The discussion centers on the idea of selectively breeding apes and other primates to make them more human-like as a means to explore and potentially prove human evolution. Participants note that such an endeavor would be extremely time-consuming due to the long reproductive cycles of great apes, which typically do not reproduce until 8 to 10 years of age. Additionally, the motivation for such research is questioned, as proving or disproving human evolution is not a high priority for most scientists. There is a belief that demonstrating evolutionary changes in primates could challenge creationist views, but skepticism remains about whether such evidence would truly convince those with strong religious beliefs. The conversation references historical breeding experiments, particularly in the Soviet Union, where foxes were domesticated, leading to observable physical changes. However, participants argue that even significant changes in primates would likely not sway skeptics of evolution.
