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I am particularly interested in the Tree of Life classification system because of the significance it gives to embryonic development and ancestral history. In classification and evolution, the key to understanding what is to come is mastering an understanding of history. That formative characteristics relate us to unlikely organisms makes me question our place in the hierarchy of life on Earth today. Classification has allowed humans to feel comfortable assigning value to the lives of other organisms (killing a bug is nothing, but killing a dog is unthinkable). But, the Tree of Life would suggest that we shouldn't get too comfortable at the top.