| Life on earth is characterized by two apparently contrasting qualities: diversity and similarities. The strand that joins these two opposites is the genetic material (the genome, DNA). DNA is copied down the generations over billions of years, with the necessary degree of fidelity but leaving enough room for variation, which is the prerequisite for evolution. Constantly filtered by the environment (random events, natural selection), the variations that endure in nature are the ones shaping our world. New species branch out just like the offshoots of a tree, without displacing existing ones, yet many species are lost, like branches truncated after failing in a tough environment. The circles containing concentric inner circles similar to seeds draw inspiration from the painter Vassily Kandinsky’s studies on the Tree of life, often used as a creative activity in preschool or elementary school settings. |
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