Darwin's theory?

Question

I can see the physical evolution of how we came from monkeys,no problem. My question is how can monkeys still exist if we evolved from them? Usually when a particular species evolve,the initial one no longer exists(specifically because they have evolved). For example, snakes had legs before and there is no existing species of snake with legs.

Ok,let's say that a certain kind of apes needed to evolve,where does the intelligence comes from? Intelligence is a genetical trait, how can it evolve from a non-intelligent species?

Answer 1

Scott M has the right answer (although he didn't need to use the big words).

The answer is *BRANCHING*.

When a species evolves, one of TWO things can happen:
1. The species evolves into a very different-looking species, and the old one ceases to exist (because *all* members have evolved together);
*OR*
2. The species can split (or "branch") into two species ... which now are two separate branches in evolution.

(Of course, there's also Option 3 ... the species can go extinct, but lets ignore than one for now.)

Once two lines branch, *both* branches can continue to exist ... and to evolve and branch themselves. Branching, branching, branching ... that is why there are so many species today.

If you think about it, evolution without branching would be a rather silly theory. It would not explain the thing it set out to explain (and where Darwin got his title) ... the origin of species. Without branching there would logically be only one species today ... a silly theory indeed.

Branching explains why life is a constantly branching *bush* ... NOT a linear "chain" (which is where some people get the ridiculous notion of a "missing link").

Why does a species split (or branch)? If two subpopulations get isolated from each other (so they can no longer exchange genes), then they will evolve independently and their genes will get more and more different with time. If this isolation is for enough generations, their genes become so different that they are no longer able to mate and produce fertile offspring. At that point they are *forever* permanently isolated as far as evolution is concerned. They will never regain the ability to interbreed. That one species is now *permanently* two species.

Once they are two species, they are two separate branches in evolution. At first they will be very similar ... but given enough time, they will become more and more different.

So (back to monkeys and humans) ... they are two separate branches in evolution. The monkeys and apes split (branched) about 20 million years ago ... and both branches are still doing quite well. The monkey branch, itself branched again (several times) to produce all the monkey species we see today. And the ape branch, itself branched (several times) to produce all the ape species we see today (first the gibbons branched, then the orang utans, then the gorillas, and finally the chimps and humans branched from each other about 3-5 million years ago). The chimp branch, itself branched at least one more time (that we know of) to produced the bonobos and the regular chimps. And the human branch, itself branched to produce other species (that we know about) like Neanderthal, all of which went extinct except for one ... Homo sapiens.

Branching, branching, branching ... it's the key to evolution. You can't understand evolution if you don't understand branching.

Answer 2

"Usually when a particular species evolve,the initial one no longer exists(specifically because they have evolved)."

Not true. Current thinking is that most speciation happens "allopatrically" or "peripatrically," which is what happens when a geographical barrier separates two populations of a species and they begin to evolve separately.

As vorenhutz says, this leads to cladogenesis rather than anagenesis. That is, a species splits in two, rather than evolving from one species into another.

As for the evolution of human intelligence, scientists are working on modeling how it happened. On the other hand, why is it any harder to accept than any other evolutionary change? It happened through a series of small genetic mutations which were selected for because of environmental pressures which gave smarter apes an advantage.

Answer 3

you are confused about evolution. as others stated, we did not come from monkeys but we had a common ancestor. it is also completely erroneous to believe that if one species evolved from another that the more earlier species would no longer exist.

during evolution, one animal or one small group of animals may evolve into another species independent of the other animals. this may be because of differences in their environment. natural selection may apply to one groups\ of the species but not the rest.

you also need to think of evolution as some kind of tree, rather than a line, where one species simply follows another. it's much more complex than that.

one final thought, we humans are more intelligent than other animals, but don't think animals don't have intelligence.

we are the best when it comes to intelligence. but we are not the best at other things. intelligence may not be the be-all end-all of animal characteristics.

Answer 4

I think it is because only a sertan group of monkeys found the need to evolve in to something like us and by the time our evolution happened monkeys were widespread enough that they did not all evolve and that only some of the monkeys that begun to evolve died out because they were not physiqually capable to change so drastically

Answer 5

Snakes are reptiles and a lot of other reptiles do have legs. Ostriches are birds but they cannot fly, whales are mammals but they live in water. There are hunderds of different ape species of which humans are only one. Why would you think that there must be only one ape species, the human?
There were some ape species and out of them the different present ape species devoloped, including the human.

Answer 6

snakes are your example. there are thousands of species of snake, all presumably derived from one species that lost its legs. if all that can happen in evolution is one species replacing another, your example is also impossible. what you have in mind is termed 'anagenesis'. but there is another type of speciation, where a species splits into two or more species, 'cladogenesis'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagenesis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladogenesis

you're asking about intelligence as well. that's back to anagenesis again, but increasing the brain case size goes a long way to explaining human intelligence vs. chimpanzees.

Answer 7

Humans did not evolve from monkeys.

Humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor.

You might say that we are monkey's cousins, not their nephews.

Doc

Answer 8

Nurdee & secretsauce have pretty much answered your question. Only indepth study will give you a better grasp of evolution.

Kenshin is lying about his qualifications. Check his answer record, you'll see.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmHre7_ZoqneSYkgF67jkwfty6IX?qid=20070903201212AArsvyY&show=7#profile-info-Ai6Bsm1laa

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnCKUvkdXHok91MEi9O1lq_ty6IX?qid=20070902135111AAZ9oTL&show=7#profile-info-eqyXhWa6aa

Answer 9

Although i am a scientist i refuse this theory because darwin didnt have indefinite proof. I belive in the bible. If life started as single cells and all came from them why are they there as you siad. The human monkey connectoin is a fluke.

Answer 10

similarly, why do we not see people coming out of the jungle having evolved from the same monkeys?

remember, it's just a theory.