Have students play a game of Telephone and trace the path of a message to introduce how computers create phylogenetic trees.

  • One student starts out with a message and whispers it to two students separately. Each student writes down what they heard and continues the process.
  • Using the variations in the message as it was passed down the chain, students can construct a tree describing how the message evolved.
    • Explain that computers use the same process to generate a phylogenetic tree.
  • Check out the CS Unplugged Phylogenetics Activity for more information.