Humans, specifically those of African descent, do not derive from apes. It’s a tradition of race not a scientific fact.

“In 1699, the web of legend and unverified fact was disentangled by Edward Tyson, whose comparative study of a young ‘orang- outang’ was a masterwork of critical scientific investigation.  Throughout his dissection of the chimpanzee, Tyson meticulously compared the animal with human beings in every anatomical detail and he established beyond question both the close relationship and the non-identity of ape and man.  Here was a step forward; the question of the ape’s proper place in nature was now grounded upon much firmer knowledge of the facts.  Despite their scientific importance, Tyson’s conclusions did nothing to weaken the vigorous tradition which linked the Negro with the ape.”

Winthrop Jordan, The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1974), 17.