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An ape-man?


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I am not an expert in evolutionary biology, but I have a question regarding live reproduction that relates to evolution (I think).

 

It is known that people of different races, no matter how remote their locality from each other or no matter how different their ways of life and culture may be, when they mate they will produce human offsprings who themselves able to produce more humans when they grow older. Okay, the reason for that is simple, is because they are all humans.

 

Equally speaking, dogs of any pedigree can mate and reproduce dogs, but you don't see mating of dogs and cats to produce a 'dog-cat' animal.

 

However, on extremely rare cases two different animals can be mixed to produce a new animal, such as mule, which is a hybrid of a donkey and a horse. But then a mule does not (or probably extremely rare) mate with another mule to produce a baby mule.

 

Now going back to humans, if we were originated from certain ape-man species (sorry, do not know the scientific name), does it mean that we have to be originated only from one, particular (or unique) species of ape-man?

 

If that is the case, is there any theory to consider that when this particular species dispersed to other places throughout the world and eventually evolved into modern humans independently, how would it possible these modern humans (us) can then come together again to produce 'reproducible offsprings'?

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Equally speaking, dogs of any pedigree can mate and reproduce dogs, but you don't see mating of dogs and cats to produce a 'dog-cat' animal.

True enough, but its not always this simple. Reproductive isolation is but one of many speciation mechanisms. Dogs can mate and produce fertile offspring with wolves and coyotes (they do it here all the time), even though wolves and coyotes are considered different species. What makes them not do this all the time, and preserves their genetic purity, are differences in habitat, anatomy, breeding seasons, etc.

Now going back to humans, if we were originated from certain ape-man species (sorry, do not know the scientific name), does it mean that we have to be originated only from one, particular (or unique) species of ape-man?

There are two models that address this issue. The hypothesis that modern humans (us) evolved in Africa and migrated to oust more archaic hominids is known as the recent african origin model.

If that is the case, is there any theory to consider that when this particular species dispersed to other places throughout the world and eventually evolved into modern humans independently, how would it possible these modern humans (us) can then come together again to produce 'reproducible offsprings'?

This is sort of the competing hypothesis to the one above, the multiregional evolution model, which states that modern human traits began to evolve in the present archaics, and spread throughout the populations of them.

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Equally speaking' date=' dogs of any pedigree can mate and reproduce dogs, but you don't see mating of dogs and cats to produce a 'dog-cat' animal.

[/quote']

The difference in dna chain sequences will also determine whether a new species is formed.

The gametes from each animal contain a haploid number of chromosomes. In sexual reproduction, of any animal, one gamete comes from the male and one from the female, normally the male gamete fertilises the female gamete. If the DNA in each gamete are completely different then fertilisation will not occur properly and therefore an embryo cannot form.

 

Now going back to humans' date=' if we were originated from certain ape-man species (sorry, do not know the scientific name), does it mean that we have to be originated only from one, particular (or unique) species of ape-man?

[/quote']

It is hypothesised that all apes (inc humans) and monkeys originated from one original organism. Fossil evidence also suggests this. Comparing the DNA of humans and chimps shows a very similar sequence, indicating that they must have branched off from an acestral ape. Other apes and monkeys also shows similarities.

@Hellbender it is true that the modern humans evolved from the early humans (australopithecus afarensis and africanus), but they probably also evolved from another ape, one more primative. The australopithecus afarensis and africanus lived in Africa and evolved to australopithecus robustus and bosei. From there homo Habilis to homo Erectus and to modern day humans, homo Sapiens.

 

If that is the case' date=' is there any theory to consider that when this particular species dispersed to other places throughout the world and eventually evolved into modern humans independently, how would it possible these modern humans (us) can then come together again to produce 'reproducible offsprings'?[/quote']

All modern humans came originated from the australopithecus afarensis and africanus from Africa. When the australopithecines evolved to the homo Habilis the polar ice caps started to melt the ice age and the environment in Europe and Asia became more tolerable. This would mean that the homo Habilis could move north to where the Neanderthals (thought to have branched off from earlier australopithecines and migrated north) habited. We know this because fossils found of Neanderthals indicate that it was suited to colder climate. However when the climate became warmer the land changed from more densely vegetated areas (idealic for the hunting methods od Neanderthals) to more open savannha grassland, Neanderthals couldn't hunt as well and eventually died out. homo Habilis on the other hand were well adapted to hunting in open grassland and evolved to homo Erectus and late homo Sapiens. Modern humans (Sapiens) were the only human primate to survive; all homo Habilis, Erectus, Neanderthals and australopithecines died out.

In reference to what you said:

this particular species dispersed to other places throughout the world and eventually evolved into modern humans independently

All modern humans have the same genetic pattern as they evolved from the same species. So even if they do come together again, they are "reproducable" because their genetic make-up are the same. Race, gender, climate are not enough for speciation to occur, therefore the genetic code isn't changed a lot, if at all.

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True enough, but its not always this simple. Reproductive isolation is but one of many speciation mechanisms. Dogs can mate and produce fertile offspring with wolves and coyotes (they do it here all the time), even though wolves and coyotes are considered different species. What makes them not do this all the time, and preserves their genetic purity, are differences in habitat, anatomy, breeding seasons, etc.

 

I don't know about coyotes, but I'm fairly certain that dogs and wolves are the same species.

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No, they've diverged long ago. They are now generally regarded as genetically distinct from wolves. Coyotes themselves are a separate species from wolves. They do all share the same genus.

 

Dogs and grey wolves are both Canis Lupus. Though the dog is a sub-species.

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