Genetic Family Tree of All Life Is Bearing Fruit

New cures, supercrops, and secrets of evolution may emerge from the fast-growing branches of the Tree of Life, scientists say.

The increasing availability of genetic information—and the computer technology to analyze it—is allowing researchers to begin drawing a detailed picture of how life on Earth originated, adapted, and diversified.

A huge amount of progress has been made over the last decade, said Michael Donoghue, a biologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Donoghue attributes the progress to revolutions in molecular biology and computer technology that allow scientists to see at the genetic level how species are related to each other.