In his Computational Molecular Evolution course professor Anders Gorm Pedersen states that “evolutionary theory is the conceptual foundation of biology” and that “A phylogenetic [evolutionary] tree will almost always help you think more clearly about your biological problem.” That might seem strange since evolutionary theory’s fundamental predictions have turned out to be false and the species do not fit into an evolutionary tree. But all is clear when Pedersen approvingly quotes what is practically evolution’s official motto from Theodosius Dobzhansky: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Read more