Comments on: Tangling the Tree http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/ A blog about life, past and future. Written by DISCOVER contributing editor and columnist Carl Zimmer. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:00:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ask http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6920 ask Fri, 15 Jul 2005 20:52:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6920 I see an analogy with linguistic archaeology, in which scientists attempt to reconstruct “Proto-Indo-European”, say, from extant languages. This is confused by problems of loan words and debates over how language spreads from one region to another. Similar difficulties arise here. And I thought molecular reconstruction of evolutionary history was already complex! I see an analogy with linguistic archaeology, in which scientists attempt to reconstruct “Proto-Indo-European”, say, from extant languages. This is confused by problems of loan words and debates over how language spreads from one region to another.

Similar difficulties arise here. And I thought molecular reconstruction of evolutionary history was already complex!

]]> By: John Wilkins http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6919 John Wilkins Wed, 13 Jul 2005 18:06:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6919 It is my view that lineage recombination, from full hybridisation through to occasional lateral transfer, is going to become more and more important in our phylogenies. Moreover, there is a tradition of being concerned about lateral recombination from Aristotle onwards. This is not new, but we are finding that it made more sense to view evolutionary phylogeny as a tree first, and then refine it with horizontal links as the diagram shows, than to assume everything is a cyclic graph and work out which bits aren’t. But I am wondering how this will affect our ways of reconstructing phylogenies. It is my view that lineage recombination, from full hybridisation through to occasional lateral transfer, is going to become more and more important in our phylogenies. Moreover, there is a tradition of being concerned about lateral recombination from Aristotle onwards. This is not new, but we are finding that it made more sense to view evolutionary phylogeny as a tree first, and then refine it with horizontal links as the diagram shows, than to assume everything is a cyclic graph and work out which bits aren’t.

But I am wondering how this will affect our ways of reconstructing phylogenies.

]]> By: Brian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6918 Brian Wed, 13 Jul 2005 07:10:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6918 Can you link a larger version of the graphic. I cannot make out the writing. Great piece of writting. Kevin would have liked it if her read it. Can you link a larger version of the graphic. I cannot make out the writing.

Great piece of writting. Kevin would have liked it if her read it.

]]> By: Matt http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6917 Matt Sat, 09 Jul 2005 13:51:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6917 For more on the Kevin Bacon reference, see http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/ For more on the Kevin Bacon reference, see http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/

]]> By: Torbjorn Larsson http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6916 Torbjorn Larsson Sat, 09 Jul 2005 01:27:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6916 So one can actually have an interesting life without sex. How shocking! So one can actually have an interesting life without sex. How shocking!

]]> By: it http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6915 it Fri, 08 Jul 2005 22:05:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6915 mj, take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon it’s a play on the six degrees of seperation mj, take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon it’s a play on the six degrees of seperation

]]> By: MJ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-6914 MJ Fri, 08 Jul 2005 21:04:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/07/08/tangling-the-tree/#comment-6914 What does the Kevin Bacon analogy mean? What does the Kevin Bacon analogy mean?

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