Why Aren’t Chimps Still Evolving Into Humans?

Dr. WhoI stumbled across this question in YouTube world. I love it. I’m serious – the question is awesome.




Why aren’t chimps still evolving into humans?


The question reveals that the person thinks of evolution as a ladder of advancement, as opposed to a diversifying tree. The question as posed is like asking, “Why isn’t my cousin turning into me?, as in being literally one’s self, and not merely “like” one’s self.

Evolution doesn’t work like that. Chimpanzees aren’t “less evolved” than humans. They aren’t on the same evolutionary path as us, but further behind. We’re on two separate paths that are equally evolved… if “equally evolved” can even be an intelligible phrase.

I appreciate the question. When answering it, the person can get the most bang-for-the-buck in improving his/her understanding of evolutionary theory.

About Jasper

The vertebrate is a software engineer, and spends too much time thinking about a narrow set of topics.