If we evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys about? because isn't evolution survival of the fittest?

Question

I mean because was it not that those primitive humans who discovered fire survived and those who didn't died. Also if some monkeys evolved into other monkeys why did some evolve into humans and not just evolve into better monkeys like the others

Answer 1

Beings evolve in certain niches (competing for specific types of food, shelter, and other resources).  Humans evolved to fill a niche separate from the ones other primates filled.  However other hominems were competing within the same niche as each sucessive human ancester and the one that was most "fit" is the one that survived.

Answer 2

That's like saying, since humans are the best/most fit, why aren't all living things human?

We take Chimps, and dress them up in human clothes, have them ride a bicycle, and put them in a movie. Still, they don't do so bad!

If you were dropped off in a chimp habitat, somewhere deep in Africa, I'd give you one month tops, before you radioed in for a medical evacuation!

Answer 3

Same reason where is lions, cheetah's, lynx's, and house cats. Same general species (feline/primate) but different type.

Evolution does have it's flaws. Like we can not morally let the people who can not support them self die.

Answer 4

You’re also asking “If dogs are descended from wolves, why are there still wolves?

From the National Academy of Sciences:

"If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

     Humans did not evolve from modern apes, but humans and modern apes shared a common ancestor, a species that no longer exists. Because we share a recent common ancestor with chimpanzees and gorillas, we have many anatomical, genetic, biochemical, and even behavioral similarities with these African great apes. We are less similar to the Asian apes--orangutans and gibbons--and even less similar to monkeys, because we share common ancestors with these groups in the more distant past.

    Humans, went one way, apes another. Each found their own niche in the world and developed from there.

     Evolution is a branching or splitting process in which populations split off from one another and gradually become different. As the two groups become isolated from each other, they stop sharing genes, and eventually genetic differences increase until members of the groups can no longer interbreed. At this point, they have become separate species. Through time, these two species might give rise to new species, and so on through millennia. "

http://www.nap.edu/html/creationism/appe...

Remember evolution doesn't work towards a specific goal. It's not a throw away economy where you discard last years fashions. Go to your closet ask yourself "If the new fashions have come in, why are there still old clothes here?"

From Straight Dope:

Why isn't this argument used against evolution? Well, it is--it's just used incorrectly. Let's start with a quote from the recently re-released publication, Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences (Second Edition).   In the section on "Human Evolution," the publication notes, "today there is no significant scientific doubt about the close evolutionary relationships among all primates, including humans."

Evolution doesn't work as a simple find-and-replace function. Have you ever seen the evolutionary "tree" diagrams in a science book?  Those trees show how different species branch off and go in different evolutionary directions. That doesn't necessarily mean everything else dies. As the National Academy of Sciences document notes, archaeological finds "reveal a well-branched tree, parts of which trace a general evolutionary sequence leading from ape-like forms to modern humans."

The NAS publication actually answers your question directly in its Appendix of Frequently Asked Questions. It says:

"Humans did not evolve from modern apes, but humans and modern apes shared a common ancestor, a species that no longer exists. Because we share a recent common ancestor with chimpanzees and gorillas, we have many anatomical, genetic, biochemical, and even behavioral similarities with these African great apes. We are less similar to the Asian apes orangutans and gibbons and even less similar to monkeys, because we share common ancestors with these groups in the more distant past.

"Evolution is a branching or splitting process in which populations split off from one another and gradually become different. As the two groups become isolated from each other, they stop sharing genes, and eventually genetic differences increase until members of the groups can no longer interbreed. At this point, they have become separate species. Through time, these two species might give rise to new species, and so on through millennia."

In other words, the "ape-like" animals that eventually gave rise to humans split up into several branches, all of which evolved in different directions. Some of those lines became become extinct; others survived. One of the surviving groups includes you and me (and in theory P.E. teachers, although one wonders). Other survivors include the various species of monkeys and apes we find today.

So, John, I've convinced you, right? Attaboy--always nice to have another ally in the fight against ignorance. Incidentally, you can find the NAS publication on the web at http://books.nap.edu/html/creationism/. Lots of good info in there!

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mevo...

Answer 5

Current chimpanzees and humans evolved from a common ancestor.  That common ancestor is no longer here.  Humans and chimps have different survival strategies, but each is effective enough for the propogation of the species.

Answer 6

your question is just simple to answer because we didn't evolved from monkeys or apes thats a true lie.

Answer 7

People were made in the image of God. Therefore they have a spiritual nature and conscience. Therefore they worship their creator. Monkeys are nothing more than monkeys.

Answer 8

You have a couple misconceptions.  The first is that monkeys aren't supremely evolved for their niche.  The second is that you don't understand speciation.  Speciation is how species divide in two.  

Monkeys are supremely adapted to their niche.  They have survived as monkeys for 10s of millions of years because there is very little that can be done to make them better adapted to their niche.  The only way they significantly change is if their niche changes.  You apparently have the impression that humans are superior to other animals.  We are more intelligent but we would not survive long in a chimpanzee's niche.  They are far stronger and faster and are ideally suited to their forest environment.  They are not inferior at all.  Their brain size is optimized by numerous factors.  For example, the advantage for intelligence, is balanced by the brain's need for support and nutrition (keep in mind that the brain is in the head and requires very large calorie intake).

Animals speciate by having a population split somehow.  For example a certain ancestor of the chimps and bonobos made it across a river that chimps normally couldn't cross.  On one side, bonobos didn't change that much.  On the other side, chimps evolved bigger and stronger, and less human like.  These are two of our closest relatives that have extremely good evidence for speciation and is a true example.

Answer 9

Some apes were in environments where they were able to survive quite well the way they were.

Somewhere there was a group of apes that through some mutation or genetic fluke (God's hand?) began to develop greater intelligence. Those that were smarter were able to survive to produce more offspring than those who weren't.

Why apes and not dolphins or squid or cockroaches? Luck. (And maybe opposable thumbs cuz the best tool-makers were probably more fit for survival.)

Answer 10

It isn't exactly "survival of the fittest" per se, because that would mean that only ONE race will survive.

It means that only those who are fit enough may survive. Monkeys have evolved and adapted to their own environment

Answer 11

Did you ever want a treehouse, well now you know why.

Answer 12

Survival of the Fittest does not mean "All other not-so-fit creatures die"

Evolution is spurred by mutations - at some point monkey-like creatures mutated, and the mutation(s) were favorable.  This does not mean that all non-mutated monkeys immediately died out - most would have survived and had monkey-like descendants.

Think of how many different TYPES of monkeys there are - spider monkeys, chimps, gorillas.  Environment is what makes certain mutations favorable, so different creatures evolve to survive best in different environments.

Answer 13

The Earth has gone through many changes. I think the biggest reason humans differ from apes is because our ancestors were exposed to a meteor or meteors that crashed to Earth and caused us to mutate into primate humans that differed from other apes who were not exposed to the effects of the meteorite(s). If you want to see survival of the fittest in action, just wait until the U.S. has another economic depression. We won't handle it as well as our great grandparents handled the Great Depression.

Answer 14

Who says that monkeys are not fit enough to survive.It is assumed that Humans did not evolve from monkeys but from the same ape like animal the monkeys evolved from.Certain groups of the ape like creatures simply took a different path to a different place and hence a different evolution.A mutation here.A new hair there and the differences slowly but surely increase due to the influence of the environment.Species evolve if their environment forces them.If the environment does not change the species also does not change because there is no need to.

Answer 15

Don't you know that science isn't exact. It doesn't have all the answers "yet" according to those that believe in it. We are just to take it on "faith" that it is correct. At least until someone comes up with facts that show that what they say is true. Then comes someone else that shows the other person was wrong. And the game starts all over again.

I personally subscribe to the intelligent design theory. Makes more sense to me. But to each his/her own.

My question is how can you not believe in something that does not exist? For you not to believe, you have to at some level think that it is possible.

Just a theory of mine.

Have a nice day.

Answer 16

Evolution within a species is obvious.  To carry it to include evolution from one species to another is nothing more than theory which cannot be proved, because it is flawed theory. You are right about the monkeys still being here unimproved.  

The Bible is still correct, mankind was created in the image of God, not in the image of a monkey.  However, we have no argument with people who believe their ancestors were monkeys, they know their own genealogy.  As for me, I know my genealogy too, I was created in the image of God.