Friday, March 3, 2006

Tree of Life, c. 2006: Fortunately, scientists now have entire genomes of a couple hundred species to analyze. In the new issue of Science, biologists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory published the latest, most thorough glimpse at the tree of life. (Via The Loom.) This is so cool! The variety and ancient differences of life are much more evident in this product of the accelerating pace of genome sequencing. There is so much to learn, so much we do not yet understand. I cannot but recall that famous final sentence: There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. 8:37:48 PM