Evolution theory?

Question

Is it that there was a species, and apes and humans split into 2 other species (apes and humans) and not that humans came from apes? Someone explain it to me please? I'm getting mixed information everywhere. Oh and please explain as simple as you can... Im 15 - not dumb but not too educated on it... hah

Answer 1

read this---

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

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

Answer 2

Don't think of it as great grandparents, think of it as 59th cousins 59 times removed.  As time and generations pass certain genes give certain individuals a better chance of reproducing (perhaps the ladies find the guy who has less hair attractive) as those individuals bear more children those genes occur more commonly and a new "species" is born.  this could happen slowly or very rapidly if the variation occurs by a mutation.  Pressures such as weather and natural disasters are common reasons for population shifts.

Answer 3

Your initial description is the most accurate.

What's partially confusing you is that terms aren't clearly defined (i.e. apes).  Remember, apes aren't even a single species.

To hopefully clear it up:

Ancient apes -> modern humans and modern apes

Common ancestor of humans and apes -> humans and apes

These are both the same thing.

If you're still having trouble understanding it, take a look at a phylogenetic tree.  Notice how modern apes e.g. chimpanzees, come off a branch, just like humans do.  I.e. they've evolved just as much as humans.  So the node common to humans and chimps isn't labelled as chimpanzee.

Some simplifications in this answer, but I didn't want to complicate it too much.

Answer 4

>"Is it that there was a species, and apes and humans split into 2 other species (apes and humans) and not that humans came from apes?"

Yes, that is exactly correct.   Branching branching branching.

The early primates split into two branches ... what are now the Old World Primates (the apes and monkeys of Africa and Asia) and what are now the New World primates.

The Old World primates split into two branches ... the ancestors to the the Old World Monkeys, and the ancestors to the modern apes.

The ancestors to the modern apes split again into more branches ... the ancestors to the gibbons (or lesser apes) and the ancestors to the great apes.

The ancestors to the great apes split again into more branches ... the ancestors of the orangutans, then the ancestors to gorillas, then the ancestors to chimps and bonobos, and then the ancestors to the early pre-humans.

The ancestors to the pre-humans also split again into more branches ... such as the ancestors to what became Homo neanderthalensis (which went extinct), and the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens.

So modern humans and all the different modern ape species all share a common ancestor.

Anybody who just says that "humans came from apes", or "humans came from monkeys" is giving you a simpleminded, CARTOON version of evolution.   This is the image of evolution as one species just "becoming" the next species ... like the way the 1986 Camaro gave way to the 1987 Camaro.

That cartoon version of evolution *doesn't make sense* ... because if every species just replaced its ancestor, then logically there would be only one species on the planet!   Clearly that's not true, so that version of evolution has no resemblance to the one the scientists support.

If you ever hear someone with the "why are there still apes?" or "why are there still monkeys?" questions ... this is someone who holds the CARTOON version of evolution in their head.  They are giving you a nonsense version of evolution, just so they can say "see, evolution is nonsense."

Answer 5

Before beginning, it is important to clarify some terms so that there is no confusion.

Apes are a grouping of several species, including humans.  We are apes, as well as chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and various species of gibbons.  Thus, we haven't split from the apes because this is just a particular level of classification.  Just as we are a part of the mammal grouping, we are a part of the smaller, more specific ape grouping.

However, you are correct in your first description of evolution.  It is a branching of different species from a common ancestor.  It is NOT a straight line from one species to another.  It is correct to say that we share a common ancestor with chimpanzees or gorillas or any other organism.  It is NOT correct to say that we come from chimpanzees or gorillas.

Answer 6

We started off as a species of apes that eventually became tree dewlling which evolved with different features like cephralization and up right walking. Then this species which resided in Africa traveled and to Europe(Homo Erectus) and Asia. Basically that is how we have the different races and the human species splitting.

Answer 7

The theory of evolution says that apes, humans, dogs, cats, fish  and other animals have a common ancestors if you go back far enough.  (Children who are brothers and sisters have common ancestors - their parents.  Children who are first cousins have two common ancestors, namely 2 of their 4 grandparents.)  The theory of evolution does not say that humans came from apes, but you would have to go back much further in history to find find a common ancestor for a human and a dog compared to a human and an ape.

Answer 8

there first started out as apes...then as time went by they evenutually evoilved into humans. And yes i guess they split because some still stayed apes because there are still apes in the world at the moment.