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Updated: Nov 9, 2025

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts
Published on: February 5, 2014
The past, present and future of the tree of life
Cédric Blais1, John M Archibald1
1Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Abstract:
The advent of comparative genomics in the late 1990s led to the discovery of extensive lateral gene transfer in prokaryotes. The resulting debate over whether life as a whole is best represented as a tree or a network has since given way to a general consensus in which trees and networks co-exist rather than stand in opposition. Embracing this consensus allows us to move beyond the question of which is true or false. The future of the tree of life debate lies in asking what trees and networks can, and should, do for science.
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