Probably that stuff sound circumstantial to you because you're either misinformed or you do not understand it. There is no circumstantial evidence in evolution. Granted, Darwin's original body of work was quite straightforward, but the theory of evolution itself has evolved and refined with every new discovery. We now know that epigenetics is also a strong factor. For example, if you have not had a history of diabetes in your family tree, but in your lifetime you consume so much Pepsi that you became a diabetic, your offspring would then have a predisposition towards diabetes. Also, if your family tree were all weaklings, and you took up bodybuilding and you became a muscular hunk. Your offspring will have a predisposition towards becoming muscular as well. This is roughly what epigenetics have shown us.

Another new discovery is that lateral gene transfer is easier than we thought. Retroviruses, parasites and bacteria can insert their genes into ours easily. Some of these end up eventually as junk DNA. Some of these are successfully silenced by our own biological mechanisms. Scientists are still able to resurrect these extinct viruses based on our genetic code from the "junk DNA" segments, because the laterally inserted genes stand out from the rest of the genome and can be isolated. Sometimes, lateral gene transfer provides us with surprising benefits, like beneficial mutations. Sometimes, they give us genetic defects. Across the various genomes of the entire human race, we're now able to see which race endured what sort of pandemic or epidemic how many generations ago, and what sort of immune adaptation our immune systems came up with.

Heard of the CCR5-delta32 deletion mutation? It's theorized to be a remnant of the Black Death, and it allowed the descendants of the Black Death survivors to resist HIV infection.

That's how evolution takes place.. through small changes.. some which are accidental (such as exogenous LTG) and some which are due to adaptation to surroundings or new lifestyles, like what epigenetics have shown. At present, evolution is recognized as a fact, and it's not exactly the same as the gradual Darwinian model that we used to know. There's a bit of Lamarckian "sudden jumps" here and there.


Hahahaaa!!! Damn right!!!!

Coming back to the topic of why monkeys are so strong.. Humans have only 3 types of muscle fibers, but cats have 7. Their fast-twitch fibers can fire with a much higher intensity and frequency than a human's, while being able to handle higher mechanical loads. Hence, cats are easily more explosive than humans. They can jump so high, and they can sprint much faster than humans despite their short legs.

Perhaps monkeys have such difference compared to humans. Their muscular make up may be different, either in the physiology/structure/type of their muscles or in the nerve network that innervates the fibers.