No, no microorganism has, or ever could, by evolution turn into an elephant, and no blue whale has or can ever become human, according to natural evolution theory.
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I did not say an elephant or blue whale could become human via evolution, BroJoeK. Here’s my comment:
“What are the limitations on what evolution can do? Given deep time, can it not turn microorganisms into elephants and blue whales and humans?”
I said that microorganisms could, given deep time and evolution turn into those three creatures: elephants, blue whales, and humans.
The chart that I posted and that you post sometimes plainly shows that. In a certain period of time, microorganisms evolved into multicellular organisms.
After another period of time, those small multicellular organisms evolved into larger organisms with endoskeletons.
After another period of time, those organisms evolved into amphibians.
After another period of time, those organisms evolved into reptiles.
After another period of time, those organisms evolved into mammals.
After another period of time, some of those mammals evolved into large quadrupeds.
After another period of time, some of those quadrupeds evolved into elephants.
After another period of time, some of the other quadrupeds evolved into cetacea.
After another period of time, some of those cetacea evolved into blue whales.
Back during the evolution of mammals, some mammals evolved into primates.
After another period of time, some of those primates evolved into apes.
After another period of time, some of those primates evolved into humans.
Now, besides lengthy pedantic explanation, how is what I’ve just typed different than saying “Given deep time, evolution turned microorganisms into elephants, blue whales, and humans”?
ALSO...
What are the limitations on what evolution can do?
But, remember, we are playing the anti-evos word-definition game, and so, strictly speaking, that never, ever happens.
In fact, no species ever, presto-change-o, becomes through evolution something altogether different.
Germs don't become elephants, no matter how long you're willing to run the experiment.
The reason is, there are necessarily millions of intermediate steps, each of which makes relatively minor changes, and the accumulation of such changes over Deep Time are what create vast numbers of species we see today.
But anti-evos love to mock science by saying, in effect: "germs don't become men, dogs don't become birds, or fish".
And of course, strictly speaking, that is 100% correct.
angryoldfatman: "What are the limitations on what evolution can do?"
I certainly could not list them all, but one in particular seems important: evolution cannot "see ahead", meaning develop an answer for which there is not yet a question.
For example, if the question is, "how can an organism see better?", then evolution's answers will involve changes to eyeballs or perhaps to a brain's pattern recognition abilities.
By contrast, for example, a swamp-dwelling reptile will not suddenly grow wings and fly into the trees, unless it first learns to earn its living by climbing to high places, and perhaps jumping down on its prey.
Then the ability to stay air-born longer & further can provide competitive advantages, and naturally select for such creatures.