Common Ancestor

Real World Example

Imagine trying to figure out which family member was the original owner of a treasured family recipe that you and your cousins all use. Just like tracing back through family stories to identify the ancestor who first started this culinary tradition, scientists trace back through the lineage of species to find the common ancestor from which different species have evolved. In both cases, whether it's a recipe or a species, we're searching for the "founder" who set the foundation for what followed—be it a beloved dish passed down through generations or the branching out of species from a single ancestral lineage.