"Yes, but I don't know of any animal which under human guidance has evolved into another animal"

Who says the apeman became "another" animal after the monolith's intervention? Who says he was no longer capable of interbreeding with the other hominids? If he wasn't, the intervention wouldn't have worked.

Who says Bowman was transformed into another animal? Who says he would be incapable of interbreeding with other humans? It would seem to invalidate the premise of the benefit to mankind of the intervention if he couldn't.

And the fact that we aren't (yet) capable of effecting the kind of change in animals as the aliens in 2001 can do to humans is kind of the point. That's what makes it science fiction. Their technology and intelligence are more advanced than ours. They are better at animal husbandry than we are.

You and your history professor can see mysticism if you want to. I don't see it, and it isn't needed to explain the events of the movie.

Last Edited By: cjh5801 Jan 22 11 8:07 PM. Edited 2 times.