We humans are biased towards using intelligence to measure how “advanced” a species is. A dolphin may think of us as less advanced after watching us swim.
As a comparison, we use the terms “derived” and “basal” to do comparisons in modern science. A more derived species is one that has been more heavily modified compared to a shared common ancestor. As @MarkD rightly states, all species are equally evolved because we are all equally distant from our shared common ancestors.
This is in stark contrast to our Victorian Era scientific brethren who saw no problem with using terms like “higher” and “lower” organisms. It is even reflected in the Linnaean groups we still use, such as Eutheria which means “true mammals”, the mammal group we belong to. Primates is another good example.
A more informative usage is in groups like Eulipotyphla, where the current “true” group is the core set of actually-related subgroups, as opposed to the now-separate ones.
Indeed I have, and will re-characterize my statement in more detail, since my shortened form was either confusing to you, or was too concise and reductive for you to derive the intended meaning:
Small mammals, similar to the mouse, were the extent of the mammalian population prior to 66 Mya. These rodents were the “last common ancestor” for both current day mice and human beings. Thus but for the asteroid, we would not likely be here today. And both the mouse and the human have continued to evolve, yet share about 80% of our genes.
I have no problem with the idea that the asteroid had an impact of the course of evolution on this planet. What don’t get is the conclusions you are drawing from this. And I am not talking about the point beaglelady is nitpicking but the theological implications.
All living creatures are “mere animals”. The issue is what makes humans unique among the animals and when did that feature emerge? The unique feature of the human animal is a product of the mind. It is the alphanumeric characters that we use to produce reading, writing, mathematics and religion. That feature emerged about 6000 years ago. Along with it came an arrogance to think that everything that came before might have occurred in a few days. We have used this feature to shape the aesthetics, purpose and morality of our lives into the world we live in today. Where we take it in the future or what happens when we die are issues left to the imagination. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I am only pointing out the incredible role serendipity has played in our evolution. God created the universe 13.8 Bya. We had only the first 2 elements of the periodic table, H and He, until about 6 B years elapsed. Then another few B before we got to 94 natural elements, most of which are necessary for human life. Even 10 heavy elements. Then in the blink of an eye, only 66 Mya an asteroid hit earth. We could not have evolved without it. Pardon my rambling
And to that point, I would add an example that makes God’s influence more than incidental. Back away from the amazing evolution of humans, or even just mammals, or even further back, 1.6-2.2 Bya to the single celled E.Coli. E. coli, that workhorse of biochemistry and molecular biology, and of all living creatures the one best understood. A single cell takes the form of a short rod, a cylinder some 2 micrometers long and 0.8 wide, with rounded caps. Under optimal conditions, 20 minutes suffice for each cell to elongate, divide, and produce 2 where there had been 1 before. But what a prodigious task this is! In that brief span of time the original cell will have produced some 2 million protein molecules, potentially of 4,000 different kinds; some 22 million lipid molecules, composing 60 varieties; 200,000 molecules of various RNAs; and nearly 1,000 species of small organic substances, some 50 million molecules in all. It will also have duplicated two unique giant molecules. One is the circular, double-stranded DNA helix, consisting of about 4.6 million nucleotide pairs; were it uncoiled, it would stretch for 1,600 micrometers. The other is the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall, composed of some 2 million repeating units cross-linked into a huge bag-shaped molecule that encases the whole cell. All these are crammed and folded into a volume of about 1 cubic micrometer, a minute capsule filled with a concentrated gel whose properties bear little resemblance to the dilute solutions that laboratory scientists prefer.
How can one attribute all of that, even the E.coli, to chance alone??
