They used the fossil record to
date branches of the tree and work out just how long it took for dinosaurs» bodies to change.
Not exact matches
They can also estimate how rapidly the DNA sequence
of a particular gene may change, giving a «molecular clock» that puts rough
dates next to the
tree's
branches.
The team also performed radiocarbon analyses on carbonized
tree trunks and
branches buried within the pyroclastic deposits to confirm the
date of the eruption; it could not, they concluded, have happened before 1257 C.E., and certainly happened in the 13th century.
This understanding offers insights into how cancers develop and also has implications for efforts to use DNA to
date branches on the
tree of life.
Hipp's team also used oak fossils to help it
date when certain
branches of this family
tree arose.
In front
of him was an astonishingly well preserved
tree, complete with trunk and
branches,
dating from 385 million years ago.
They used fossils to
date when various features changed on
branches of the
tree.
The team found two teeth belonging to rat - like animals that
date back 145 million years, meaning they're among the earliest creatures on our particular
branch of the
tree of life to have been discovered.
To do this, we assume a model in which the ancestral population
of the single sample merges with the European
tree at a particular
branch at a particular time before the
date of origin
of the sample.
With 1,357 tips, it doesn't appear as robust as some
of the others, and the white - tipped pinecones and glitter - tipped
branches might make the
tree a bit
dated.
From my layperson perspective I see the CH part with less controversial algorithms used for
dating tree rings, less uncertainties in the results and having the advantage
of being the longer practiced
branch..