• Question: Is is possible for apes and monkeys to evolve more, becoming more smarter and having enhanced human qualities

    Asked by realabdul54 to Lewis, Divya on 8 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by tawnijade15.
    • Photo: Lewis Dean

      Lewis Dean answered on 8 Mar 2014:

      All species are evolving. However, all species are evolving in their own way. There is no reason to think that other ape species will become more human-like.

      No species is *more* evolved than any other. Don’t think of evolution as a ladder with humans at the top. It’s more like a huge family tree – you share grandparents with your cousins, but you are not exactly the same. That’s like different species in evolution.

    • Photo: Divya Venkatesh

      Divya Venkatesh answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      I agree with Lewis – evolution isn’t the path leading to humans at the top. Current apes and current humans evolved in their separate ways from a common ancestor.

      However, if we give it a few million years, who knows what current apes (or we humans) might look like?

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