Explaining Monkeys and Uncles to Christine O'Donnell

Yes, I know the election is old news.  Yes, I know Christine O'Donnell lost.  But she speaks for a hefty ignorant chunk of the population when she spouts that snide "Then why are there still monkeys?!" line at the slightest whiff of evolution.

Brian Switek explains a few things about monkeys, uncles, and why your cousins don't vanish merely because you survived:

In any family tree you care to draw – whether from a broad evolutionary perspective or a narrowed genealogy of close relatives – each point among the branches is going to fall into one of two categories: linear relatives and collateral relatives. Your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. are all linear relatives, while cousins, uncles, and aunts are collateral relatives who are more closely related to you than most other people but are not direct ancestors or descendants. That’s simple enough, and the same sort of logic can be applied to evolutionary relationships.

Read the whole thing, and you'll be well-prepared the next time some ignoramus thinks he or she has stymied you with the monkey schtick.