It was simply a summary of a borad set observations that creatures change their habits over time and their physical structure follows.

Answer 10

Well, I can't remember where I saw it, but scientists recently discovered a dolphin that had extra fins where leg appendages would be. They weren't fully formed or anything, but the scientists believe they were left over from evolution, as it is believed dolphins could one walk on land, but evolved to live in water all the time. Don't know how much that answers your question.