'Tree of Life' for 2.3 Million Species Released
September 23, 2015| |
A first draft of the "Tree of Life" for roughly 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi, and microbes has been released. The circular family tree is a collaborative effort among 11 institutions that depicts the relationships among living things as they diverged from one another over time, tracing back to the beginning of life on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago.
Smaller trees have been published previously for select branches of life, but this is the first time that those results were combined into a single tree. The researchers compiled thousands of smaller chunks that had already been published online, merging them into a gigantic "supertree" that includes all named species.
The current version of the tree is available for download at The Open Tree of Life website. For more details, read the news releases from Duke University and University of Michigan.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- 'Tree of Life' for 2.3 Million Species Released
- USDA ARS Honors Four Experts as Science Hall of Fame
- GE Crops are Vital to Meet Food Demand, South Asia Experts Say
- Wheat without GM will Lead to Food Shortages, says World Food Prize Winner
- Australia Court Rules in Favor of GE Crop Farmers
- Scientists Clone Rare Gene to Enhance Rice Grain Yield
- Photosynthesis Gene Could Help Plants Stay Healthy in Stressful Conditions
-
Research Highlights
- Identification of Powdery Mildew Susceptibility Genes in Cultivated Solanaceous Crops
- DWARF Overexpression Alters Phytohormone Levels, Plant Architecture, and Carotenoid Accumulation in Tomato
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Research Team Identifies 14 Genomes of Colombian Cocoa
- Braconid Wasps as Accidental Genetic Engineers
- Expression of a Recombinant Microbial Transglutaminase in Escherichia coli
-
From the BICs
- UBIC Supports the 2015 National Science Olympiad
-
Resources
- Biotech Trait Annual Updates 2014 and Updated Pocket Ks Now Available
- Infographic: International Science Organizations on Crop Biotech
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 17, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 10, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet