As scientists, we often get in the creation vs evolution debate and, even though evolution is accepted as a scientific fact, we still hear regularly that we descend directly from great apes.  Great apes are a group of primates that includes chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.  Creationists follow up this argument with the observation that if apes evolved into humans then apes should no longer exist.

Humans have not evolved from apes.  Both humans and apes are related, of course, but one did not descend from the other.  These two lineages evolved independently, but have a common ancestor (where the two lineages merge in history).  This ancestor, which probably lived 5 to 11 million years ago in Africa, gave rise to two distinct lineages, one resulting in hominids – human-like species – and the other resulting in the great ape species living today.

What would this common ancestor look like?  There is no fossil evidence of its appearance, but it is likely to assume that this common ancestor is an animal which possessed features from both humans and apes.

Dr Paul Willis, a paleontologist, says that “evolution is not a linear process where one species evolves into another.”  Evolution is really a branching process where one species can give rise to two or more species.