Do we really come from the ape?

Question

Just because we look like the ape or the ape looks like us, are we from each other? What is really wrong with those who believe that we come from the ape? What's really wrong with them, my niece asked?

Answer 1

Nope, we evolved from Hominids.

Answer 2

Not exactly - we *are* apes, a product of evolution, descended from other, earlier apes. Our closest relatives are chimpanzees, and the most recent common ancestor of both humans and chimpanzees was approximately 6 million years ago.

The way to understand our origins is to remember that living organisms are in a state of constant change - It's not that evolution *can* occur, but that it *must* occur, simply because there is no mechanism in living organisms to ensure perfect, flawless reproduction for ever.

Suppose you could study a population of chimpanzees in the jungle, on a timescale of millions of years. Clearly, each individual only lives a few decades, so the population is constantly being succeeded by individuals which are different from their parents, because reproduction is imperfect - and remember, this is *inevitable*. It can't *not* happen. All the time this population is inter-breeding, the genes are getting mixed together, and only genes which work well with all other chimpanzee genes will tend to get passed down to successive generations (because individuals with genes that don't work well together will tend not to survive and reproduce).

However, suppose that circumstances arise which cause a group to become genetically isolated from other chimpanzees. This could be as a result of an accident of geography (e.g. an impassable river) or breeding preference or simply great distance. There will develop two distinct groups of chimpanzees which can never again exchange genes, because they have become different enough that mating will not produce viable offspring. This is what biologists define as speciation - i.e. the population has forever split into two distinct groups. Biologists have observed many instances of speciation, so there is no doubt that it occurs.

Assuming that both groups continue to survive, it is again *inevitable* that they will diverge genetically - There is no possible way that both groups, isolated and independent from each other, can change in exactly the same ways, and the longer they continue to breed, the more different they will become. Over millions of years, given that the rate of genetic change via mutation tends to remain fairly constant, the two groups will become as distinct as today's chimpanzees and humans are from each other, and from their most recent common ancestor.

All this is based on what we *know* is true - it's not supposition or guesswork, and remember it's not just possible, it absolutely *has* to happen, because there is no mechanism in biology to make reproduction a 100% perfect, flawless process.

NB: The reason we're classed as apes is that there is no valid way to group all the other apes together that doesn't also apply to humans. In other words, whatever criteria you use to define what is an ape, in order to include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangs and gibbons, humans will also fit those criteria. Indeed, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to gorillas, and gorillas are more closely related to humans and chimpanzees than they are to orangs, so any classification that separated humans out from those other apes would not make any sense.

Answer 3

We are apes as like Gorillas, monkeys, oranguans, baboons, lemurs, chimps, etc., we are primates. Humans share 98% of their DNA with chimps making us close relatives with them.

Humans and the other great apes do have a common ancestor dating back about 10 million years ago. Humans (homo sapiens sapiens) come from the austriopithocene line of primates having diverged off from gorillas and chimps around 10 million years ago.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who have studied evolution, paleontology and genetics and know that Humans are a part of the primate family and are kin to the other primates.

Answer 4

What gets me is, This is Evolution theory talk here but, a species only evolves because at the present time they are dieing out whether it be a change in food, slow reproduction time, change in environment, etc. If nothing exists that threatens the species, then it stays the same such as the shark or alligator. They supposedly have stayed the same because they have no need to evolve. The thing is, if we evoled from apes, why are they still around? If you evolve it is because what you used to be wasnt cutting it in the real world and the ones that dont evolve with you die out. So if we evolved from the apes then the apes should of been wiped out a long time ago, and they should be the "missing link". From an unbiased point of view this is why I do not believe in the Theory of Evolution, I do believe in adaptation, but not evolution.

Answer 5

it's funny how many people confuse creatonism ( that we all spawned from the same organism) with evolution, evolution works with creatonism, but it doesn't rely on creationism.

you can see evolution at work in humans anyway, compare how tall people are nowadays to what they were 2,000 years ago, that's a basic example of our species evolving ( though not the best example, evolution takes thousands / millions of years, and the way that humans breed is different to animals because of the way that we socialise/reproduce.

still have no idea why this is in the lgtb forums though, perhaps it'd be better answered in one of the science sections?

Answer 6

no most animals come from the same animal but have just split in time, ape and man, cat and dog, alligator and crocodile. its a very touchy subject, but an interesting one at that, if you intrested ask a teacher for some literary material on it

Answer 7

we dont really come from the ape, but both apes and humans share a common hominid ancestor.

we're also more than 99% genetically compatible with the bonobo chimps.

Answer 8

It's an insult to the ape to suggest we came from him.

Answer 9

No, if we came from apes then there wouldn't be apes because apes evolved to humans........

Answer 10

no we didnt come from the ape....as the scientific version goes we both evolved from the same species one going to the apes and what not and one turning human....however i believe in God and that he created us...