about evolution...?

Question

i wonder why humans were the only species on this planet to develope the "human" characteristics that we posses? we are the only ones who drive, fly and swim by some other means than what was given out during evolution. there have been tens of thousands of things on this earth yet we are very special on the chart of evolution, why is that? just curious.

all these are good answers but why have no other species developed in the way we have. reading, language, art, gratuitous sex. it just seems that it would lend to the idea that we are the only ones in our universe. of the millions of species on our planet over 100's of millions of years mankind became what we are just over the past few thousand years. hard to grasp.

Answer 1

From the Origin of Species, CHAPTER VI :
'To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.'

All creation testifies. Creationism is reality. After all was created then adaptation happened. Then we "evolve" to our surrounding

Answer 2

Well, it´s not an easy question but I´ll try. I think that probably the characteristic that make us so "different" from other species is that our brain has evolved to become a "technical brain". Other animals, in particular ours closest ancestors, the primates, share some technical abilities with us, but in a more rudimentary way.
Other characteristic that seems to make us so different from other species is language. Our linguistic capacity is amazingly complex and allows us to transmit very abstract concepts. However I suspect that preliminary studies about language in other species are about to change many ideas about our superiority on this field (it seems that an increasing number of species uses ultrasounds to communicate).
Probably the thing that make us more different form other species is art ant spirituality. I would bet for both of them. I think that those characters developed hand to hand. The humans have a feeling of transcendence that has been reflected in art and greatly contributed to the creation and expansion of culture.

Answer 3

Came a point in time when humans "learned". We adapted using our minds. Humans overcame the fear of fire. Used things as weapons. Communicate. Cultivate. All things that require retention within a brain, not just an instinct. We learned to retain knowledge, pass on knowledge, use knowledge as power. What makes humans special is how much they have learned and succeeded, especially within the last 20000 years.

By the way. Nothing is given out during evolution. A plant or animal adapts or dies. And not tens of thousands of living things, millions. Many we never knew. And many more we are still finding.

Answer 4

The question isn't why. The question, and answer, is why not? Besides that, with all things considered, the human species is really not special. That is simply our view. Also, we are not yet even considered a successful species. Humans, even the very early humans, have simply not been around long enough to be considered a successful species.

Answer 5

We are not all that special and had the proper beneficial mutations coupled to the adequate selection pressure to evolve as we did. We do not " drive ', but control the machine that does. We do not fly, but again control the machine that dose. Swim we do, but not that well, unless we control a machine that does. The brain we evolved is an expensive organ that was developed in social interaction and got the right environmental, mutational " breaks ". When we are extinct, then what will you and your kind say then? You need an acquaintance with evolutionary theory; either a refresher, or a primer.

Answer 6

Consider yourself priviliged. Evolution is the process of chance...like the roll of the dice. And because the laws of probability must be fullfilled in all things random, all the numbers on the dice must all come up sooner or later, almost equally. You, and the rest of us came up as a six, the top of the food chain. And if you lean toward religion and like being human, then God rolled the dice in your favor....

Answer 7

Every species has a unique adaptation, or mix of adaptations, that nothing else has ever had. That's what makes them unique species!

We have a combination of intelligence, communication skills and limbs capable of fine interaction with our environment that nothing else (that we know of) has quite matched.

But to assume that that somehow makes us "more special" than other organisms is biased. If you compare the potential and ability of various organisms using human values as a scale, of course humans are going to come out on top!

Answer 8

Every animal is "special" in it's own way. Try flapping your arms and flying like a bird. Somebody theorized once that maybe we evolved intelligence, because of big cats. Since we didn't have the physical ability to fight or run away, we had to use are cunning to fight back or go extinct.

Answer 9

Maybe natural selection tried to kill us off. Think about it. One human alone is not a great hunter, and in groups they had to use "unorthodox" tactics such as clever ambushes and the use of tools to survive. To survive, we developed social skills and problem solving skills. After a certain point, our societies became sophisticated enough for us to ensure our survival, to the point we arrive at today.

Answer 10

We are the only species with the kind of complex brain able to envision alternatives, speak languages, plan, question, theorize, abstract...

Why no other primate, or other animal managed to achieve intelligence is unknown. Our ancestors may have just been very very lucky.

Answer 11

Problem solving skills. Far less amount of instinct, far more amount of thought process.

When forced to, most animals will adapt to new environments; penguins gave up their ability to fly for the ability to swim. With our problem solving skills, we can adapt far faster than any rate of evolution ever could.