• Question: If monkeys evolved to become humans does it mean we are still evolving

    Asked by 932green29 to Mary, Loice, George, George, Diana on 4 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: George Makau

      George Makau answered on 4 Jun 2019:


      Yes. Evolution by natural selection can’t stop, except by extinction. Natural selection acts to cause slow, gradual evolutionary changes. Although not ideally visible to the eye, our body systems evolve to adapt to environments. A good example is the evolution of the blood system to adapt/ enhance the formation of more specialised cells that can target pathogens e.g. viruses. Specifically, CD8+ T lymphocytes that naturally kill HIV cells evolve quite rapidly as they adapt and stay in track to fight the rapidly-evolving virus in a cat-and-mouse-like game. The virus always wins though, in the absence of treatment.

      In my opinion, if microevolution occurs, then given time (millions of years), human macroevolution is possible.

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