If people descended from apes, then why are there still apes?
If people descended from apes, then why are there still apes? The truth is, apes descended from people!
Remember when you were a kid and you'd make a funny face and your mom would say, "Don't make that face or it might get stuck like that"? Well that's what happened. An ancient tribe of mimes liked to pretend that they were apes, and then couldn't stop!
Also, the 13th Tribe of Israel is not lost; they are just all stuck out in the desert somewhere in an imaginary box.
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Wait, what? Who ever stated that we descended from apes? Anyone who told you that is completely misinformed. Humans and apes share a common ancestor. This common ancestor, through genetic variation, led to the abundance of different mammals, such as apes, that share similar traits to humans. Apes are more of our metaphorical siblings/cousins than metaphorical parents. Side: That statement is just wrong
I would not have an answer for you if that statement were true. But we didn't descend from apes. We descended from a common ancestor to apes. We are evolutionary cousins or siblings. Apes are not our evolutionary parents. This is what we call divergent evolution. The same thing split tigers, lions, panthers, and cheetahs. Like humans and other primates, these four great cats share a common ancestor and are thus evolutionary cousins. Side: That statement is just wrong
The question suposes that evolution is a linear process- it is not. As you can see from the picture below, life evolves in all directions. Species then transform do to either a mutation (gene) or because of outside influences (droughts for example) http://farm1.static.flickr.com/116/ Just because a part of a gene pool mutates and changes for the better (and remember, mutation does not neccisarilly mean; for the better) , does not mean that automatically the rest of the gene pool must die out - although sometimes it does because the better apt mutated species get hold of natural resources and starves the ill apt species but often it does not die out, and hence the diversity of species. You could just as well have asked "since we all descend from a single cell organism, why are there still single cell organisms?
And that question would be equally dumb Side: opposable thumbs
well; science is not peer reviewed on the basis of entertainment value. If you wanna beleif things because of how they make you feel, then you are entitled to that, but with a blindfold like that you are apt to hit alot more bumps in life than if you just accept things as they are. Maybe that is why so many religious people end up in jail, they are playing by a script that doesnt fit reality Side: opposable thumbs
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If you were to examine the human phylogenetic tree (a phylogenetic tree is a chart that lays out the basic ancestral hsitory of an organism by showing a common ancestor at the bottom of the "tree" and as you move up the "tree" over time you can see the "branching off" of other organisms along an evolutionary track) you could see that apes and other animals such as monkeys, gorillas etc, "branched off" of this track BEFORE humans. But HUMANS AND APES DO SHARE A COMMON ANCESTOR. Humans DO NOT "branch off" from apes, they come before humans on the evolutionary track. This is the case because apes adapted to specific environments over time and the need to evolve further was of no use, they were basically already perfect in their environment. Over time humans developed mutations that lead to traits such as intelligence, the use of tools, problem solving, opposable thumbs etc. These traits caused humans to prosper and flourish in basically any environment, leading to their ultimate superiority and dominamce as a species. Side: It can be explained quite easily
Well a couple people answered the obvious, that the entire premise is wrong. Still though, I feel the need to simplify it, because people who ask this silly question are generally kind of dopey, and aren't really interested in an answer but only want to try to disprove science in their simple way (not that the creator of this debate fits that, I don't know you. I'm saying in general though.) So think of it this way. Are there Hispanic people? Sure, a whole lot of Hispanic people. But Hispanic is just a result of Spanish and Native American heritage. So then "If Hispanic people descended from Spanish and Native American people, why are there still Spanish and Native American People?" Exact same logic. Even ignoring that we are not descended from apes, even if we were it would be perfectly possible to coexist with an ancestor. Side: genetic diversity
Whatever, but if evolution works the way it is supposed to work, we'd end up with like a super dooper super super species in the end, you know, cos humans or whatever mutated and can see through walls or jump 100 metres into the air without much effort... Then that super dooper species of mammals with their super dooper intelligence can treat us humans like shit and put us in cages for their children to play with... can't wait for that day... What with us having self awareness and creative intelligence and a sense of pride and all the qualities that will make us fight them even though it's futile , it'll be a battle that we're just not going to win and we're just not going to give up either... kinda spells the end of our species to me cos they're super dominant and we're like superseeded... Still, it should be fun for vampires cos they're eternal and whatever so they'd live to witness it all... Why can't evolution evolve or evolute faster... sigh.... Side: genetic diversity
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