Tree of life gets a total makeover (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, August 22, 2015, 21:19 (3168 days ago) @ David Turell

It is very bushy as we have noted:-http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150818153509.htm-"New species evolve whenever a lineage splits off into several. Because of this, the kinship between species is often described in terms of a 'tree of life,' where every branch constitutes a species. Now, researchers have found that evolution is more complex than this model would have it, and that the tree is actually more akin to a bush. -***-
"By using the jumping genes, or so-called retrotransposed elements, the Uppsala researchers have found that, for instance, a cuckoo can be more closely related to a hummingbird than a pigeon in a certain part of its genome, while the opposite holds true in another part. The study found numerous examples to corroborate the existence of the phenomenon.-"This is one of the first cases in evolutionary research where researchers have been able to document and quantify incomplete lineage sorting far back in time. It is likely a far more common occurrence than previously thought.-"'The more complex kinship patterns that result from this phenomenon mean that the Tree of Life should often be understood as a Bush of Life', Alexander Suh and Hans Ellegren say."