If we evolved from monkeys,why do they still exist?

[Ronin]

I will be the first to admit I am a novice when it comes to scientific matters.
Maybe it is a question that is easly answered. So... If we came from monkeys
why are they still alive today? Did only some of them evolve to humans?
Then what did the rest evolve to? By the way if I was a scientist in the 1800's
it isn't too hard to look at a monkey,and think, whow!!! you look like me. I must be related to you!!! Darwin wasn't that clever, after all how many animals have 4 legs in nature? are they all related? Ohhh!! I guess they are.

[Goat]

I will be the first to admit I am a novice when it comes to scientific matters.
Maybe it is a question that is easly answered. So... If we came from monkeys
why are they still alive today? Did only some of them evolve to humans?
Then what did the rest evolve to? By the way if I was a scientist in the 1800's
it isn't too hard to look at a monkey,and think, whow!!! you look like me. I must be related to you!!! Darwin wasn't that clever, after all how many animals have 4 legs in nature? are they all related? Ohhh!! I guess they are.

Well, first of all, the theory of evolution does not say that man evolved from monkeys. It rather says that man and monkeys share a common ancestor.

Second of all, just because a species, (due to isolation and genetic drift) is seperated from a 'parent species', it does not mean that parent species is gone. For example, the darwin finches have evolved to be seperate from the species that gave rise to them, (Due to isolation and environmental pressures), but the original species still exists.

[McCulloch]

I will be the first to admit I am a novice when it comes to scientific matters.
Maybe it is a question that is easly answered. So... If we came from monkeys
why are they still alive today? Did only some of them evolve to humans?
Then what did the rest evolve to?

Evolution 101, were you asleep in biology class or did you get your education in the USA? If you are going to try to shoot down evolution, do your homework and at least don't misrepresent it. Humans did not come from monkeys.

Apes are primates with little or no tail. Humans and the other apes have a common ancestor. From that common ancestor, some apes, through natural selection and adaptation developed into orangutans; some into gorillas and others into the common ancestor of the chimpanzee, bonobos and the humans. These different paths of evolution are due to different environmental and other pressures and perhaps even geographical isolation of breeding groups.

[Confused]

when you jump in, you jump deep. Man isn't an evolution from monkey. This is where a lot of people mess up and ask for the "missing link" or the evidence of this process. Man shares common genetic coding and enzymes as many animals and repitiles. I think our blood is most copatible with a snake or something. It only shows a common ancestor. It could very well be too many monkeys inbreeding lead to mankind. We dont know. While creationists make claims that the fact that we all share a common ancestor leads credence to Adam and Eve, the failure is that if creationsist hold true, then there should be no genetic differences between all mankind. We should all share the same traits as Adam and Eve. Mutation alone, given that most are fatal, regardless of how long you give them to occur, can't change genetics so much that each person has a unique code.

[Ronin]

Let me venture to ask another lame question what or who exactely are the "common ancesters" ?

[Confused]

Let me venture to ask another lame question what or who exactely are the "common ancesters" ?

Miriam Webster lists ancestors as:
Main Entry: an·ces·tor
Pronunciation: 'an-"ses-t&r also -s&s-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ancestre, from Anglo-French, from Latin antecessor predecessor, from antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go
1 a : one from whom a person is descended and who is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent b : FOREFATHER 2
2 : FORERUNNER, PROTOTYPE
3 : a progenitor of a more recent or existing species or group

A common one would be one who share enough like traits, physically or genetically, to be considered related in some form.

[McCulloch]

Let me venture to ask another lame question what or who exactely [exactly] are the "common ancesters [ancestors]" ?

Traditional Christian mythology teaches that all of humanity has descended from the family of Noah. Therefore, you would call Noah a common ancestor to all of humanity. The bible then goes on to teach that various races arose from his three children, Shem, Ham and Japheth. So Shem would be a common ancestor to the Semites; Ham a common ancestor to all of the Hamites etc.

Evolution teaches that natural selection and adaptation results in the eventual change in genetics. It stands to reason that two species with little genetic variation between them may have evolved from a single species which in the past had divided into two separate breeding groups. A good example would be the Chimpanzee and the Bonobo (AKA Pygmy Chimp). There is little genetic variation between these two species of apes. The evidence indicates that their latest individual who would have been an ancestor of both groups lived about two million years ago. The latest individual who would have been an ancestor to the Chimpanzees and the humans probably lived six million years ago and would have been our 250,000 greats-grandparent. It probably lived in Africa, was hairy like a Chimpanzee with a Chimpanzee sized brain.

[QED]

Apes are primates with little or no tail. Humans and the other apes have a common ancestor.

That reminds me -- what is the creationist's explanation for the Human Tailbone (Coccyx)? I'm sure they must have a good one.

[Confused]

Apes are primates with little or no tail. Humans and the other apes have a common ancestor.

That reminds me -- what is the creationist's explanation for the Human Tailbone (Coccyx)? I'm sure they must have a good one.

Better yet, why is it that the first few weeks gestation, a fetus resembles a tadpole?

[methylatedghosts]

Apes are primates with little or no tail. Humans and the other apes have a common ancestor.

That reminds me -- what is the creationist's explanation for the Human Tailbone (Coccyx)? I'm sure they must have a good one.

Better yet, why is it that the first few weeks gestation, a fetus resembles a tadpole?

Also, a chicken fetus. Foetuses of most vertebrates look very very similar.

Warning: The following pictures may disturb some people. If you are concerned about seeing pictures of fetuses of animals, please do not click on these links. This is to show the similarities between human fetuses and those of other animals. It may be adviseable to take the word of others, who do not mind viewing them. If you are concerned about this at all, wait for other people to respond.

If a moderator does not approve, I am happy to remove the links. Sorry in advance if this is the case.

6 week human fetus (scroll down to the "6 weeks" heading)

40 day cat fetus although it does begin to look like a cat, You can see the link to the human fetus

Cow fetus, 51 weeks very similar again.

Rat fetus

These pictures were the best I could find on the net. Took me a while at that.