The tree of life is something I'm sure we can all remember learning about in middle school. We all had that one or a few crazy science teacher(s) who would show the class a banana and ask if she was related to it. More often than not, the class would reply "no," because who would think we're related to a banana? This would send our teachers on a week-long rant attempting to explain to us how everything is related and everything traces back to one common ancestor. Well, now, thanks to a new “tree of life” that has been unveiled showing how 2.3 million species worldwide —from animals to microbes—are connected, our crazy science teachers might not seem so crazy after all.
(http://www.cbsnews.com/news/scientists-unveil-firs...)
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution in his book “On the Origin of Species,” which is 490 pages basically saying that all life is related. He also talks about how over time things grew, changed, and evolved to get us to where we are now as mammals.
In 2015, a project that has been recently published online under "Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences," proves Darwin’s theory. This new tree of life traces back more than 3.5 billion years. This is the first time scientists have compiled all the tens of thousands of other Trees of Life that have been made over the years into one “super tree.”
Now, you’re probably wondering, why is thing important?
Well, because it’s super cool!
Due to this new “super tree”, scientists can discover new drugs, increase crop and livestock yields, and trace the origins and spread of infectious diseases like HIV and Ebola.
Although this is a rather large step for scientists, the Tree is nowhere near complete. That’s because there is still so much out there we have yet to discover, let alone trace it back 3.5 billion years. Because this “super tree” has been uploaded online, a team of scientists are developing software that will allow researchers to update the tree with their findings to help fill the gaps.
But, nonetheless, I’m sure our good friend Bill Nye the Science Guy is still proud.
(http://www.sfstation.com/startalk-live-with-bill-n...)
The tree itself can be found here.
