Why are there no human apes alive today?

Portillo....You should consider that human language is largely responsible for the complexity we see with our current society. That is our passing on of ideas has in effect accumulated over the generations to create the amazing architecture, art, space travel, etc....that you say makes us so different from apes. Without the presence of the environment we have created, a human being would certainly not seem so different in behavior from our apes cousins. And even language itself is only formed through the environment we have created for ourselves as well.....cases of neglected and feral children have shown language can not be learned after a certain age Chimps and other great apes do have a culture of learning, knowledge passed from one generation to the next, in the different forms of tools they use. Many groups of chimps in the wild 'fish' for termites....but not all use rocks to smash nuts, & only one has been seen using sharpened sticks as spears. Unfortunately for the chimps, although some sign language can be taught to them....it isnt passed on to other generations as well as in humans. Chimps DO use a complex system of vocal calls as well as hand gestures, that vary slightly on location of the group. There are also countless observed examples of apes, particularly chimps, displaying critical thinking in cause and effect relationships and the use of their environment to get what they want. Nobody will argue you that human beings are not the best species at exploiting the environment for our needs, or the level of complexity in our technology. This doesnt mean we are the most complex & special in every aspect of life and existence. We are evolved to be smarter, to use tools, to have a complex communication system, to pass on information to our offspring & the basis for this intelligence is clear in our closest animal relative.

yes portillo I am saying that if another species had language and was able to pass on knowledge/technology as human beings have evolved to do. Then yes they could, with enough generations, accumulate the collective 'intelligence' needed to build a rocket ship. Assuming they have the morphology to use tools in one way or another.There is a deaf school in nicaragua (?), I think.....which was founded a few decades back where students with no real language, when put togeather have developed their own sign language..... that over the years has developed into a complete complex language.....just looked for a link....here you goBBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Children create new sign languageTo me the article suggests, as I believe, that language has mental hardwiring as well as environmental influence to make it into its most complex form. But all these children from nicaragua are not feral children & were not raised in an environment free of all human communication obviously. Some concept of language had to have been impressed on them at some point before entering the school. True feral children however, passing certain years with no human contact will never be able to use language the way a normally raised person will. I know this isnt the most impressive link, I did not do a thorough search, but you could research these cases more if you like.h2g2 - Oops.Edited by MikeDeich, : classic human error