• Question: Is it true we are descendants from apes?

    Asked by 438furk43 to Chris, Joanne, Kathryn, Kieran, Sarah on 15 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Chris Werner

      Chris Werner answered on 15 Nov 2017:

      Absolutely. If you look back in the fossil record, we can see the evolution of humans particular in the last 5 million years. The missing link between apes and humans was found to be an ape called Australopithecus, the first ape we know of so far that walked upright. It roamed Africa about 3.5 million years ago, from then things just accelerated as they entered a niche in the food cycle, developing tools etc and from them…us! There was another species of human, the Neanderthal, which became extinct at some point in the last Ice Age.

    • Photo: Kathryn Schoenrock

      Kathryn Schoenrock answered on 15 Nov 2017:

      Yep- just like Chris said, although we are finding a lot of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans so these two species (homo sapiens and neanderthals) were likely reproducing together. Modern companies like 23andMe are helping us look at the diversity of the human race with interested customers! https://www.23andme.com/

      If we have both Homo sapien and neanderthal ancestors does that mean neanderthals are extinct?

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