Welcome to a great, straightforward guide to the tree of life
Making sure this bird is a swallow and not a swift is tough because they look so similar
Klein & Hubert/naturepl.com
The Tree of Life
Max Telford (John Murray (UK) W. W. Norton (US, 11 November))
Most of us can imagine a tree of life; some can even sketch one out. Branches coming off branches coming off branches, each describing a turn in evolutionary history. Over here are the molluscs. Over there, the apes. Look closer in that general area and you might even find us, Homo sapiens.
But do any of us truly marvel at this giant tree, as…