Hi there! I’m Emily from MinuteEarth. Today, let’s explore how life and language evolve in similar ways. Imagine a group of animals or people splitting up. Over time, small changes happen in their genes or the words they use. As more time passes, these differences grow bigger, eventually creating new species or new languages. By finding similarities between different species or languages, we can trace back their origins and create family trees.
However, similarities can sometimes be tricky. Take the words “emoticon” and “emoji,” for example. They sound alike and describe similar things, so you might think they come from the same origin. But that’s not true! “Emoticon” is a mix of the English words “emotion” and “icon,” while “emoji” comes from the Japanese words for “picture” and “character.” These words don’t show any hidden connection between English and Japanese.
There are other coincidences too. The English and Mbabaram words for “dog,” the French and German words for “fire,” the Malay and Greek words for “eye,” and the Inuktitut and Turkish words for “boat” all sound similar but aren’t related. In biology, similarities can also lead us in the wrong direction.
For instance, scientists once thought two birds were closely related because they looked alike. But recent DNA tests revealed that they’re not even on the same evolutionary branch. In fact, they might be less related than penguins and flamingos! They both have bald heads because they evolved that way separately, likely due to their similar lifestyle of eating carrion.
Similarly, there are two rodents that look so much alike that we call them both “porcupine.” But one is actually more closely related to the super-soft chinchilla, while the other is closer to the very naked mole rat. This shows that when trying to figure out how two things are related, you can’t rely on just one or two similarities, even if they seem obvious.
So, remember, while similarities can help us understand connections, they can also be misleading. It’s important to look deeper and gather more information to truly understand the relationships between things.
Imagine you are a linguist! Choose a few languages you are interested in and research their origins. Create a family tree that shows how these languages are related. Use online resources or library books to find information about their roots and how they have evolved over time. Present your family tree to the class and explain any surprising connections or differences you discovered.
Become a word detective! Pick a set of words that sound similar but come from different languages, like “emoticon” and “emoji.” Research their origins and meanings. Create a short presentation or poster that explains the true origins of these words and why they might be misleading. Share your findings with your classmates and discuss how language can evolve in unexpected ways.
Choose two animals that look similar but are not closely related, like the birds with bald heads mentioned in the article. Research their evolutionary history and create a Venn diagram to compare their similarities and differences. Present your diagram to the class and explain how these animals evolved similar traits independently.
Explore the world of DNA! Use an online tool or app that simulates DNA analysis. Choose two species and compare their DNA sequences to see how closely related they are. Write a short report on your findings and discuss how DNA analysis can provide more accurate information about evolutionary relationships than physical similarities alone.
Participate in a class debate! Split into two groups: one arguing that similarities are useful for understanding relationships, and the other arguing that they can be misleading. Use examples from the article and your own research to support your arguments. After the debate, reflect on what you learned about the complexity of evolution and language development.
Hi, this is Emily from MinuteEarth. Life and language evolve in many of the same ways: a group splits, and over time, small changes occur in genetic traits and particular words. Over more time, those differences get amplified, eventually leading to new species and new languages. By looking for similarities between different species and different languages, we can trace their origins and draw their family trees.
However, sometimes similarities can be misleading. Take the similar-sounding words “emoticon” and “emoji”: they describe similar things, so you might think they have similar origins. But “emoticon” is a combination of the English words “emotion” and “icon,” while “emoji” combines the Japanese words for picture and character; the two words don’t hint at any hidden relationship between English and Japanese.
Other coincidences include the English and Mbabaram words for “dog,” the French and German words for “fire,” the Malay and Greek words for “eye,” and the Inuktitut and Turkish words for “boat.” Similarly, in biology, similarities can also lead us astray. For example, biologists long thought that two birds must be sibling species, but recent DNA testing suggests that they’re not even on the same evolutionary branch and may be less related than penguins and flamingos; they evolved their bald-headedness independently, probably because they both pursued the same carrion-eating lifestyle.
Likewise, these two rodents look so much alike that we named them both “porcupine,” but in fact, one of them is actually more closely related to the super-soft chinchilla, while the other is more closely related to the very naked mole rat. So, it turns out, if you are trying to determine how two things are related, you can’t just use one or two data points, even if they’re very pointy.
Similarity – The state of being alike or having common features. – In biology, scientists study the similarity between different species to understand their evolutionary relationships.
Evolve – To develop gradually over time, often into a more complex form. – Over millions of years, whales have evolved from land-dwelling creatures to the ocean giants we see today.
Species – A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. – The giant panda is an endangered species that lives in the bamboo forests of China.
Language – A system of communication used by a particular community or country. – In biology, the language of DNA is composed of four nucleotides that encode genetic information.
Origins – The point or place where something begins or is created. – Scientists study the origins of life on Earth to understand how living organisms first appeared.
Biology – The scientific study of life and living organisms. – In biology class, we learned about the different systems of the human body and how they function together.
Changes – Alterations or modifications that occur over time. – Environmental changes can lead to the adaptation of species as they adjust to new conditions.
Related – Connected by a common origin or shared characteristics. – Humans and chimpanzees are closely related, sharing a significant amount of their DNA.
Connections – Relationships or links between things. – Ecologists study the connections between different species in an ecosystem to understand how they interact.
Information – Data or knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance. – DNA contains the genetic information necessary for the growth and development of living organisms.
