
STSE
Imagine a world without cladistics? How will we be able to communicate our ideas about the diverse variety of organisms? Cladistics is helpful for creating system of classification, so biologists and other scientists can understand the history of our life. Not only does this model describe what has been observed but it predicts what hasn’t been observed yet. Cladistics makes a hypotheses about the relationship of organisms. This can be important when certain genes are being sought out. Example, genes sought out by farmers that yield more crop, or by doctors in search for medicines. Cladistics can make hypotheses and can make these endeavours possible. Some medical conditions such as high blood pressure and pain can be treated using compounds found in nature. The only problem is finding out which species might have the right substance. Cladistics offers a way organizes and helps us figure which species may have the right substance. For example, venom yields many important drugs. Venom is a heritable trait that is often shared among closely related species. Biologists can reconstruct a cladogram of a group of species, identify the ones known to be venomous, and using the pattern of evolution to identify other species that may have that trait.
