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M$1 May 13, 2009 01:54 AM

If other people believe in Darwin's theory that we evolved from monkeys, why we never heard any monkeys evolved or evolving after that?

Are the monkeys from the forest or zoo stopped evolving after Darwin's theory?
It's ridiculous to know when I was teaching in Thailand my students believed their Thai historian teacher that they really evolved from monkeys? How can we stop false teachings? What's your opinion?
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May 13, 2009 04:45 AM
Our breed of humans (Homo sapiens) didn't evolve from Monkeys. Evolution involves a direct change from one sub-species to another, and the "Scientific community," doesn't, nor did they ever theorize this. We evolved from other humans from the beginning of human existence 5.5-6 million years ago. As primates, we are, of course related to monkeys, which have been living for about 34 million years. It's a common misunderstanding among the immature, and uninformed speculations of modern humans. Humans are actually older than Chimps, and they didn't evolve from humans because we wouldn't be co-existing with them. We would be them. The original humans: Australopithecus afar., Cro-Magnons, etc. probably evolved from a vast multitude of primate sub-species that are vaguely known of, if at all because of the relatively short span of their existence in history. The evolution from a species such as monkeys to another, such as humans would involve a direct, non-stop chain of gradual metamorphosis that would take an extremely long time. Think of the birds evolving from dinosaurs. Now, that took about 65 million years.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4253/pterodactyl.jpg

65,000,000 years later...

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/3188/birds.gif
Source(s):
Biology class.

Asker's Rating:
• Thank a lot for your answer and everyone's answers but I choose the best based on voters for now.

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May 14, 2009 07:55 AM
Quote: "Fossil records are an embarrassment to evolutionists. With all the millions of fossils that have been found—some 60 million specimens in the British Museum of History alone—why is there not one single fossil find that indicates verifiable transition from one species to another?" ~ by H.H.

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May 14, 2009 07:05 PM
Who's H.H.? Hubert Humphrey? HAHA. JUST KIDDING. Anyways,
probably because you can not take a single set of bones, and positively prove anything by testing them in a lab for DNA analysis in comparison to a similar specimen, and come up with a match. You would barely be able to do with bones belonging to an immediate family to link the family members because of the alteration of DNA intrinsically and over time. I don't know for sure; what do you think? Anyway, I was trying to answer your entire question, but couldn't edit past an hour, so it didn't get in. I hope you can get to the bottom of your quest to better teach the kids of Thailand about Life Science.

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May 15, 2009 01:53 AM
Hi Pensivefox, I do appreciate your answer and defining it in terms of science, which is always and has been taught in any school worldwide... You asked me what I think; yes I do agree with you that even evolution cannot satisfactorily answer for our genetic code (DNA), our life origin or produce a single fertilized human egg out of nothing. This is my final quest.

I don't support evolution (Darwinism theory) rather than the TRUTH that's why my query is honestly not neutral at all. This would give room for every opinion (interested/uninterested) to answer what they learned, believe and support...which I was not expecting quite bit of answers.

I was stating that I only listened to what my high sch. students told me what their history and science teacher taught them on evolution theory. I did not really take advantage to explain further what I believe, which one of the answerers here misconstrued my remarks.

Bottom-line is: "Ape-men are fiction, fraud and fantasy while empirical science supports the creation model for origins and militates against the evolution theory. To assume that hominids and humans are closely related because both can walk upright is tantamount to hummingbirds and helicopters are closely related because both can fly. The distance between an ape, who cannot read or write and a descendant of Adam, who can compose a musical masterpiece or send a man to the moon, is the distance of INFINITY. Besides evolution cannot satisfactorily account the ingenious synchronization process needed to produce life from a single fertilized human egg; nor it can satisfactorily explain how physical processes can produce metaphysical realities such consciousness and spirituality. The unsated urge to produce a “missing link” has substituted selling, sensationalism and subjectivism for solid science.” William Fix said it best: “When it comes to finding a new trooper to star as our animal ancestor, there is no business like bone business.” – Quote by H. Hanegraaff @ equip.org

For further study, see Jonathan Wells, “Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth?” – Washington, D.C.: Regenery Publishing, 2000).

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June 29, 2009 08:31 PM
OK, let me get this straight; are you implying by the comic strip above, that if you believe in evolution, then that means you don't believe in a "god" based higher power, or what?

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June 30, 2009 06:27 AM
I just found this witty cartoon yesterday and it reminds me of this topic so I added on here...

based from the comic strip and the cartoonist: this is a reverse psychology for those who believe in evolution...so if you use that same statement instead, as a creationist believer...the other origin option is obvious...

Hope I did not confuse you now.

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May 13, 2009 02:09 AM
Simple: monkeys didn't stop evolving. The simplest answer that it's not exactly true that humans evolved from monkeys (apes, technically). Humans and apes share a common ancestor. We both belong to the order Primates, and the Family Homininae (to which both humans and chimpanzees belong) branched off from the superorder Hominoidea around 4-5 million years ago.

Or, in other words:

Primates -> Hominoidea -> Homininae -> Homo Sapiens (Humans)

Primates -> Hominoidea -> Homininae -> Pan Troglodytes (Chimps)
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May 13, 2009 02:19 AM
I am by no means a scientist but from what I know is that Evolution is a process, it took thousands and millions of years for apes to evolve into men as we know it today.

The monkeys in your zoo are not evolving fast enough for anybody to notice in real time, the only thing we've ever been able to watch evolve in real time would be small organisms... like Swine flu for example, that evolved recently from another type of flu and so on and so forth.

Teaching evolution is not a false teaching, so don't worry about your students, if they are religious they will choose to not believe it, but if they are curious they could learn more as it is standard science in most countries. It a documented fact, there are thousands upon thousands of studies from all different cultures from all different parts of the world, it is true. Evolution is rarely debated at high levels anymore.

If your interested in learning the science of evolution here is a great source that goes through each step explicitly, just tab through the pages, honestly

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33749589@N07/3526584601/
Source(s):
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/anthro/bioanth/ch10/welcome.htm


Tags: evolution

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May 13, 2009 02:29 AM
That's quite a resource Jeff.

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May 13, 2009 02:36 AM
I was really trying to find something designed more for the laymen, (which this is not) I was hoping to find an easy video, but YouTube is down for me right now.

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May 13, 2009 03:21 AM
If you're looking for video, this is good:

http://www.becominghuman.org/node/interactive-documentary

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May 13, 2009 03:13 AM
Evolution doesn't happen over night...

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May 13, 2009 05:42 AM
Here is a question for everyone on either side of the issue to think about. "What would make you change your mind?"
My family, except for myself, is very religious. So, I know what their answer would be. They would not change their mind unless God, himself, told them that evolution was the truth. (I'm not sure that they would take the word of an angel.)
For the rest of us, the answer is that we would change our minds if the overwhelming body of evidence that supports the theory of evolution was counterbalanced by an even greater body of evidence that supports a different theory. Because, for us to accept that evolution is not true, we would have to see a 1) theory, 2) backed up by evidence in all of the different scientific disciplines, that accounted for the existence of the universe and our position in that universe.
An argument that attempts to disprove evolution is not enough. There has to be another theory with other evidence. And no other theory has arisen that has such an overwhelming body of evidence to support it.
Why do we see so much evidence of layering in the Earth?
Why do all of the planets move in approximately the same plane?
Why does parts of the earth crust move in different directions.
Why do we have so much DNA in common with other primates?
These questions not only have to be answered by the other theory, there has to be evidence to support the answers.

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May 13, 2009 06:21 AM
I thought I would mention that most of the world's religious people, no matter how religious they are, have no problem understanding evolution. Only certain types of Evangelical Protestant Christians, fundamentalist Moslems, and Ultra-Orthodox Jews insist that their holy books overrule any and all evidence.

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May 13, 2009 03:50 PM
Christians, lately, out of cards, have turned to tricks to attempt to "disprove" evolution. One of my favorites (which is actually in Christian "science" and home school textbooks) is "Evolution violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics." They warp standard definitions and use bizarre circular logic to "disprove" evolution. I am sorry but even the Pope has spoken in favor of evolution. I don't know why this "debate" rages on.

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May 13, 2009 05:52 AM
The process of mutation, that leads to evolution happens all the time. When a mutation 'sticks' and leads to a permanent change in a species, we call this evolution.

This process takes millions of years.

Consequently, since Darwin created his theory, we haven't visibly seen much evolution, as it's only been 100 years, not the millions over which evolution is more clearly visible.

So - the answer is that Darwin (and many many others) would say that monkeys are evolving - as is every other species on earth. But rather like watching the hour hand on a clock, it's hard to see it, as it's happening very, very slowly and won't be visible in most cases for millions of years to come.

Evolution is a theory. Consequently, you can't call it a false teaching as long as it's presented as a theory and not as fact.

It is of course a widely accepted theory where there is a lot of evidence to support it. But nonetheless, it remains a theory. So, the presentation of it as such is necessary to maintain balance and objectivity in schools and a good education for our future generations - in the same way that it is necessary also to tell our children that there are a variety of theories about a variety of subjects and topics.

If our teachers clearly help them distinguish between fact and theory they can make up their own minds and learn how to make judgments based on the presentation of evidence; a necessary skill in life.

(You'll notice that my answer doesn't make any judgment on the validity of evolutionary or any other theory on how we came to be who we are today)
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May 13, 2009 07:35 AM
As someone mentioned, humans did not evolve from monkeys but both came from a common ancestor. After the split, monkeys continued to evolve, that's why there are baboons, chimps, gorilla's, orang utans (even different on different islands), etc. And the evolution continues, but you don't see a monkey in a zoo suddenly change into another species, that's true :) It takes a few million years.

And humans continued to evolve and differentiate as well. Or did God create separate Caucasian, African (Hutu, Tutsi, Pygmy, ...), Asian, Australian and Native American (sorry if I forget someone) Adams and Eves? No, that's continued evolution, or how do you explain the differences? Only recently, the remains of a new human species, that lived until about 8000 years ago, was discovered on the Indonesian island Flores.
Source(s):
Education.


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May 13, 2009 09:13 AM
A little thing called "time" comes into play here, unless you are one of those religious people like Bishop Usher who figured out the date of creation at 4000 BC or so (1).

Scientific methods would place the age of the Earth at 4.5 Billion years and the initial evolution of hominids at around 4 Million years before the present.

Darwin (with the existing state of knowledge 100 years ago, or so) described the very small changes that take place in species as they reproduce - usually these variations are very small. Sometimes the changes favour the individuals reproduction and sometimes they don't.

Very small changes over long time can produce amazing effects (eg, the Grand Canyon). You don't see it getting any deeper in your tiny lifespan.

This was the genius of Darwin (and others) to suddenly have this insight into the way things work.

Animals that live very short lives evolve much faster - eg viruses and bacteria.

By the way, most people who have studied this issue do believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. In fact, it is very hard to understand why any school would teach any other theory in a science class.
Source(s):
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology


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May 13, 2009 09:43 AM
Personally, I'd focus on exposing the students to all of the popular theories and let them decide for themselves.

Teaching evolution solely is somewhat problematic because although there is a lot of evidence to support evolution's existence (adaptation), there is little to support the abiogenesis theories. Then there is the matter if irreducible complexity.

Teaching creationism solely is problematic as well for the same reasons.

Teach both and leave your personal beliefs out of it. It's ok to say "I don't know" because in this case, we really don't.

Tags: evolution, education

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May 13, 2009 03:59 PM
You were wise to use the term abiogenesis, as this (not evolution) is the real threat to creationism. Abiogenesis does not equal evolution. If Christians weren't so intent on destroying evolution, they would realize that the true debate they should be focused on is inorganic abiogenesis vs. transcendental creation.

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May 13, 2009 04:42 PM
I wouldn't call it a threat to creationism, necessarily, but I would call belief in abiogenesis a faith-based belief. That being the case, practitioners of the belief are just as religious as fundamentalist Christians.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.

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May 14, 2009 03:38 AM
It's not OK to put a closely argued case for evolution, supported by plentiful evidence on the same footing as Intelligent Design which no evidence exists at all.

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May 14, 2009 09:13 AM
@richardnz I would not argue the case for evolutions existence as adaption or changes over time. It's a fact. However, to stretch that to conclude that it explains the origin of man is fallacious. ID as the origin is just as provable, which is to say that it is not.

By the way, it's OK to argue anything in any way I see fit, no matter your personal opinion. Just saying.

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May 13, 2009 01:54 PM
Although most answers here are correct in pointing out that we did not evolve from apes/monkeys, but rather had a common ancestor, there is still a raging debate going on about the Theory of Evolution.

http://lifewithalacrity.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/evolution.jpg

A 'Theory' is NOT the highest scientific level accorded to a postulate, as evidenced by the following 'laws':
Bernoulli's Equation, Law of Thermodynamics, Charle's Law, the Drake Equation, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Hubble's Law, Nurgaliev's Law, Sommerfeld-Kossel Displacement Law, Zipf's Law, Newton's First, Second, and Third Laws of Motion, Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, Boyle's law, Mendel's Laws, et al

http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j35/images/evo1.jpg

Not wanting to ignite a creationism vs evolution or rather science vs religion debate here, suffice it to say that the fire rages on, and there are countless instances of the theory being discussed at all levels of scientific thought. The following online resources will help you make up your mind.

1. The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=395

2. Long-Settled Evolution “Debate” Rages in Texas, Louisiana
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blog/long-settled_evolution_debate_rages_in_texas_louisiana/

3. Brown University professor breaks down evolution debate
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/brown-university-professor-breaks-down-evolution-debate-1.1652262
The comments section in this article are an eye-opener!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/355611772_e660e59ac1.jpg

From http://www.enlightennext.org
"Between the Neo-Darwinists on one side and the Intelligent Designers on the other are at least ten more "schools" of evolutionary thought. Here, we've spread them out along a spectrum from science to spirit, with scientific materialism on the far left and religious determinism on the far right. Generally speaking, the closer a group of scientific thinkers appear to the center of the chart, for example, the closer its view of evolution comes to integrating the dimension of spirit, and vice-versa—an integration that manifests most fully in the three groups in the middle."

http://www.sullivan-county.com/images/sci.gif
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May 13, 2009 03:46 PM
"The Great Debate" IMO is a false characterization. Christians want to characterize this as a debate to capture and warp the public imagination, when there is only one side of the debate that has any evidence. I have written extensively on this subject, and would gladly give you ample evidence if you so desire. The truth is, very, VERY few life scientists doubt the theory of evolution. Further, virtually every single scientific organization in the world has endorsed the theory of evolution. When I last researched, it was under 1% of active biologists that did not believe in the theory of evolution. Again, there is no raging debate over the evidence, except in the realm of the ill-informed.

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May 13, 2009 05:25 PM
@mrnemo There is plenty of intellectual dishonesty on both sides of this issue. Changes over time do occur but to call that evolution instead of adaptation alludes to belief in abiogenesis.

Whereas there is proof that changes over time occur, there is no proof that these changes lead back to a single point of origin like pond scum.

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May 13, 2009 06:31 PM
@mrnemo I believe a lot of what nadiraziz, others and myself are saying is being taken out of context. We simply leave our mind open to change and believe the theory of evolution is a work in progress like all theorys.

"under 1% of biologist still dont believe in the theory of evolution" Good at one point it was believe the world was flat by most.

In this present day one must learn to question things.

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May 13, 2009 01:58 PM
As many have stated above, the theory is that evolution takes a very, very long time to take place. While I am no scholar on this subject, I have always thought that even though it does take a lot of time there should be some evolved creature between Humans and apes (the Missing link). While many will say there is a missing link that has yet to be discovered I personally do not believe this. It seems strange to me that the link would go completely extinct without a trace while humans and apes survive. I do feel that the majority of the theory is accurate, but some points, such as humans from apes, are wrong and will never be proven.

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May 14, 2009 02:22 AM
One guru said, "The insatiable drive to produce a "missing link" has substituted selling, sensationalism and subjectivism for solid science."

What does that say to us?

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