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Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 00:22:05

Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 00:22:05
What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution (because I have no idea [???] [???])? What do you think? What is the most credible theory? I've heard all kinds of stuff, like apes, some kind of aquatic mammal, mice or something like that,  [::)] monkeys, and all other kinds of weird and odd bits of information floating about. So what do you think?  [???]
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 00:23:44
You might have something to say here Asyncritus [:)][:)]
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: _Stefan_ on 06/02/2009 11:47:36
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_evolution Has just about everything there is to know, and you can follow up leads from there. There's no point repeating it all here.

Humans are apes. The "aquatic mammal" you said is what I think you mean to be the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis.

We did not evolve from modern monkeys and apes, instead we evolved from apes that were also the ancestors of modern apes. We share common ancestors with every other species on Earth. We share our most recent common ancestor with Chimps and Bonobos. Much further back in time we had common ancestors with things like rodents. Our evolutionary branch keeps going further back in time until we meet our common ancestor with bacteria. Richard Dawkins' book "The Ancestor's Tale" describes this perfectly, but you can refer to phylogenetic trees for the same information.

Creationists don't have anything of scientific value to present to a topic like this, so don't take anything Asyncritus says seriously. As you said, there is so much misinformation out there, that we don't need more right here.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: blakestyger on 06/02/2009 11:54:28
There is a lot of misinformation about human evolution and one piece that seems to have embedded itself is that Homo sapiens evolved from H habilis. It was H heidelbergensis.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: lyner on 06/02/2009 12:19:13
I reckon there was this garden . . . .
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 12:19:37
Go on...
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 12:21:37
Btw, thank you _Stefan_, I shall have a look when I've got time. [:)]
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: dentstudent on 06/02/2009 12:22:10
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 12:24:53
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fdoh%2F2.gif&hash=fef6931e562a6dc5fd0fd29a97202c70)
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: dentstudent on 06/02/2009 12:29:36
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fdoh%2F2.gif&hash=fef6931e562a6dc5fd0fd29a97202c70)

What?
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 12:30:49
What do ya mean what?

-------

Never mind, I'm too sleepy.......zzzzzzz
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: BenV on 06/02/2009 12:31:34
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.
I thought humans were amongst the great apes...
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 06/02/2009 12:33:30
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fdoh%2F2.gif&hash=fef6931e562a6dc5fd0fd29a97202c70)


Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: dentstudent on 06/02/2009 12:38:10
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.
I thought humans were amongst the great apes...

Yes, that'S true, but I just wanted to highlight that the term "apes" also includes gorillas, chimps etc, with whom we have a common ancestor, and that we're not directly descended from that type of ape.

I think that perhaps I'm just adding to the confusion... or making it in the first place...

*sneaks out whistling before making any further comments....*
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: _Stefan_ on 06/02/2009 12:46:57
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.

Humans are classified as apes...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape

More specifically, our taxonomy is thus:
http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/table_humans.htm

P.S. I thought I disambiguated my use of "human ape" from "modern ape" sufficiently...?
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: dentstudent on 06/02/2009 12:48:05
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.

Humans are classified as apes...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape

More specifically, our taxonomy is thus:
http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/table_humans.htm

P.S. I thought I disambiguated my use of "human ape" from "modern ape" sufficiently...?


Sorry, yes. Mia culpa.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: lyner on 06/02/2009 15:40:44
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.
I had a very common ancestor. My Grandad used to fart in public.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: JimBob on 07/02/2009 22:56:33
Humans are apes.

Not quite - humans and apes have a common ancestor.
I had a very common ancestor. My Grandad used to fart in public.

Picked his nose there, as well, I suppose.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: lyner on 08/02/2009 14:36:21
People are strange. They would never say that a Golden Labrador descended from a Spaniel but they all acknowledge that theycould both have descended from a 'dog'.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 09/02/2009 04:02:38
Any particular reason(s)?
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: _Stefan_ on 09/02/2009 06:40:44
He's making the comparison between how people think that "humans evolved from chimps" or "ducks evolved from crocodiles" when they don't use the same kind of thinking for more familiar species like dogs.

Possible reasons: People are not educated properly and are ignorant; blinded by their belief systems; don't think about things enough/don't have good critical thinking skills.
Title: What do you think is the most current and up to date theory on human evolution?
Post by: lyner on 09/02/2009 17:16:38
As you say: they just don't think.