Common descent
hideA group of organisms is said to have common descent if they have a common ancestor. In modern biology, it is generally accepted that all living organisms on Earth are descended from a common ancestor or ancestral gene pool.
A theory of universal common descent via an evolutionary process was proposed by Charles Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species (1859), and later in The Descent of Man (1871). This theory is now generally accepted by biologists, and the last universal common ancestor (LUCA or LUA), that is, the most recent common ancestor of all currently living organisms, is believed to have appeared about 3.9 billion years ago. The theory of a common ancestor between all organisms is one of the principles of evolution, although for single cell organisms and viruses, single phylogeny is disputed (see: origin of life).
In his book The Ancestor's Tale, Richard Dawkins uses the word concestor as a substitute for "common ancestor." This new word is very gradually entering scientific parlance.
For more information about Common descent, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with common ancestor
The Worm That Turned Evolutionary Key
Nov 20, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (4) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Keelworm, widespread in the seas and tide-pools around Scotland and the rest of the UK, is unwittingly helping scientists at the University of St Andrews to understand the evolution of modern animals.
Extinct moa rewrites New Zealand's history
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 18, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The evolutionary history of New Zealand's many extinct flightless moa has been re-written in the first comprehensive study of more than 260 sub-fossil specimens to combine all known genetic, ...
Before 'Lucy,' there was 'Ardi': Oldest hominid skeleton provides new evidence for human evolution (w/ Video)
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (35) |
1
In a special issue of Science, an international team of scientists has for the first time thoroughly described Ardipithecus ramidus, a hominid species that lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiop ...
Research team finds first evolutionary branching for bilateral animals
Sep 23, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (5) |
0
When it comes to understanding a critical junction in animal evolution, some short, simple flatworms have been a real thorn in scientists' sides. Specialists have jousted over the proper taxonomic placement ...
We are all mutants: Measurement of mutation rate in humans by direct sequencing
Aug 27, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
8
An international team of 16 scientists today reports the first direct measurement of the general rate of genetic mutation at individual DNA letters in humans. The team sequenced the same piece of DNA - 10,000,000 or so letters ...
Scientists find a common link of bird flocks, breast milk and trust
Aug 13, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
What do flocks of birds have in common with trust, monogamy, and even breast milk? According to a new report in the journal Science, they are regulated by virtually identical neurochemicals in the brain, known ...
Surprising new insights into the repair strategies of DNA
Jul 15, 2009 |
4 / 5 (3) |
0
(Physorg.com) -- A microscopic single-celled organism, adapted to survive in some of the harshest environments on earth, could help scientists gain a better understanding of how cancer cells behave.
Ancestors of African Pygmies and neighboring farmers separated around 60,000 years ago
Apr 10, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
0
All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to an international study led by researchers at ...
Culture skews human evolution
Mar 12, 2009 |
4 / 5 (9) |
7
(PhysOrg.com) -- The rise of agriculture 10,000 years ago meant the end of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle for which human beings had been optimized by millions of years of evolution and the beginning of an ...
A dead gene comes back to life in humans
Mar 06, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (10) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution. This is believed to be the first evidence of a doomed gene - infection-fighting human ...
Did increased gene duplication set the stage for human evolution?
Biology /
Feb 11, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
8
(PhysOrg.com) -- Roughly 10 million years ago, a major genetic change occurred in a common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. Segments of DNA in its genome began to form duplicate copies at a greater ...
Hope for a rabies eradication strategy in Africa
Biology /
Jan 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Most of the rabies virus circulating in dogs in western and central Africa comes from a common ancestor introduced to the continent around 200 years ago, probably by European colonialists. In the current issue of Journal of ...
