Which is the most advanced form of life?
Before we reach the answer, we must know that evolution is not a linear process (like a ladder), unlike what Aristotle thought, but a branched (like a tree). Consider the family of Apes. The apes (Hominoidea) branches into two families – the ‘great apes’ and the ‘lesser apes’.
The lesser apes contain a bunch of gibbons. The great apes are further divided into two – Homininae and orangutans.
Does this picture mean the orangutans and homininae are higher than the gibbons? No, and the scheme can also be drawn in the following way.
Homininae goes to gorillas and hominini. In other words, the gorillas and the hominini have a common ancestor. Hominini then goes to pan (chimpanzees and bonobos) and humans.
You may conclude that an advanced species goes from left to right. That is also not true. The picture can also be like this.
All these living lineages have the same amount of time to evolve; therefore, they are equal!
Reference
Ape: Wiki
Understanding Evolution: Berkeley
