What caused the split in our common ancestor to produce our nearest relatives the chimpanzee and homo sapiens?

They became isolated from one another, by chance! What caused the split in our common ancestor to produce our nearest relatives the chimpanzee and homo sapiens?
When something causes two groups of the same species to not intermingle, then changes start to arise that eventually can lead to different species. Causes for this can be geographical. For example, the Rift Valley in Africa results in three regions which are difficult to get to from one another.


My particular theory regarding humans and chimpanzees is that primates of which human and the other apes are part of generally organise into groups with limited interaction with other groups. This is in effect is a division of individuals of the same species that ultimately could result in those groups evolving in different ways. You will see two groups of chimpanzees fight or plot to get rid of each other just as two different tribes of humans might. If two groups are fighting each other, then it is unlikely that they will mix and breed with each other.





Of course, if you are religious, you are likely to just say that God did it and there was never any common ancestor. What caused the split in our common ancestor to produce our nearest relatives the chimpanzee and homo sapiens?
Wow what a terrible answer by the creationist.





Anyways, there are many numerous possible reasons for the divergence of early humans and African Apes. Possible it was due to environement( early hominids adapted to bipedalism and thicker enamel teeth) or it could have been a genetic mutation found in one group of the last common ancestor. Or it could be both or niether.
The ';savanna hypothesis,” holds that geologic forces in East Africa radially changed the climate, leading to our ancestors having to adapt to new climates.


';the topography of East Africa completely changed from a flat region covered by rainforest to a landscape with mountains, plateaus and deep rift valleys with vegetation varying from cloud forest to desert scrub. This incredible change in the landscape may have caused the evolution of bipedalism — the ability to walk upright — sometime after 6 million years ago. ';


http://www.geotimes.org/sept05/feature_h…
well, nothing really. no really, the answer is basically nothing.


We do not evolve in a linear sequence, think of it like a tree going into branches instead.





Common ancestor x simply split because they were isolated groups of the same species at one time, when they split they both genetically mutated RANDOMLY, and those mutations happened to favour their surroundings.





if you spend about... an hour or two reading it up online you'll understand, but I spent mmmmonths trying to understand the random mutation theory. I always thought we mutated BECAUSE of surroundings, but we mutated and genetically drifted randomly, or some would say genetic drift is caused by sexual selection, but random chance plays a roll too.
It probably started the way most species form and that is by members of the same population occupying different niches. Chimps stayed in forested areas and were very dependent on climbing trees. Their selection pressure was more towards climbing trees whereas our ancestors were in more open areas and not as reliant on fruit trees. They probably got most of their food on the ground and their selection pressure pushed the development of bipedalsim.
The idea that there is such a split is a hypothesis that is simply not supported by the actual evidence.





The evolutionary hypothesis does not stand up to scrutiny. It is believed by faith by those who reject God.





The idea that man evolved from an ape is completely false, and is


laughable.





It is not supported by any evidence whatsoever.


All hominid fossils are clearly human or clearly ape.


Evolution requires the creation of new genetic information. The proposed mechanism is mutations, yet all observed mutations are information neutral or lossy.





History is full of frauds and over-enthusiastic claims of anthropologists


Man was created as man. We are very different to all apes/monkeys and there is no evidence that we evolved at all.





History is full of frauds and wishful thinking in regard to alleged missing links:


Piltdown man – fraud





Java man - a few teeth, and a few skull and bone fragments


Nebraska man - a pigs tooth


Australopithecene (Lucy) - portrayed with human like hands and feet despite the fact that it is known to have ape like hands and feet, and to have been a knuckle walker.








To believe we evolved from an ape requires an awful lot of faith! It flies in the face of the evidence, and of scientific knowledge.


http://creationontheweb.com/content/view…



To answer your question:


Evolution caused the split in our common ancestors.





But I dont think that's what you're really asking. I believe you're asking what is the link between us and chimpanzee.





Then answer to that is:


No one knows yet. It's called a missing link.
Nothing.