If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Answer 1

Humans and apes share a common ancestor; we did not evolve from apes.

Also, if a species has evolved to the point at which it perfectly fits its environment, then there is no reason for it to evolve further.

Evolution is not a race for species to become the smartest, or the most human. It is simply a struggle for lots of species to become best adapted to their environmet in order that the "winner" might reproduce most. There is no plan. There is no hierarchy with people at the top and microbes th the bottom.

Answer 2

This is like asking "If there's a God, why do innocent people die?"

Organisms evolve when their environment changes or when they leave that environment in search of other food sources. If they don't evolve/adapt to a different environment, they may likely die off.

In simple hypothetical terms, a big pack of apes decided there wasn't quite enough food for everyone. So some of them migrated elsewhere and, over enough time, adapted to that environment. The ones who stayed didn't need to change too much, so they didn't.

That's as far as I'll go. Biology 101 can give a lot of different examples and explanations. Pick up a textbook.

Answer 3

I watched a show this morning out of curiosity on the christian channel. They maintain that There is a darwin/hitler connection (coulter) "positively
gives the rationale for killing masses of humanity.
She states futher that Dawin basically discovered nothing, that none of his theories match up, yet class rooms teach it as fact. "Species don't natural select," she goes on to state but just appear. She Picks up and holds bones to prove her point?
The latest study on black holes, physics, E=Mc2
Quantum therory and the big bang all seem to tie in, is it fair to say that science itself is evolving, that space time continuum though proven
still leaves us scratching our head about the creation? The answer may be that we don't know and we may never know, but man is constantly pushing the frontiers of knowledge because God made us that way, to be aquisitive and seek knowledge, which has always been contrversial? Eienstien himself was seeking a "unified theory," which would prove God; Steven Hawings is famous for saying "God does not play dice with the universe." meaning, I suppose that there must be a who that put everything into the amazingly complex system explained by the Bible, simply as, In the beginning, God Created."
You could understand that concept in the early days,
when only a few had the priviledge of an education.
For centuriies the church forced a one world view on the world. It seems rather late now to "devolve, or return to "apeness" as one brilliant achiever here put it. (This group of ape primates shares 97-99% of the human genome)
Maybe all that is needed is a new language, such as grunts, roars and chatter. Sounds like my family.

Answer 4

Humans are a special kind of Ape & we evolved from bipedal apes that are now extinct. Modern apes (as you know them) evolved from a different line that never left the trees. All primates evolved from the prosimians, therefore humans share a common ancestor with all monkeys & apes.
Without getting too technical, several groups of apes left the trees to find food & some eventually developed the ability to walk upright & carry food back to the safety of the trees. This increased line of sight made sighting predators easier & enhanced their ability to escape.
As food became more scarce, some began to scavenge left overs from other predator meals to supplement their diet. Others became more specialized & developed bigger & better teeth to eat a variety of plants. Due to climatic change the vegetarian "hominids" died out, but the scavengers survived & due to the extra protien in meat, developed larger brains. Eventually these scavengers determined they could kill their own prey (tree dwellers had forward facing eyes, making it easy to judge distance & become a predator). After becoming predators, the need to outwit prey and the increased amount of protien led to a positive selection among the primates with the best brain & the development of tools to enhance their ability to kill & process prey.
To answer your question, we are the only surviving member of the hominid line of apes.
Things that made our large brains possible:
1. Forward facing eyes to judge distance.
2. Walking upright.
3. Becoming an omnivoire with the ability to survive on meat or plant material.
4. The increased protien from meat that developed the larger brain.
Edit:
I need to add that the ability to raise the front limbs above & behind the head (as is common with tree dwelling primates) was a great attribute to the hominid & allowed an overhand throwing motion that greatly enhanced the ability to defend & become a predator.

Answer 5

We didn't evolve from apes.
We share a common ancestor with apes.

There is a difference.

Answer 6

The common ancestor of humans and modern apes were still called apes. We evolved from APES.

We are just a side branch of one of the ape lineages. We are also apes, just very smart apes.

Answer 7

Because they enjoy being apes so why should they change if the have no reason to.

Answer 8

Because some men still have not evolved.

Answer 9

i still think about that..and never makes sense 2 me. true we have some monkeystructure and similarities, but thats doesnt mean we derived from apes. supposedly, according to gregor mendel, life derived from a single cell..which was prokaryote.. idk how the hell that is suppose 2 be, but its a scientific law, we all have our different perceptions.
its all about mutations... well at least what i was taught

Answer 10

It's the will of the FSM. That or what Laurel J said.