Couple of questions on evolution

[jobyts]

1. Is the common ape ancestor common for all the human races?

2. Why don't we see another non-human animal, but very similar to humans-in terms of brain power? For every non-human animal, there exist other species, somewhat similar in terms of appearance or skill set. Did human's advanced brain kill other half brained species for survival reasons?

 

[ThankYou]

1. all humans are the same race, this is a common mistake ,but all humans all over the world are basically the same race and there genetics different is not as much as to make them not the same race.
2. There were other different not-human animals, that are similar to humans , But the vanished about in the same time that humans came to there territory, the most common theory say that it was because of us.
most famous is Neanderthal
Read about it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal

 

[Sorry!]

1. Is the common ape ancestor common for all the human races?

2. Why don't we see another non-human animal, but very similar to humans-in terms of brain power? For every non-human animal, there exist other species, somewhat similar in terms of appearance or skill set. Did human's advanced brain kill other half brained species for survival reasons?

1. Yes the common ancestor for the apes is the same for humans. The common ancestor for both the Great Apes and the Lesser Apes came from around 14MYA when Hominidae (Humans, gorilla, chimp, orangutan and another group called bonobo) speciated from the Hylobatidae (Gibbons). The latest speciation of the Great Apes was humans from the chimps, at about 5MYA.

NOTE: What ThankYou wrote isn't exactly correct. The modern biologist believes that 'race' isn't a useful term to apply to human differences. They instead use another term called 'clines'. These are not subspecies; merely just the different effects the environment plays on our species as a whole. For instance closer to the equator they have darker skin and larger noses, both serve purposes based on the surrounding enviroment. Human genetic variation occurs most between the people of these different 'clines' and not between the clines themselves. This means that whatever race you are part of is not very genetically different from any other race. However the individuals within the race have genetic vaariation amongst themselves.

2. Yes, there were other different 'non-human' animals. Humans are part of the Homo-genus. So ThankYou is wrong in saying that Neanderthal was non-human. If we look within the homo genus we get a variety of 'relatives' which were separate from homo-sapien yet existed at the same time:
H. neanderthalansis
H. rhodesiensis
H. sapiens idaltu (subspecies of Homo-sapien)
H. floresiensis

While our ancestors were around (from the homo genus) there were even more relatives that were living at the same time, even from other genus's.

Genus Australopithecus and Genus Paranthropus were both separate genus which existed during the homo-genus. The second one, paranthropus, name even means 'para' beside and 'anthropus' human... so beside humans. They died out sometime during h. Erectus reign (which was quite long).

These are all just ancient animals though really, the latest wa floresiensis which went extinct around 12 000 years ago.

Animals that currently live with greater-brain power include:
octopus
dolphins (duh)
elephants
whales
all non-human primates...

The list goes on and on and on. Why haven't they built complex cultural societies with vast amounts of technology? Well do they really need to?

 

[jobyts]

The Earth plates separated more than 100MYA. I can think of some fish or migrating birds crossing the ocean to different continents. How did the common ape cross the ocean?

 

[Sorry!]

The Earth plates separated more than 100MYA. I can think of some fish or migrating birds crossing the ocean to different continents. How did the common ape cross the ocean?

Right... none of the Earths continents are connected, every single one separated 100MYA... leaving massive oceans between them with no way around the massive oceans...

EDIT: Which continent do you want to know about?

SECOND EDIT: As well I'm assuming by 'great apes' you are talking specifically about humans... I didn't have any idea that non-human apes natural live outside the continents of Africa and Asia (because orangutans live in Indonesia and gibbons in Southeast Asia)

 

[jobyts]

Right... none of the Earths continents are connected, every single one separated 100MYA... leaving massive oceans between them with no way around the massive oceans...

EDIT: Which continent do you want to know about?

SECOND EDIT: As well I'm assuming by 'great apes' you are talking specifically about humans... I didn't have any idea that non-human apes natural live outside the continents of Africa and Asia (because orangutans live in Indonesia and gibbons in Southeast Asia)

Yes, I'm specifically talking about the humans and its origin.

About the continents;
How did the humans or our ancestor apes moved from Africa/Asia/Europe to Americas and Australias.

 

[Sorry!]

Yes, I'm specifically talking about the humans and its origin.

About the continents;
How did the humans or our ancestor apes moved from Africa/Asia/Europe to Americas and Australias.

We walked... mostly. Migration of humans, H. Erectus, began from Africa to Eurasia about 2 million years ago they didn't make it too, too far they went to about souteastern asia.

Anyways H. Sapiens then migrated out of Africa, they reached areas such as Iran and Lebanon by about 70000 years ago.

-Some would have walked through northern Africa and some would have gone across the Red Sea. Something important to remember was that water levels were much, much lower than they are now so gaps which may seem really large and deep in the red sea now were not so back then. They did this probably by using simple rafts.
-They then continued to migrate, making it further than any previous migration by our ancestors. They reached Australlia 50 000 years ago probably again by using simple rafts.
-Some of the H. Sapiens which were in Europe instead went inland towards Europe which eventually displaced the H. Neanderthal. This happened during the same period that Australlia was being founded. (Australlia was a new land never reached by the homo-genus.)
-The displacement of Neanderthals is suppoesdly caused by H. Sapiens superior society system and use of technology(tools)
-Japan and the surrounding areas of Asia were reached 35000 years ago.
-There were probably 3 major groups of H. Sapiens that migrated through Asia into Russia they traveled over the Beringia bridge which crossed the Bering Strait into modern Alaska. Around 25000 years ago (glacial maximum)
-They traveled throughout America towards south America and developed what is called the 'clovis' culture(New Mexico). Artifacts from this culture go back about 15000 years ago.

There are of course other theories, some which suggest that the H. Sapiens somehow crossed the ocean using rafts from Europe I'm pretty sure what I have depicted is the most commonly held belief of human migration though.