Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

7.3K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
7.3K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

4.0K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
4.0K
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

77.8K
Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
77.8K
Probability Laws01:49

Probability Laws

45.3K
Overview
45.3K
Microbial Phylogeny01:28

Microbial Phylogeny

76
Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...
76
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

8.4K
The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
8.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Retrodiction in Evolutionary Genomics: A Philosophical Perspective.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Counting Rankings of Tree-Child Networks.

Bulletin of mathematical biology·2026
Same author

Predicting the depth of the most recent common ancestor of a random sample of k species: the impact of phylogenetic tree shape.

Journal of mathematical biology·2026
Same author

A Dichotomy Law for Certain Classes of Phylogenetic Networks.

Bulletin of mathematical biology·2025
Same author

The Asymptotic Distribution of the <i>k</i>-Robinson-Foulds Dissimilarity Measure on Labeled Trees.

Journal of computational biology : a journal of computational molecular cell biology·2025
Same author

Surprising effects of differential loss in genome evolution: the last-one-out.

FEMS microbiology letters·2025
Same journal

Evolution of quantitative traits: exploring the ecological, social and genetic bases of adaptive polymorphism.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

The male-biased sex ratio in humans and its role in the transition from promiscuity to pair bonding.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

Quantifying the counter-intuitive effects of vaccination by coupling the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and the evolution of human behaviors.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

An integrative model of FGF2-induced signaling and muscle cell proliferation.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

A hybrid reaction-diffusion and mechanical stimulus model for mandibular bone remodeling under chewing and vibratory loading.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
Same journal

Integrated tick management strategies in fragmented peridomestic environments.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K

How probable is common ancestry according to different evolutionary processes?

Elliott Sober1, Mike Steel2

  • 1Philosophy Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, WI, USA.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|March 23, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores how evolutionary processes impact the common ancestry hypothesis. It identifies a key property determining an evolutionary process

Keywords:
Common ancestryDarwinDivergenceExtinctionNatural selection

More Related Videos

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.4K
Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group
07:49

Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group

Published on: August 16, 2017

7.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.4K
Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group
07:49

Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group

Published on: August 16, 2017

7.5K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Population genetics

Background:

  • The hypothesis of common ancestry posits that all life on Earth shares a single or a few common ancestors.
  • Darwin's theory of evolution, including natural selection, provides a robust framework for understanding life's diversity.
  • Understanding the interplay between evolutionary processes and common ancestry is crucial for a comprehensive view of life's history.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between various evolutionary processes and the hypothesis of common ancestry.
  • To identify a specific property of evolutionary processes that influences their probabilistic impact on the common ancestry thesis.
  • To elucidate the integration of different components within Darwin's theory of evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of evolutionary processes.
  • Probabilistic modeling to assess the impact on common ancestry.
  • Examination of the theoretical underpinnings of Darwinian evolution.

Main Results:

  • A specific property of evolutionary processes has been identified that dictates their probabilistic influence on the common ancestry hypothesis.
  • The study clarifies how different evolutionary mechanisms contribute to or support the concept of universal common descent.
  • The findings reinforce the coherence and explanatory power of Darwin's evolutionary framework.

Conclusions:

  • The research provides a framework for understanding the probabilistic impact of evolutionary processes on the common ancestry hypothesis.
  • The study reinforces the foundational role of common ancestry and natural selection in evolutionary biology.
  • This work contributes to a deeper comprehension of the integrated nature of Darwin's theory.