On 29-12-2011 9:09, Warp wrote:
> Cousin Ricky<rickysttATyahooDOTcom>  wrote:
>> If A was the most recent common ancestor of Old World monkeys and New World
>> monkeys, then how could A not be a monkey?
>
>    It of course depends on how the ancestral species are named, but I don't
> see your point.
>
>    Just because archosaurs are the most recent common ancestors of both
> birds and crocodiles doesn't mean that a bird is a crocodile (or the
> other way around). They are (according to cladistics) both archosaurs,
> but not each other.
>
>    Likewise if humans and monkeys had a common ancestor, that doesn't mean
> that humans are monkeys (or the other way around). Unless you specifically
> name this common ancestor "monkey".

I answered that in a previous post. the last common ancestor of humans 
and monkeys was by definition a monkey.
still, humans are not monkeys. they are, however, apes.


-- 
tip: do not run in an unknown place when it is too dark to see the 
floor, unless you prefer to not use uppercase.

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