"The secrets of evolution are death and time—the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeforms that were imperfectly adapted to the environment; and time for a long succession of small mutations."
― Carl Sagan
There it is again ...
"Songbird bodies are far more evolved than ours, including their vision, hearing, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, endurance and speed, and their abilities to detect the earth’s magnetic poles and discern changes in air pressure. Chickadees, which have been here longer and may very well outlast us, have social hierarchies much like ours, though chickadees, in a more civilized and evolved manner, maintain their hierarchies not with bullying and fighting but with songs and other vocalizations."
From: Look to the Chickadees
No, nothing living today is "more evolved" than anything else. Evolution is not a ladder or hierarchy of progress but a branching tree of life, where all living organisms have been evolving for the same amount of time — about 3.8 billion years since life began. Different species have adapted to their unique environments and challenges in various ways, but no species is inherently better or more advanced than another. Each is suited to its ecological niche―a bacterium is as evolved as a human, just in a way that fits its role in an ecosystem.
While humans are complex organisms with advanced cognitive abilities, bacteria are incredibly efficient and resilient, thriving in environments humans could never survive in. I know what you might be thinking, but calling a trait "advanced" is context-dependent and descriptive of complexity or functionality. It doesn’t mean the organism as a whole is better or more evolved. Each organism is adapted to thrive in its environment, regardless of whether its traits are considered simple or complex by human standards. Both humans and bacteria are equally evolved, but they have followed different evolutionary paths shaped by the demands of their respective environments. To suggest one is more evolved than the other is to misunderstand what evolution really is: adaptation to survive, not a race to achieve superiority.
This misconception of evolution often arises from teleological thinking, that processes in Nature, like evolution, have an inherent purpose or end goal, assuming it's a linear process, with species climbing a figurative ladder toward perfection. But evolution is not goal-directed. It's a response to environmental pressures and random mutations, leading to traits that improve abilities of organisms to survive and reproduce in a specific niche.
Understanding this helps us appreciate the diversity of life without imposing arbitrary hierarchies. Evolution is not about being better or worse, but about being fit for a specific role in the vast, interconnected web of life. Each organism, from the smallest microbe to the largest mammal, has its place in this incredible story of adaptation and survival. Sentimentalists don't care for this raw pitiless view of Nature, but that's the way it is. Nature doesn’t cater to human sentimentality—it operates without morality, fairness, or compassion, with no concern for whether the outcomes are good or bad by our standards.
This unvarnished view of Nature is essential for truly understanding how life works. Nature isn't cruel or kind—it simply is. Traits that help an organism survive and reproduce get passed on, while those that don't fade away. There's no overarching narrative of justice or meaning in this process; it's blind, indifferent, and often brutal—predator success means prey failure, and vice versa. Yet, this endless competition is what drives the incredible diversity and adaptability we see in life today.
And it is amazing.