tree of life
noun phrase
: a conventionalized and often ornate representation of a tree used as a decorative motif
Examples of tree of life in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The finding points to a way that animals across the tree of life can evolve new behaviors.
—
Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
Snakes may be quick to evolve into new forms, but people could be haphazardly pruning those buds and branches off the tree of life before they’ve even been spotted.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
All of these things still happen and are important for understanding evolution, but snakes (and similarly diverse animal groups like rodents and passerine birds) suggest that maybe big, sudden jumps are part of how the tree of life has grown too.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
Somewhere in Earth’s past, some branches on the tree of life adopted a body plan that made breathing and cooling down considerably more efficient than how mammalian bodies like ours do it.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
If ctenophores branched off before sponges in the tree of life, that suggests one of two scenarios for neuron evolution.
—Cara Giovanetti, Scientific American, 4 Jan. 2024
Beyond just sea stars, the findings may help scientists understand how new animal shapes and structures evolve in other branches of the tree of life, Oliveri says.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
Native Americans in the area call the rot-resistant cedar the tree of life and once used it to make everything from canoes to baskets.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Still, researchers are starting to find similar sleep states across many branches of the animal tree of life.
—Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
Snakes may be quick to evolve into new forms, but people could be haphazardly pruning those buds and branches off the tree of life before they’ve even been spotted.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
All of these things still happen and are important for understanding evolution, but snakes (and similarly diverse animal groups like rodents and passerine birds) suggest that maybe big, sudden jumps are part of how the tree of life has grown too.
—Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
Somewhere in Earth’s past, some branches on the tree of life adopted a body plan that made breathing and cooling down considerably more efficient than how mammalian bodies like ours do it.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
If ctenophores branched off before sponges in the tree of life, that suggests one of two scenarios for neuron evolution.
—Cara Giovanetti, Scientific American, 4 Jan. 2024
Beyond just sea stars, the findings may help scientists understand how new animal shapes and structures evolve in other branches of the tree of life, Oliveri says.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
Native Americans in the area call the rot-resistant cedar the tree of life and once used it to make everything from canoes to baskets.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Still, researchers are starting to find similar sleep states across many branches of the animal tree of life.
—Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tree of life.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tree of life
Cite this Entry
“Tree of life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tree%20of%20life. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share