Re: Janet posts to T.O. as well

Steve Clark (ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 11:23:39 -0600

At 09:08 AM 10/28/98 PST, Amanda Gladden wrote:
>As I read down these messages, I constatly see certain people bashing on
>each other. Why is that? This is what I believe: I believe that God
>created the earth and everything on it. I also believe that everyone
>had the same colored skin when God made us. As we spread out into
>different parts of the world, we had to adapt to fit the environment.
>Also, through the years, I believe that humans have adapted from short
>to tall and back to short, and now we are becoming tall again. I know
>that there is some evidence that evolution does exist, but there is not
>enough to convince me that I came from a monkey. Who's to say that
>monkeys didn't come from humans? If evolution happened so long ago, why
>haven't more monkeys evolved into humans since then? This is just my
>opinion and if you have comments on it, then go ahead. Start your
>bashing.

Hi Amanda,

Actually it isn't all bashing here. We often have reasonable discussions
and disagreements. Unfortunately, is does degenerate at times, however.

I have a correction in your understanding of the concept of human
evolution. Actually, the model is that modern apes and humans are both
fully evolved and adapted for their current environments. There is nothing
in evolution theory that claims that the evolution tendency of modern apes
is to become humans. The fossil record has it that at one time, apes and
humans may have had a common primate ancestor, and both split from that
point on to evolve or not evolve as the environment and their genetic
makeup dictated and allowed. Basically, it is not correct to understand
the model of human evolution as humans being derived from modern apes.

Does this help?

Steve
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D. Ph: 608-263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: 263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine
600 Highland Ave
Madison, WI 53792

http://www1.bocklabs.wisc.edu/profiles/Clark,Steven.html