homologies

Shared evolutionary origins

Homologies is the plural of homology—a correspondence or similarity, especially one indicating common origin.

In biology, homologies are structural features shared across species due to descent from a common ancestor: the human arm and whale flipper are homologies, both derived from the same ancestral limb.

In genetics, homologous chromosomes pair during cell division.

The term extends to any deep structural parallels: Critics noted homologies between the two political movements.

morphology

anatomy

Study of organism structure

structureArrangement of interconnected parts
comparativeInvolving measured contrast
forelimbAnterior vertebrate appendage

vertebrate · skeletal · bone · fin · wing · flipper · vestigial · embryology · segmentation · bilateral

phylogenetics

cladistics

Classification by common descent

systematicsScience of classifying organisms
speciationFormation of distinct species
divergenceSeparation from common origin

clade · lineage · evolutionary · branching · outgroup · taxonomic · ancestral · derived · parsimony · coalescent

genetics

chromosomes

Gene-bearing nuclear structures

DNAHereditary code molecule
genesUnits of heredity
allelesVariant forms of genes

inheritance · mutation · genomics · genotype · phenotype · sequencing · conserved · nucleotide · duplication · recombination

mathematical

topology

Study of spatial arrangement

algebraMath using symbols
singularOne in number
cellularComposed of small units

boundary · cycle · invariant · manifold · dimension · persistent · homological · kernel

Opposites

evolutionary relationship type

homologiesanalogies

Comparative resemblances drawn

convergences · dissimilarities · mimicries

sameness vs. difference

homologiesdifferences

Ways things aren't alike

Family

analogy, analogous, analogue, analogies, analogize, homologous, homology, analogues, analogs

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