The Tree of Life in PDF Format

Approximately 3000 species in this tree of life in PDF format.
This is Based on RNA sequences.





source: www.zo.utexas.edu...

This file can be printed as a wall poster. Printing at least 54" wide is recommended.
Blueprint shops and other places with large format printers can print this file for you.
You are welcome to use it for non-commercial educational purposes.
Please cite the source as David M. Hillis, Derrick Zwickl, and Robin Gutell, University of Texas.
About this Tree: This tree is from an analysis of small subunit rRNA sequences sampled
from about 3,000 species from throughout the Tree of Life. The species were chosen based
on their availability, but we attempted to include most of the major groups, sampled
very roughly in proportion to the number of known species in each group (although many
groups remain over- or under-represented). The number of species
represented is approximately the square-root of the number of species thought to exist on Earth
(i.e., three thousand out of an estimated nine million species), or about 0.18% of the 1.7 million
species that have been formally described and named. This tree has been used
in many museum displays and other educational exhibits, and its use for educational purposes
is welcomed. Here is a photo of the tree as it was used in an exhibit on "Massive Change:
The Future of Global Design" (which first opened in the Vancouver Art Gallery, and has since appeared
in Toronto and Chicago, and is scheduled to be displayed in various venues around the world)

in PDF:
www.zo.utexas.edu...

Our closest relatives according to this are the house mouse (mus musculus), the common rat (rattus norvegicus), and the domestic rabbit (oryctolagus cuniculus).

Some External Comments about this:
"Unless you interpret their statement of "The species were chosen based on their availability" to mean "We used whatever DNA we happened to have data lying around for", these are very odd results."

"The selection of data is indeed a bit odd if there's not a single ape. It's also unfortunate that two species that are next to each other on the wheel might be only so distantly related that they branch apart right at the center.

I can see why the wheel arrangement was chosen to show that humans don't have a special place in the tree, but I don't think it really works as an effective presentation."

So, wait.. they're placing creatures according to the RNA? .... does that mean that our RNA is closer to mice/rats/rabbits than apes? ... Or they just placed them randomly?


I like the idea.. 'tis a shame that only 3,000 fit on it tho! A 3-d model might work better for such mind-boggling numbers! (9 million?! I'm feelin' mighty small right now.. )

[edit on 26-11-2006 by Diseria]

Just Imagine Darwin did not exist until now.....

What if the Darwin of 2006 were to say...we evolved from mice because of
the scientific link based on the DNA evidence found in mice and humans?

That would explain why I like cheese and crawling through small spaces so much!


....but I'd want my tail back..