Top 3 Misconceptions about Human Evolution

[@Locust13]

Charles Darwin says something to the effect of "in the same way that the sun does not orbit the earth, nature does not orbit humans, humans are a part of nature" Some people simply cannot accept this. They cannot accept they are not magical and above it all.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Douglas Adams says "Don't Panic"

[@Copperkaiju]

Existential dread can be real drag, ngl.

[@brentwalker3300]

It's a religion thing.

[@JureDoon]

Tbh, I've always found the ideas of millions of years of history and evolution more beautiful and magical than anything I've encountered from religion.

[@victorrobledorella6682]

But we are magical anyway. Don’t you feel so?

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

"Why are there still wolves when we have dogs?" It's the same question, just my dog is too smart to ask such a dumb question.

[@Tony_Stank69]

If Americans and Australians come from the British, then why are there still British people? Same energy.

[@philipinchina]

If Christians come from Jews, why do we still have Jews?

[@jerrylong6238]

@@Tony_Stank69 My 6-year-old said it best when she said, if adults come from children, why are there still children.

[@miradfalco251]

Since we have Chihuahuas, why are there still Great Danes?

[@jcox4904]

Wow man ,..... you have like the wildest logo .. Have you ever seen em ? Which I'm shure you have ...... but man ... I would like not ever wanta get caught by a pack of hyenas ; they would like literly ....Tear you to pieces .Ha ...! .totally like .

[@alanchristensen2139]

"Why are there still apes?" is like saying "If this branch came from this tree, why are there other branches?"

[@UTU49]

Ooooh, yeah, I like that one.

[@UTU49]

Or perhaps even better would be... "If this branch is from the west side of the tree, then why are there branches on the east side of the tree?" It's such a stupid question that the 100% valid answer is just: "There just ARE."

[@ericscaillet2232]

Or more precisely , other trees.

[@TedsGretsch]

Because evolution says all the ancestors die out that’s why there’s no transitional animals

[@randallbesch2424]

The less they know about science and the more they know about their fake version of evolution the more stupid they get.

[@rangerdoty290]

It's a really important point and one which is often missed by creationists: Evolution is not linear. It's not a progression from bad to good or better to best. Humans are not the pinnacle of evolution, just one of many successful branches. Good explanation by Erika, as usual.

[@borttorbbq2556]

I wouldn't even say the Pinnacle we are the highest technic species or tool using species. But as for success that would go to the ants.

[@Firesnake905]

@@borttorbbq2556 or bacteria and archaea, they would outlast almost any disaster thrown at them.

[@dashriprock9014]

Not "missed", more like "deliberately ignored".

[@Strange9952]

I've explained this, and it goes right over people's heads

[@moonled]

This misconception was reinforced by svience fiction and comics about "evolutiom rays" that turned people into big brained "future man" and devolution rays that turned humans into apes and lizars into dinosaurs.

[@Vadjong]

Every single organism alive today, is the 'Pinnacle of Evolution'.

[@azuresonic69]

Finally, someone who gets it!

[@dogwalker666]

Except for YEC and Flurfs.

[@TerraVulture]

@@dogwalker666 the fact that they are dying out is even greater proof for this

[@dogwalker666]

@@TerraVulture true.

[@enif_plays]

Except koalas.

[@phoenixkingtheo]

I remember seeing someone post this online. But it was something out of a itchyology text book that said something along the lines of “humans are just a side branch of fish evolution” and I found it hilarious

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

Um... *ich​thy​ol​o​gy. Otherwise, it sounds like it's the study of ... rashes? 😄😄😄😄

[@kellydalstok8900]

@@MaryAnnNytowl Itches can appear to evolve into worse itches; especially the ones you can’t reach.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@kellydalstok8900 But those you scratch live longer.

[@LillyTheLonelySock]

Seriously though, what is ichthyology?

[@AlbertaGeek]

@@LillyTheLonelySock You'll never know until someone invents a device that allows you to simply type in a word and have its meaning magically appear before you.

[@joyshokeir1593]

The comment about Neanderthals being more "successful" than humans blows my mind. They existed longer than us in a much harsher climate. And they didn't trash the planet to boot! Totally underrated.

[@darkscot1338]

Possibly hunted a lot of mega fauna to extinction. Also if they were more social they would be just like us.

[@joyshokeir1593]

@@darkscot1338 Most of the megafauna extinctions in Eurasia occurred at the end of the Quaternary post-Neanderthal extinction. I'm not sure if there are any clear megafauna extinctions linked to Neanderthals.

[@Tony_Stank69]

The Neanderthal build in the game was so strong and adaptive, sadly they were deleted from the game.

[@stompingpeak2043]

We didn't trash the planet until recently. Civilization evolved because of shared knowledge. Everything constantly got passed on until it had the opportunity to evolve into what we have today. Just 500yrs ago the world was very different. The only real trashing of the planet is mass Graves polluting the earth and spreading disease. Where now we have every problem imaginable. So with this being said one can reasonably predict that our ancestors would've done the same exact thing if they didn't go extinct.

[@joyshokeir1593]

​@@stompingpeak2043 I agree that the cultural advances and demographic explosion of modern humans is largely responsible for the exploitation and pollution of the global biosphere. I would also argue that this potential was always within us modern humans. We are linked to the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna. While the climatic shift at the end of the Pleistocene likely played a role, the arrival of modern humans into Eurasia (and the Americas) is an important factor that cannot be downplayed.

[@AnexoRialto]

The trade-off between a big brain and big energy requirements is a really good point and shows why brain development is not an inevitably favorable trait for survival. With some humans all that extra brain energy consumption obviously goes to waste as well, so that really puts the idea of an inevitable "March of Progress" into perspective.

[@randallbesch2424]

Nature isn't a march of progress that is a human idea.

[@Griexxt]

I ain't no stinking ape! I'm a very well-groomed and nice smelling ape.

[@rickmartin7596]

Tragically underrated comment.

[@sweetpotatofries99]

I wonder what we smell like to non-human apes

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

Underrated comment.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

What really matters is...are we sweet smelling enough for the apes we are aiming to mate with. lol

[@westower3961]

And *very* modern!

[@mrapistevist]

Just FYI everyone, said politician did not graduate in top 1% of his class, said politician did not graduate and has not returned to complete a program. He also claims to have been valedictorian of his high school, but there is no evidence of this and he has been forced to walk back this statement.

[@alphamarshan]

I actually love that you don't know who Herschel Walker is, lol. And being from Georgia, I can confirm it took a lot of time to work through the misrepresentations of science I was taught growing up.

[@Adiscretefirm]

I hope people remember he left college early and this is not an indictment of UGA as a university.

[@L337Kelly]

Haha, when she said "some politician" and I saw the name, I was like "Wait, *that* Herschel Walker?! He's in politics now?" 😂😂

[@sombodysdad]

Evolution by means of blind and mindless processes is a bastardization of science.

[@michaelwerkov3438]

ugh. being from the north, it blew my mind when i found out people in texas, and probably elsewhere, were being taught *in high school* that the civil war had nothing to do with slavery. it honestly makes me laugh. people in the south are terrified of china's progress and claim that the evil marxist liberals are sabotaging "our children's education!"... and then they expect to take on an upstart technological powerhouse while teaching against evolution and making shit up about *basic* history. yeah, texas. youre definitely gonna beat the chinese to bio-augmentation by denying evolution.

[@stephenfoley1479]

@@L337Kelly He’s running for senate. Non-existent god help us!

[@DmGray]

"If I am related to my cousin, why does my cousin still exist!" I've NEVER understood how creationists don't understand how ridiculous their position it. Especially when they're enthusiasts of things that REQUIRE evolutionary biology to function (animal husbandry) I know several people who breed dogs and have an interest in pedigree who STILL don't understand evolution. Instead of a "breeder" selecting for a trait, it is a selective pressure of environment. It's NOT that difficult to grasp, the hard work was done generations ago!

[@ratillecebrasquedubitantiu4451]

I think you're given far to much optimism for their intellectual acumen

[@Hailfire08]

*If I descended from my cousin...

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

That is precisely and exactly the problem with that argument. It's simply not a logically valid argument, because of precisely what you said. And no, I don't understand at ALL how they don't GET that. SMFH

[@mockturtlesuppe]

It's worse than that. It's more like, "Why didn't my cousin die off after giving birth to my mother?" wut?

[@TheBox225]

The part that gets me is that they usually have a dog, but have no issue with dogs and wolves living simultaneously.

[@jrrarglblarg9241]

Today I learned from you that human Y chromosomes are more primitive than chimpanzee Y chromosomes. I think any of us who’ve spent time in locker rooms have all known this all along.

[@thesunexpress]

Behold the sum total of creationist intelligentsia: "If babies come from mothers, why are there still women?!"

[@GargamelGold]

TheSunExpress, Also why are there still fathers? You need dad's DNA as well.

[@FIREBRAND38]

Nice try but doesn't work too well.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

@@FIREBRAND38 that's the freaking point. The "logic" that TheSunExpress is talking about is precisely the same kind of "logic" that's the "If we came from X why are there still X?" type of question that yercs and other evolution deniers try to use. It just doesn't follow, though.

[@DoctorZisIN]

@@FIREBRAND38 You don't understand. To creationists, evolution teaches that all monkeys got up one morning and every single one of them was feeling particularly itchy. Each started scratching until he got rid of all his fur and skin and from under it emerged a human with t-shirt and slacks, laptop and science degree, ready to deny the existence of the creator in KZbin comments. All monkeys instantly transformed into humans and therefore there shouldn't be any monkeys left.

[@rogertheshrubber2551]

@@FIREBRAND38 that's the point

[@alexanderweinrich7418]

Okay it must be said even though you’ve been using it for a while. I LOVE the intro animation and song. I sing along every time! Keep up the amazing content as always

[@jackkoffin1]

If you haven't heard the whole thing, the song is "The Mind Electric" by Tally Hall.

[@dankwarmouse6248]

@@jackkoffin1 Tally Hall! It's been so long since I've heard them. Instantly loved the song.

[@chucklesdarwinwaswrongevol9264]

I like the intro too. It’s pretty laughably stupid.

[@nenmaster5218]

@@jackkoffin1 Science-Denial-Debunk-Channel are a thing. Sci Man Dan, Conspiracy-Catz, Creaky Blinder, and so many more. Have a look, have a Laugh.

[@dr.gwendolyncarter]

I especially like when the tchadensis is like "ooo! I can walk!"

[@Trip_Fontaine]

I love your passion for teaching people about science. You are gonna be one of those professors students love, if you choose that route.

[@nickaaseng7370]

Started watching this video thinking, "I've probably heard all of these points before, but this will be good anyway", but I should've been expecting more. I learned something new on every point! Thank you very much for such a thoroughly informative video Erika!

[@nenmaster5218]

Science-Denial and Religion are literally blood-related. Please watch good Atheist-Channel, as they are just like Dan and Conspiracy-Catz: great people with great things to say. And 'Telltale' just recently said that we need more Atheists and Science-Fans in Office and/or as Teachers and provided direct help how to genuinly consider this Way and go the Path.

[@kokroucz]

Well I actually knew all of that but i love to listen educated people and lady gibbon is effortless to watch

[@dpeterson5630]

I grew up being taught creationism, so much so that my high school didn't teach any evolution and dismissed it all as "false". I heard the "if we evolved from chimps, why are there still chimps?" argument A LOT, and up until just a couple years ago, thought it made sense. Now I understand why it doesn't, and what evolution actually means. I think there's a tendency to think creationists are stupid for believing stuff like that (and some of them are, definitely), but sometimes it's good to remember that many creationists were just never able to learn any science and would change their mind if they could. It's a bit of a weird situation to be sure. Anyway, thanks for such good content, I've learned so much from you!

[@blusheep2]

That is generous of you. If only others could have the same attitude.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Religious or "faith-based" indoctrination is child abuse.

[@blusheep2]

@@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself Grow up.

[@tesmith47]

The real problem is that infection of religion hijacks the logic part of the mind , replacing it with BELIEF

[@blusheep2]

@@tesmith47 Not even close Thomas. Nothing about religion requires someone to give up their logical faculties and "belief" is not limited to religion. Do you believe the climate is changing because of human intervention? Do you believe that gender is fluid? Do you believe one political party or the other is best? Do you believe in Darwinian evolution? There isn't anything wrong with belief. Beliefs can be rational or the can be irrational. A person of faith can believe in God rationally and other religious people can believe in God irrationality. It depends on the person and the belief itself doesn't restrict one's logical capacity.

[@dalewilbanks]

This seriously should be a TED talk. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is infectious. If you are not already studying to be a professor at a university, you definitely should be.

[@machetenikki]

Noooooo. We don't need her locked up behind a pay wall at a university, we need her here on youtube for the masses. The general population is getting worse and worse we need as many people like her putting out this content to everyone to be educated.

[@bortiz11]

Thank you. I'm not patient enough to deal with these other beliefs in a coherent way. I'm already too upset at people who believe the earth is flat and/or young. We need more people like you.

[@jedahn]

The entirety of space/time is a 2d flat plane. 🤣Earth is 2d, flat, and hollow.

[@nenmaster5218]

Science-Denial-Debunk-Channel are a thing. Sci Man Dan, FTFE, Conspiracy-Catz, Creaky Blinder, and so many more. Have a look, have a Laugh.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

I've heard that explained as having a " low tolerance for stupidity". I have that too.

[@crhu319]

They are the Young Flat Not Gay Capitalism Ends History crowd.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

@@crhu319 we used to call that the Nuke the Gay Whales idea

[@rachelfey]

On behalf of the Georgians that aren't completely out of our gourds: I am genuinely sorry, and we're doing the best we can.

[@johnstirling6597]

Apology accepted, BUT....................... Marjorie Taylor Greene ?

[@rachelfey]

@@johnstirling6597 WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN, SIR

[@tesmith47]

Sorry for the trump infections

[@DanMarksman]

@@johnstirling6597 Evulotion does not always move forward.

[@johnstirling6597]

@@DanMarksman I agree, just look at the US, some of that population seem to be rather rapidly devolving.😂

[@milesdantravis]

An amazing+ host, cool relaxing atmosphere, and a wall of ancient skulls. I am in awe of a master, and I applaud this rare gem of informative KZbin content. Oh wise and courageous gibbon, may your lessons and chill vibe carry along with the winds that caress whispers and guide the shapes of apes to come. Cheers..

[@Subfightr]

Yes! I've been waiting for an episode like this! I feel these misconceptions are what prevent many of us from accepting evolution. Ppl think they know what evolution is, and can just pull nonsense out of their ass. I know people who accept evolution but can't explain questions like these

[@kai_plays_khomus]

What a great avatar you have! 👌

[@Subfightr]

@@kai_plays_khomus bout damn time someone said so lmao. I'm actually wearing the shirt right now. I'm not allowed to wear it at my girlfriend's grandparents, or parents houses... K that's was random info... You're welcome. Anyway, thanks :)

[@kai_plays_khomus]

@@Subfightr I'd like to have such a shirt as well.. 😅 I guess you are from the US? Fortunatly where I am living as good as nobody would feel provoked by this print, including christians. Martin Luther founded the evangelical church sometimes referred to as "Mother of Protestantism" not too far from where I'm living, and the overwhelming majority of protestants here are members of this church/denomination. It rejects biblical literalism and anti-scientific positions, doesn't complain about secularism and performs marriages for homosexual couples - they even ordained gay married pastors. There are protestants who deny evolution here as well, but they are a teeny tiny minority in comparison - members of cults imported from the US, such as Adventists and Witnesses.. Unfortunatly due to covid the latter aren't standing at the street corners any longer - I loved to take one of their anti-evolution books on occasion for myself or to gift it to friends, for comedic entertainment..😅 I hope them to ring on my door for years now - I think it might be quite entertaining to bring the talk to evolution and play stupid for a while, just to rip them apart just when they begin to think to have convinced me.. However - as long as your girlfriend is ok with your shirt everything is fine I guess. Have a nice day and greetings from Berlin! 🤜🤛

[@jerrylong6238]

People who accept evolution but can not explain it are called idiots, or morons. the same as people who accept the existence of a God in our shared true reality without any good evidence or reason.

[@sombodysdad]

Evolution by means of blind and mindless processes is total bullshit, unless you are discussing genetic diseases and deformities.

[@GmanAtheistNell]

WOW!. So very interesting and well explained. Thanks for the effort. I have known the why and some of the when. But you explain it so much better and in layman's language that everyone can follow. Please keep these educational videos coming. It helps in the sense that people can throw away those old outdated misconceptions and have a clearer understanding of what evolution is.

[@robbarton7972]

I agree, but education only works if your mind is open to demonstrable facts not religious BS.

[@KaiHenningsen]

Well, a little bit higher than layman level - she still uses lots of technical terms, some of which I'd have to look up even though context often clarifies at least what general area the term belongs to. That could use some improvement. Or perhaps a video (or series) dedicated to explaining all these terms. Just as a suggestion.

[@travisbicklepopsicle]

@@sanvirel6182 'debunking evolution'.. What does that even mean? How does one go about debunking a naturally-occurring, well-documented process?

[@baileyj8354]

It’s so fun to listen to you talk about something you’re clearly very passionate about. You have such a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for sharing.

[@chrstfer2452]

Cant explain how much i love this intro hahaha Edit, or how much i love this topic, or your channel in general. Youre an effing legend.

[@colinjava8447]

Would be cool to meet a real gigantopithecus

[@BrianFedirko]

Girl, you rock! maybe list us some of the books you've read on these subjects as a general footnote/bibliography. I think some would find it really useful and further educating.

[@xit1254]

"You could put 1,000 humans in a room, and they couldn't build a rocket" - nice observation!

[@tysolbohan6446]

A stupid observation because that needs applied intellgence which relies on crystal rather than fluid intellgence you could pit a trillion animals in a room and not 1 could br taught engineering to build a rocket. With a human with enough they could

[@ravendevino6419]

I actually never stopped to think about the fact that chimps and humans have had the same amount of time evolving from our last common ancestors.

[@maxxam3590]

Yup, we're both modern apes, which means we're equally modern.

[@markmatthews1802]

I'm always learning something from you. Keep it up!

[@L_Train]

when I was in biology or zoology class I'd always daydream about mixing the best components, types of organs, and adaptations together to make the ultimate creature. I'd often find that my animals borrowed little from humans, depending on the environment I put it in. Then I'd always get to the point where I'd ask, "wait, what's my goal here? what is the 'best' animal anyway? "

[@russlehman2070]

If I had the option, I would definitely replace my fingernails with cat-style retractable claws.

[@randallbesch2424]

The brain. in the SiFi horror film ""The Relic" nature finds a way to stop over preproduction by creating an aberrant amalgam creature is an omega predator best of many animals that hunts down the prey till extinction then dies out from starvation. We are on that list.

[@Ihsaan1c]

No one ever asks why if we evolved from single celled organisms there are still single celled organisms.

[@barrylangille3523]

Don't give them any ideas....

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

@@barrylangille3523 They have ideas?

[@barrylangille3523]

@@E.J.Crunkleton bad ones, unfortunately, and not original.

[@davidfitnesstech]

Actually, I've heard that question asked in another video. Never underestimate the creationists.

[@barrylangille3523]

@@davidfitnesstech somehow they think this is a devastating question, rather than a silly arguments brought up by Darwin's detractors when his book came out. A century and a half and still the same talking points, and no addressing the research and theory advancement in all that time.

[@brianstevens3858]

Even people who understand some evolution can have massive misconceptions. I was recently "told" that ""our social behavior doesn't affect natural selection directly"" I looked at him and said one word, war.

[@larryhuffman2673]

Great video. Love your channel. Once upon a time I was a YEC. Somewhere in the 90s I got over it, but dispelling my misconceptions has been an ongoing job for Dawkins, Coyne, Shubin, and you. It made me happy to recognize these you listed as previous misconceptions of mine. But it is a work in progress. Thank you. 😊

[@nenmaster5218]

Science-Denial and Religion are literally blood-related. Please watch good Atheist-Channel, as they are just like Dan and Conspiracy-Catz: great people with great things to say.

[@larryhuffman2673]

@@nenmaster5218 Agreed. I became an atheist in the late 90s. I devoured atheist content and participated in online debates. But I would always shy away from discussing evolution because I knew I had been handed a bogus version. Being able to competently discuss evolution has been a much longer path than being able to express my atheism. But I am finally getting to where I will enter into debates and discussions around evolution. I also find it much easier to be against YECs than for me to proactively discuss evolution. Which is why I appreciate Gutsick’s channel so much.

[@nenmaster5218]

@@larryhuffman2673 That is totally understandable, Lary, but it's oh-so-important to then support those that dont shy away from Debates, like many Atheist- and Science-Channel! Please watch for example those that currently cover the literal Hatepreachers literally stating (i cant say the word literally enough) they wanna "flood the Office with their Man"! KZbinr Telltale and KZbinr Professor Dave just covered Science-Denial and it's Roots in mainly-Religion in their very newest video. Please watch and please enjoy. They together do paint a Picture.

[@KimboSheil]

This is really informative but in my experience unless YECs are genuinely wanting to know the answers to these questions you’re pretty much talking to a brick wall. I’ve had too many conversations with YECs where I have explained why there are still monkeys only for them to say “But there’s still monkeys!” There are YECs who really do want to learn and want to know the answers to these questions (I was one of them) but far too many won’t even bother to listen to the answers to their questions because they’ve been conditioned to believe that there is no answer to these questions. Never-the-less I love your videos and your passion to educate others on human evolution. :D

[@chucklesdarwinwaswrongevol9264]

I wanted to learn , which is why when I believe evolution for ten plus years starting when my teacher lied and said evolution was true, I did research on my own time , and after ten plus years of studying I began to see that evolution is absolutely retarded

[@josephlebowski7129]

What is a YEC?

[@josephlebowski7129]

Found it. Young Earth Creationists

[@zimbothemagnificent]

I wonder if having had so many “non-us” hominin species around contemporaneously with our ancestors is where the uncanny valley got its start. When recognizing that something that was like us but not quite could be a valuable survival skill.

[@rickwrites2612]

I've always thought it was. Also I think it's part of why alot of ppl express hatred and disgust toward baby macaques. They look very humanlike compared to most examples of extant primates, even apes who are more closely related to us, most baby primates look more like puppies or teddybears to us and we think are cute. Macaque infants look very human in the face, but have fur on body webby feet and ratlike tales, I think they trigger alot of ppls uncanny valley. I think they're cute though .

[@bleddynwolf8463]

yeah i had the same idea, i think its quite likley

[@wolvie1618]

I read a theory that the uncanny valley effect was more so a defense against disease rather than to recognize other hominids. Hominids often interbred, meaning they didn't necessarily always see each other as a threat. However if one of your population got rabies, you'd need to be able to recognize their odd behavior before you got attacked. It was less of a Not Human thing and more of a Something Is Wrong With This Human thing. A way that I look at it is like this, if we were afraid of other humanoids, then we would experience the uncanny valley with other things that look humanoid, like various fictional races, like elves (we dont really have other living humanoids irl to use as an example, so i have to use fictional here unfortunately, not the best but you should be able to get my point). Instead we dont mind them as much, we can recognize them as being different and feel comfortable enough with the idea of them, and even find it attractive in some cases. What does give us the uncanny valley effect is something that is clearly *supposed* to be human, but has something off with it, such as behavior or expression.

[@occamsrayzor]

I actually had a first-hand encounter with a young Earth creationist - an engineer, believe it or not - who tried the cliched gotcha question on me, "if we came from apes, why are there still apes?" I just looked at him and said "If God made man from dust, why is there still dust?". I stared him down for a few seconds and walked away, feeling quite pleased with myself.

[@jehandesains8674]

That's actually a nice comeback.

[@randallbesch2424]

I shall remember that.

[@randallbesch2424]

You would be hard pressed to find a biologist that is a creationist.

[@eljison]

Great job on this. I've heard all of those "arguments" multiple times. Keep putting good science into the webiverse.

[@hammerstonemusic]

That was one of the best talks on evolution I’ve ever heard. Not since my days at Berkeley taking Anthro have I heard such a concise and informative person speak on this topic. Absolutely awesome!

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

I lived near there all my life and aquired the ancient man hobby. I must have been following telepathically, as I never actually went into Berkeley classes for it

[@freddan6fly]

"If we came from apes, why are there still apes" is answered with "if we came from god, why is there still a god?"

[@carlpeberdy9086]

"if we came from god, why is there still a god?" - in which case, does the fact that there is no God prove the existence of God?

[@NotA-Lizard]

@@carlpeberdy9086 very valid arguement

[@humbleevidenceaccepter7712]

If we were colonized by England, why is there still an England?

[@carlpeberdy9086]

@@humbleevidenceaccepter7712 Excellent, I'm English by the way, so in the words of a certain song 'There'll always be an England' - Oh no! everything's just disappeared in a puff of logical paradox!

[@UTU49]

Q: If MIKE went the store, then how come EVERYBODY didn't go to the store? A: Um... because there's no reason whatsoever that every member of a group will do the same thing. This is what passes for logic among many creationists.

[@thinkinaboutpolitics]

I really love how you're teaching people how to do some observational analysis of the skulls. That's a great exercise.

[@ITALJUTE]

Oh boy, this was so good. Totally fascinating subject matter and superb delivery. Add one new subscriber

[@tiggerpup_nz]

I love that point. If you put 1000 humans in a room they’re not going to build a rocket either. It really is a good point that highlights how we don’t acknowledge the cultural and historical shoulders that we are all standing on. We do take for granted that humanity can build rockets, and the internet. But humans? Some of them still can’t figure out the difference between your and you’re

[@kellydalstok8900]

Someone once said about time travel, that he could teach people in the past to build things like microwaves, and then he realized he doesn’t have a clue how to build one. We know how to USE one, we may even know roughly how they work, but that isn’t the same as building a microwave.

[@tiggerpup_nz]

@@kellydalstok8900 good point

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@tiggerpup_nz I read at least one SF book series that tackled this very point. Some space-faring human (with interstellar conflict going on) gets thrown back 5000 years into the past (around the decline of the Roman empire) and tries to bring humanity to a point where they can repair his ship. But while he understands how to handle spaceships in a war, and roughly lots of scientific ideas, that doesn't mean he understands how to manufacture anything pretty much from scratch. Turns out that (as human intelligence didn't change all that much) if you can grab some bright humans and tell them about how something works in general, and supply their needs so they can spend their time inventing, they _will_ figure out how to do it, and possibly even improve on it. You just need to figure out steps that are small enough. Oh, and also create an economic (and, given the times, necessarily military) powerhouse from the remains of the empire, to have the environment to make it happen.

[@UTU49]

Your correct in you're observation.

[@russlehman2070]

@@kellydalstok8900 The reality for virtually all humans is that we have so little understanding of some or all of the technology we use on a daily basis that it might as well be magic. For example, I can build a computer from its components, and I can write some programs but there is no way I could build a microprocessor, a memory module or a hard drive from scratch.

[@dethspud]

Thinking about our various ancestors living contemporaneously is pretty trippy. Nice to see that Hershie saying something dumb inspired Erika to say something smart. Always nice to check out the evergrowing skull collection too! Where do you get skull painting paint?

[@tesmith47]

Trump infected people lie walker and Greene are everywhere!

[@bradysmeyers5950]

I don't know how or why I found this channel but I love your dedication, and your knowledge. You're clearly passionate about your field of study.

[@kiwiruna9077]

Erica as always great video, Here in (New Zealand) I've yet to hear any politician question the validity of evolution and separation of church and state is a real thing , that being said observations from the arse end of the world 1. Please, please send that guy a link to this video, it must be embarrassing to be that ignorant.

[@ZakisHereNow]

Very nice breakdown of these points. I knew the top level science but getting a little better understanding of the deeper points is always welcome! Thanks!

[@themarksmann]

Your content always leaves me with more understanding than that with which I started! I think one of the best analogous representations of evolution for the sake of demonstration and understanding has to be the evolution of languages. There are so many comparisons in how language evolves, on top of itself and at the same time diverging based on geographic location, elapsed time, and other such very comparable variables. One isn't 'more evolved' than an other, and the entire structure is definitely non-linear, with branches starting and stopping and borrowing and dropping. Keep up the great information!

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

My favorite evolution quick explaino is the predominantly white moths in England, until the industrial revolution. Then everything turned black, and all you could find was black moths. I think it reversed again as the place got cleaned up

[@Sableagle]

"If you are descended from your great-great-grandparents, why do you have third cousins?" Yes, much sense was made.

[@actingkeith]

technical note, consider getting a pop filter for your microphone. There were a couple of times when your plosives made your mic pop and it distracted me. I know... that's my issue, just a critique. Love your work, thank you

[@rickthorne9700]

Absolutely wonderful, Gutsick! I’m sure glad I found your channel; it’s wonderful

[@Edgarbopp]

This was excellent and cleared up a couple misconceptions I had. Thanks!

[@HenryFMora]

It’s amazing of the knowledge that has been found since I was in high school (1960’s). Difference between palm vs knuckle walkers is new to me. Plus the realization of how many types of us were around.

[@nenmaster5218]

...Science-Denial and Religion are literally blood-related. Please watch good Atheist-Channel, as they are just like Dan and Conspiracy-Catz: great people with great things to say. And 'Telltale' just recently said that we need more Atheists and Science-Fans in Office and/or as Teachers and provided direct help how to genuinly consider this Way and go the Path.

[@madiv2098]

thank you for this video. perhaps a lot of ppl here think this is obvious to everyone but as someone who was raised in a christian environment and taught in a private christian school absolutely none of this was told to us. quite literally they show the march of progress image, ridicule it and say how absurd it is to believe “we came from apes,” how it’s just impossible for something as “complex” and “intricate” as humans to be anything but created in gods image and thats it. in my science class we were assigned to write a research paper disproving evolution in favor of creationism (i think we were in 8th grade). so consider yourself fortunate if this stuff is obvious to you. i had my mind blown wide open when i decided to major in anthropology and was so fascinated and excited by my biological and evolutionary anthropology classes because finally i was understanding what evolution truly was. so many people are not afforded to even have access to this education though. it is completely possible to be funneled straight into the creationist viewpoint and have a strawman concept of evolution well into adulthood if you grew up in an echo chamber. for curious minds all over who might not be able to learn this kind of thing in any other way, thank you for this video :)

[@mrapistevist]

It has been half a century since I got my degree, yet today I find myself envying your students. :)

[@rickmartin7596]

That's the awesome thing about science ... it keeps getting better. :)

[@KitsuneVoss]

Thanks for this. I thought that the human - chimp common ancestor was very "chimp like" and I think you for the correction. I wish I could afford your skull collection.

[@chucklesdarwinwaswrongevol9264]

And just imagine by arranging fossils in a imaginary order shows how creatures evolved.😂

[@KitsuneVoss]

The fossil evidence shows a close approximation on how organisms have evolved. We will rarely get the ancestor of another organism but a close cousin of that ancestor. Since your handle indicates that you are a creationists, do you think that god just popping these organisms that are really close morphologically to a previous species into existence?

[@lnsflare1]

Well, if you save up a few hundred dollars, you could probably buy a cheap 3D printer, some plastic filament, and some paint to make your own.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Growing up near Berkeley we went into a store the "bone room"... everything and anything you want.

[@jenniferbrewer3508]

Her skull collection might be tax deductible for education or professional reasons

[@tonyhoffman8953]

Fantastic content Have been a fan/subscriber of your for years. Keep it coming!

[@mongoharry]

Gutsick Gibbon rocks. I'm a jazz musician, and I can compare her to my fave guitarist Pat Metheny, who developed a technical mastery of EVERYTHING related to his craft AND focused since the beginning of his career (which I've followed for 40 years) on bringing his work to a broad public...Thus he became the preeminent "rockstar" of jazz, and it looks like G.G. might be moving in the same direction 🆒🆒🆒🆒🆒

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

We have mandolin players in the family. They are more addicted than crackheads.

[@mongoharry]

@@danbrownellfuzzy3010 🤔 is that a good thing? Music can be a meaningful activity, but it's hard to make it pay. It's interesting to ask why folks get addicted to music. Dopamine release? Cognitive Dissonance Theory? If I wanted to influence a young person positively, I might try to identify the mechanisms that influence us to stick with something, and apply them to building a more lucrative profession. 🦧🐒✌️🔥🔥

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

@@mongoharry I lived near LA for 3 years. They say you can get bit by acting, singing or dancing. I've been doing vocals now since about ,99. Love it. Good luck with your music.

[@mongoharry]

@@danbrownellfuzzy3010 thanks, Dude ⚡⚡⚡⚡😎

[@krankarvolund7771]

"You could put a thousand chimps in a room, and they couldn't built a rocket ship" You could put a thousand humans in a jungle, most of them will probably not survive a year :p

[@Scentillia389]

Except they do. They're called african bushmen

[@krankarvolund7771]

@@Scentillia389 I meant modern city humans ^^

[@alchobum]

Someone says if humans evolved from chimps, why are there still chimps. My favorite answer: If humans were made from dirt, why is there still dirt? Great video, can't get enough of this and wish there were more hours in a day.

[@UTU49]

Love it.

[@John.0z]

Thank you Erika, that was most enlightening... and thorough.

[@ianlever7292]

I really enjoyed seeing you on MDD and have watched a handful of your videos now... have to say you have the best intro/outro animation of any of my fav science-tubers.

[@moonled]

Tell me you don't understand evolution without telling me that you don't understand evolution. Ken Ham: "Rabbits have been running from predators for centuries. Why haven't they evolved wings?"

[@KaiHenningsen]

Also, the (in)famous crocoduck ...

[@KaiHenningsen]

... or the one-sex-only mammals evolving, waiting for the other half to appear ...

[@simongiles9749]

The convicted wife-beater is, of course, being deliberately obtuse and doesn't care about the answer, but the answer would be: because running away (and producing lots of young) works sufficiently as a survival strategy that there is little selection pressure away from this morphology.

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

"if we came from apes.. Whys is there still apes?!?!" The old classics never die.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Like Rattus Pizzamericanus

[@hey_in_hey]

Hey Erica, I had a car accident tonight and came back home from a horrible day - your video made my day. Thank you for that. You're a treasure. Keep being yourself.

[@algi1]

I'm not an expert, but I thought I understood evolution quite well, I still learned a lot from this video.

[@NZRic001]

Very, very, very well explained and presented! Thank you very much!!

[@mwhawley]

Holy smokes dude! Instant sub, you’re such a fantastic science communicator and teacher. You have the best energy and such a passion for what you know, and it’s infectious. One request, could you add some text when you introduce new names of different species, common ancestors etc.? I wanna do some follow up googling but I don’t know exactly how to spell those things. But overall, I can’t get over how great this is. I’m so glad you popped up on my feed! Thanks for your fantastic work.

[@wolf1066]

Never mind ants, we're being hammered by things so small you need serious scientific apparatus to see them.

[@DanteSolablood]

Evolution having humanity as it's goal is rife in sci-fi. Take Red Dwarf & cats evolving into humans, Star Trek Voyager (and many other shows) having dinosaurs evolving into human forms.. admittedly this will be a budgetary constraint but it seeps into our culture.

[@Bennyboy-dog]

That was quite a summary by a clearly very learned individual with the added ability to make entertaining and educational videos that conveys current scientific thinking extremely well. Thank you.

[@Daybreakerflint]

Well there is one evolution which is clearly directional and that is how this very channel evolved to be awesome!

[@abbierubletz3904]

I am a HUGE S. tchadensis fangirl, so I can appreciate your 3D print. I'm trying to convince my anthro department to print one for myself...

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

I haven't been to the "bone room" in Berkeley CA for a long time but you could always buy anything there. Prices not cheap, but that's life

[@azhdarchidae66]

it has chad in its name

[@queens.dee.223]

Maybe your school or local municipal library has a 3D printer you can affordably use. Getting the department to pay is always better of course!

[@loriw2661]

I cannot tell you how much I wish this had been taught in school. We didn’t get this amount of knowledge in 12 years that you gave in this single video. Stay curious EVERYONE! Science is amazing!!

[@russlehman2070]

Unfortunately, it seems likely, as Kurt Vonnegut proposed in his novel "Cat's cradle" that our big brains may prove to be a liability, as they may well enable us to render our planet uninhabitable for ourselves,

[@samanthahayman4539]

Why does that question almost always come from a non-indigenous American? It's so easy to turn it around to, "If our ancestors came from Europe (or Africa or Asia), why are there still Europeans?"

[@KaiHenningsen]

While the "indigenous" Americans got there a lot earlier, they still came from Asia. (I think at least some of them actually have some oral history going back to then.) Also, I seem to recall that the Inuit and their relatives spread around independently.

[@tesmith47]

The religion makes that thought

[@throughthedin]

Maybe all the ancient chimp guys were just doing each other, so much so that all the species absorbed into one eventually? Love your content! Keep up the great work!

[@davelaneve2446]

Hey creationists, if we came from dirt, why is there still dirt?...

[@pavel9652]

I was casually scrolling through comments, but didn't expect this one! xD

[@karenspivey3203]

Love your programs--thank you!

[@alentrav]

Very insightful. Well presented. You earned my subscription! Great content!!

[@genXantiKaren]

Mr. Walker may have taken a few too many hits to the cranium during his football career.

[@littleredpony6868]

Making advances on previous generations work, the automobile is a good example of that happening. The automobile is not really one invention but a collection of inventions being put into one device to work. The oldest known invention that made the automobile work was invented 5,000 years ago

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

And i need to know what that invention is, if you don't mind?

[@UTU49]

@@E.J.Crunkleton Wheel?

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

@@UTU49 Of course, I was overthinking it.

[@littleredpony6868]

@@E.J.Crunkleton yes, the wheel. Not to mention that copper smelting was invented 5,000 years ago as well and the techniques have been improved over the years. Not to mention the invention of bronze helped humanity learn that alloys are quite useful and helped us produce other alloys latter down the road. Rubber was invented before 1400 bc and that’s another important invention used in cars. One technology that is necessary to make engines work is the piston and the first one being made as far back as 150 bc. When looking at how old some of the inventions that went into automobiles does make me wonder what inventions that we have now that aren’t being used to their full capacity

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

@@littleredpony6868 Awesome stuff! If you have a book or source on that early piston, I would love to see it.

[@rajidahae4220]

"If your great-great-grandparents were Italians, then why are there still Italians?" 🤣

[@collierbrooks9344]

What sucks is that I was only shown what evolution was (from my Christian private school) that linear progression of man graph. That graph has unfortunately influenced so many people to have no idea what evolution is because they don't look any further

[@jackgarand7284]

I recently did an lumbar x-ray for a young girl. As the images came up on the computer, I said "that's the longest tail I have ever seen on someone". Referring to her tailbone; as a joke of course. Her dad later told me that she was upset for several days because she thought she might be part monkey.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Your intro is sooo good. That song is great, and the cartoon lol

[@jasonpaulbaker1]

I’d be surprised if “how come there’s still monkeys” isn’t here 😂

[@an.d.m.a]

If god made Adam from dirt, why is there still dirt?

[@littleredpony6868]

Anyone who has to ask that question has some major issues understanding evolution. I am under the impression that it’s mostly people who are voluntarily ignorant of evolution who usually ask that question

[@jasonpaulbaker1]

Called it 😂 no 1 lol

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

I appreciate this, but you'll never convince the guy who asked the question in the first place...former football player and upcoming Trumpublican Herschel Walker.

[@douglasboyle6544]

Loved this video, definitely one of my favorites of yours so far. I didn't need any misconceptions cleared up but I do love having gaps in my knowledge (oh there are many) filled in especially on the subject of human (and related) ancestry. I really appreciated the straightforward and rapid-fire delivery, I learned more in twenty minutes than I would have in a week's worth of ponderous and wandering documentaries.

[@Avigorus]

I think a major thing that actually hurts people's understanding is games like Spore where you build up DNA points and spontaneously manifest new abilities, instead of it being incremental from generation to generation in the way it truly is.

[@michaelsommers2356]

I think all people mean when they say that the human-chimp common ancestor was chimp-like is that if a human, a chimp, and a common ancestor walked into a bar, no one would confuse the human with either of the others, but people would confuse the chimp and the ancestor.

[@KaiHenningsen]

And what Erica says is that no, they wouldn't. Just because two of them (probably) have hairs all over, they're still markedly different in other ways. To start with (and that was in the video), when they walk into the bar, they walk in three different ways - humans bipedally, chimps might be bipedally (but a chimp walk is very different from a human walk) or they'd walk on their knuckles, and the common ancestor most likely not bipedally, and doesn't walk on their knuckles, either, but on their palms. And I'd expect many more differences. This is like saying "one guy from Sudan, one from Japan, and one from Sweden (assuming average types from those locations) walk into a bar, they won't confuse the one from Sudan, but they will confuse the one from Sweden with the one from Japan". No, they won't.

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@KaiHenningsen I meant the average person could confuse them, not a trained paleoanthropologist or primatologist.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@michaelsommers2356 And I said that was wrong.

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@KaiHenningsen And I said it was right. So there! Pfft!!

[@kingsgambit7734]

Thanks for this video and the effort you put in to make it. Very well done and a terrific job explaining in a way that those with less of a evolutionary science background can still understand.

[@matthewnitz8367]

Erika, I was curious about your comment that "organisms that live together today usually don't have a descendant accessibility ancestor relationship". From what I understand that is typically true, but how common is it that a species continues to fill an ecological niche and stays essentially the same species while a part of the species is split off into a different environment somehow and undergoes much more speciation? Or is this even something that happens over the longer term, or is there essentially guaranteed to be some speciation over a million years or so? Thanks for all your work, you've been part of the reason I got out of the young earth creationism mindset. I found your overview of the orbital monsoon hypothesis especially compelling.

[@UTU49]

I'm not any kind of expert, but it is my understanding that sea turtles have remained nearly unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. If someone has a better figure, please share it. So I think it is likely true that there are many examples of animals that are much more similar to their ancient ancestors than their "cousins".

[@AnIntriguedFeline]

@@UTU49 One of the more famous examples are the coelacanth and crocodiles/alligators.

[@UTU49]

@@AnIntriguedFeline Thanks for those examples.

[@KaiHenningsen]

Dogs. House cats. Cows. They all evolved into a new niche, but some of the original species didn't.

[@samanthahayman4539]

I remember, many years ago, coming across the idea that early tool use (rock go smash), enabled our ancestors to break open the long bones of prey animals brought down and striped of meat by more proficient hunters. That gave access to energy rich bone marrow, basically fat, fuelling and building bigger brains, brains as well are made primarily of fat, and Homo sapiens are the fattest apes (even the skinny humans). Is that still an accepted idea? Second random thought: Human skulls at birth are about as big as the human female pelvis can cope with (and survive the birth and successfully carry to term subsequent young), and even that is only because human newborns have relatively malleable skulls. Might those factors, or rather the lack of those factors, have played a part in the extinction of some of our sister species?

[@AnIntriguedFeline]

The first one is definitely plausible that it has occurred. The second one is much more just an hypothesis, and not something that has been demonstrated to be plausible. Just a nifty idea.

[@chaucer140]

If a sister species had babies with heads too large to be born, they would not be born and that trait would not be carried on.

[@silvertail7131]

I remember once hearing the theory that humans developed cooking, of a sort, as a gateway to brains, as it could allow digestion of foodstuffs not normally usable, and I guess, allow diversion of resources from digestive systems to the brain, etc. I forget if the theory had an explanation of how. Still, it does seem to have reached the point where humans would struggle to survive on a raw food diet. I certainly found it interesting to contemplate

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

I tend to agree with both and yes those are pretty old conclusions. What I always fall back on is " I was right until I found out I was wrong"

[@chrisedmonson9471]

OMG... I hope this get a billion views. It is a fantastic chat... TED worthy at a minimum.

[@Waniou137]

The common response to "why are there still apes" tends to be "we have a common ancestor with apes" but something I pointed out in a twitter thread about this whole stupid thing, is that we are still apes, we don't just share a common ancestor. The question is even stupider, it's like asking "if German Shepherds come from dogs, why are there still dogs"

[@rickmartin7596]

@Jim Ahmed How quickly do you expect these changes to occur?

[@garretm.9772]

@Jim Ahmed On a geological and evolutionary time scale your lifetime is basically undetectable which means unfortunately for us we are limited in the changes that we see take place. So no, evolution is indeed still happening in front of our eyes, we just don’t have the time to see it take place.

[@davidfitnesstech]

I've heard it said, that given enough time, future "humans" will be as different from us as we are from cockroaches. GREAT VID.

[@UTU49]

That's an interesting concept, but I don't think it's true. I think we will probably go extinct long before that happens, because it would take hundreds of MILLIONS of years (or more) for our descendants to become something that different from us. I just don't see the human race lasting anywhere near that long.

[@davidfitnesstech]

@@UTU49 Exactly.. I would be shocked if we lasted nearly that long. We.. or something else will do ourselves in long before that.

[@UTU49]

@@davidfitnesstech I'm so curious. The descendants of the current human race might survive for 10 million more years... or 50 more years... or 3 more weeks. We won't have any answers to that... until 3 weeks from now.

[@kellyriddell5014]

You are cool as hell. I really enjoyed listening to you talk about this topic. Thanks for teaching me some new things and refreshing me on some others :)

[@miked412]

I have a feeling if "nature" had a choice, humans wouldn't be the end goal....

[@Mohanchous]

There are still apes because some apes were conservatives and refused to change.