Do you believe in Evolution?

[drunken_chef]

you keep saying that man evolved from monkeys. that is not true. we evolved from apes.

at any rate modern day monkeys and apes have all evolved over time. just as all life has. if you were some how able to travel back in time. you wouldn't see modern day monkeys, you would find there genetic ancestors.

on a side note. scientists have decoded the DNA of man and chimpanzee(i believe theyre on the verge of having cromagnon man too). our DNA has less than a 1% difference from chimps. that means that we are more closely related to chimps than rats are to mice.

[Rand{CLR}]

I'd really like someone to explain to me however how there are still monkeys out there and practically none are endangered or near endangered yet humans have been around for what 200 million years or was it? Again I believe in Adaptation, not evolution.

Well, first, your statement on monkeys that "practically none are endangered or near endangered" is just flat out wrong. Almost all simian species are in the near-extinction classification.

Modern man is only about 40,000 or so years old, if that.

I'd like to see your explanation of how adaptation is different than evolution. Here's some biological definitions of the words (taken from Dictionary.com. I don't have a Britannica handy right now). There are two definitions for each word, and they line up by source (unabridged Dictionary.com, and American heritage Dictionary):

Adaptation:

4. Biology. a. any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.
b. a form or structure modified to fit a changed environment.
c. the ability of a species to survive in a particular ecological niche, esp. because of alterations of form or behavior brought about through natural selection.

Biology An alteration or adjustment in structure or habits, often hereditary, by which a species or individual improves its condition in relationship to its environment.

Evolution:

Biology. change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.

Biology. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.
The historical development of a related group of organisms; phylogeny.

They essentially mean the same thing, from the biological perspective. How do you view them differently?

-Rand

[{CLR} Naillik]

you keep saying that man evolved from monkeys. that is not true. we evolved from apes.

Monkeys are apes. Same group.

[omfg karl marx]

Monkeys are apes. Same group.

Monkeys and Apes are of the Primate family, but that's where the similarities end. They're about as close of relation as Zebras and Horses are (both are of the family Perissodactyla).

[{CLR} ObiTroy]

After I found out the truth about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, God didn't have a chance.

[jaspurr]

Looks like the Ned Flanders brigade are losing this one big style. I don't know how I got here, dad tried to explain once but that was too scary to listen too Serously we evolved, whether from apes of a creature similar to apes who knows. I believe I am only here once so I am off to enjoy it.

Oh yes, deadlyassasin, I don't mean to scare you but there are half man monkeys out there, they are all around us, just look a bit closer. You know that guy next door who scrapes his knuckles on the ground when he walks upright. I think you guys call them red necks

I take exception to the idea that anyone religious is Ned Flanders like, I myself am a Christian and I do not think I am anything like Flanders, I am more like Mr. Burns

So who is your Smithers?

[thedeadlyassassin]

Baller



I find this thread amussing to be honest. In all honesty I don't know what to believe. Adaptation and Evolution may have a somewhat similar definition, but are different.


Until I find exact correct proof, I'm nuetral.

[drunken_chef]

this is a good read

http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo2/mod_homo_4.htm

[Storm_Shadow]

Suffice to say that the conclusions from the observations of anything in nature will be influenced by the observer's frame of reference. In essence, you will find what you're looking for.

Many who devote their lives to understanding the origin and nature of life claim to go about it with unbiased curiosity, but they aren't unbiased.

[mapes]

First off man didn't evolve from monkeys. We share with monkeys some far distance relative....

Second off there is proof about evolution. Saw this on a show. In japan there is a peninsula that rumors have it years and years ago a warlord and his samarui fought to the last man and were pushed into the sea. For a very very long time the locals believed the samurai dead had been turned into crabs. Ever since for the last thousand years when ever a crab was caught if it's shell even remotely resembled a samurai face the fisherman threw it back....guess what... that specie of crab now has a perfect samurai face on its back. The evolutionary survival trait was a shell that resembled a face.

The concept is simple...Those beings that have some trait that lets them live longer have a higher chance of reproducing. those offspring share that trait and take over that niche in the area food chain and push out those beings without the trait or a stronger trait.


The time scale this works on is huge. It's almost impossible for a human to grasp the scale of such time.


ID or lets say the bible....Ok the bible first off all of the creation myth's err stories in the bible were written by Jews. It's a known fact that the Jews wrote those as parables not as fact.

The question is not do you believe in evolution. You don't have to believe in it for it work. Thats beauty of it.

Faith and science are different things. They answer different questions.

dictionary definition for science
systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.

dictionary definition for faith
belief that is not based on proof

Edit...appearently the samurai crab story has questioned.....my bad example however there are plenty of irrefutable examples

[Trooper110]

And just keep in mind that it's been theorized that once a species becomes intelligent that it will quit evolving unless some outside influence cases drastic changes....say an atomic war, asteroid striking the earth, the sun going nova, etc. Since the species can now alter the environment or create ways to live in undesirable environments, there is no longer any need for that species to evolve. There are also laws and social mores that prevent us from keeping the less desirable members of our species from breeding and passing on less desirable traits so the more desirable traits aren't passed on to our descendants as in a natural evolution.

Of course there's also unnatural evolutions, such as wiping out small pox. It's good for us, but it wasn't through evolution that we became resistant to the virus, it was through drugs and learning. This could also be used to achieve things such as say...a third arm for great manipulative abilities, lack of hair now that there's no real reason for it due to clothing other than aesthetics, those kinds of things.

[baller4life2468]

Yes

[TheDeadMeat]

42

[minfootball]

42

lol

[Kriotek]

out of intrest those of you thaty dont beleive in evolution what is it that stears you away from it being how humans came to be.

(tryed to phrase it in a non contraversial way if you get what i mean by it)