2007-05-16 12:18:22 · 14 answers · asked by DejsESMOND B 1 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
This is a common misconception when discussing human evolution. We desecended from a common ancestor, not from modern day apes. Humans share 98% of our genetic make-up with our closest primate relatives. The close relation is evident in the physical characteristics that we share. It is also evident in behavior that both species exhibit. I recomend you read a book by Jane Goodall. She is my favorite physical anthropologist and an expert on chimpanzees. Her work is easy to read and easy to understand. Not only that, but it is actually interesting!! Hope this helps :-)
2007-05-17 04:38:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ho Hum.
Here we go again.
For those who wonder why there are both apes and humans existing at the same time, the answer is simple: we both evolved from a common ancestor, but not in the same environment, or under the same selective stresses, and therefore not at the same "rate". All species of apes are at a different intellectual level, some closer to monkeys, some closer to humans. But there is a gradation of intelligence. Not all species of cats or dogs or birds are of the same intelligence, either. Evolution explains both the similarities and the difference between all the different animals on Earth.
2007-05-17 12:23:38 · answer #2 · answered by Labsci 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well we have not descended from the apes we see today as they too have evolved and look quite different to how they did around 10 million years ago when we each had a common ancestor.....some changed slowly over time to look like the apes of today (you can see differences between chimpanzees and gorillas for example) and some slowly aquired features and gradually started to lok more and more human, but these ancestors of ours are long dead and we can only see them as fossils (eg Australopithecines and the other various Homo species).
2007-05-17 16:43:23 · answer #3 · answered by mareeclara 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer to your question my friend is in the mirror when you comb your hair. We are not descendants of apes! We are apes! There is nothing in the fossil record that proves we are related to any other species, and that goes especially for bloody chimpanzee's, if you want to be cheetah's great grandson you be my guest. I am an ape, but related to non of them, just as they themselves are unrelated to each other. I will just add one more thing. If you believe everything you read, you will never really know for sure if you have the truth. Get out in the field and and find your own truth. Good luck.
2007-05-16 23:15:56 · answer #4 · answered by cockeye 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
We did descend from apes. We just didn't descend from modern apes. There are still anthropologist who believe that we descended from Chimps in spite of the evidence to the contrary so the ignorance on this subject is widespread, among those who refuse to accept evolution to those that simply don't understand it very well. If you are sincere in your question, the answer is that species will split under various circumstances. Generally, a separation of two population is required. Those separated populations may undergo separate pressure to evolve in certain ways. With our ancestors, we evolved a large brain and retained and refined our upright posture. With Chimps, they moved back into the trees, became knuckle walkers, and didn't significantly increase their intelligence. A chimp is much more evolved to its niche as we are more evolved into ours. It is incorrect to think of one animal as more evolved than another except in the context of the particular niche in which it evolved.
2007-05-17 04:42:23 · answer #5 · answered by JimZ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are not descended from apes. We share a common ancestor.
2007-05-20 08:46:14 · answer #6 · answered by curious connie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even Unicellular organisms like amoeba exist while mammals including man have evolved.There is an ecological balance where every organism has its role to play. Remove them, then there is a disequilibrium. Imagine life without plants? Snakes eat on rodents in the fields. Imagine without them how you can protect your crops?
2007-05-17 15:25:58 · answer #7 · answered by tejas92 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because WE ARE NOT DECENDANTS OF APES!!!!! our species and their species simply share a common ancestor which both of us branched out of and evolved in parallel into what we are today.
2007-05-17 08:18:20 · answer #8 · answered by kestrelk8 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we are descended from a mutual ancestor, not from "apes"
All you're asking is why we still have cousins. You'd admit your descent from your grand parents, doesn't preclude your having cousins right?
2007-05-16 20:21:33 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
We both went our separate way. Apes were able to survive and evolve in their enviroment and so did modern humans.
2007-05-16 20:51:58 · answer #10 · answered by tinklelove 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋