(February 2, 2009 at 7:04 pm)lukec Wrote: We are apes. A common misconception is that all evolution is anagenesis- an ancestral species evolving into a "replacement" species. If this were so, and there was only one organism when life began, then there would only ever be one species on the planet! You might as well ask, well if we evolved from single-celled organisms, why are single celled organisms still around? The answer, of course, is that evolution doesn't have to work this way. There is also cladogenesis, which involves the branching out of the "tree". Yes, we share a common ancestor with the apes of today, but this does not mean we replaced them. Let me try to use a very hypothetical example.
There are two landmasses, separated by sea. The western one is completely covered in jungle, and is colonized by a very large population of apes, who live in these trees. One day, a storm carries a small population of these jungle apes over to the eastern landmass. Near the coast, where they land, there is jungle similar to their home, but the central continent is covered in plains. For a while these apes stay in the jungle, but over time it quickly becomes overpopulated and those which can venture successfully outside their jungle to get food do well. There is then, a selection pressure which encourages upright standing (which not only increases view in the plains, but also frees up the hands for carrying). So, apes which are better at this are fruitful, and multiply. Of course, this whole time, apes in the jungle on the original continent are fine and dandy, not changing at all since there is no change in environment.
Not sure if this makes sense, I'm hopped up on cold meds.
Thanks for that lukec, I'll try to understand, like I said, I'm not well versed in this field!
A man is born to a virgin mother, lives, dies, comes alive again and then disappears into the clouds to become his Dad. How likely is that?
