Evolutionary Terminology

noun a throwback to an earlier stage of evolution

• The presence of a tail in some humans is considered an atavism, a throwback to our evolutionary ancestors.
• I heard that having wisdom teeth is actually an atavism from our ancestors.
• Dude, having a pinky toe that's separate from the rest is like a total atavism.
• His violent outburst was seen as an atavism of his family's history of aggression.

noun the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived

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• The origin of the universe is a topic of great scientific debate.
• I'm curious about the origin of that old family heirloom.
• I have no idea about the origin of that funky dance move.
• The origin of his success can be traced back to his humble beginnings.

adjective a term used to describe something or someone as being less than human or of a lower status or quality

• The concept of treating certain groups as subhuman has been a dark chapter in human history.
• It's appalling how some people can act in such a subhuman manner towards others.
• I can't believe he stooped so low, that was just straight up subhuman.
• The relentless heat made me feel like I was slowly turning into a subhuman creature.

noun a branching diagram representing the phylogeny or evolutionary history of a group of organisms

• The cladogram showed the evolutionary relationships between different species.
• We had to study that confusing cladogram in biology class.
• I'm still trying to wrap my head around that crazy cladogram.
• The cladogram was like a family tree for all living organisms.

noun MRCA stands for Most Recent Common Ancestor, referring to the most recent individual from which all organisms in a group are directly descended.

• The MRCA of all modern humans lived in Africa around 200,000 years ago.
• The MRCA of all of us was apparently a cool dude from Africa.
• Yo, did you know we all share a common ancestor called the MRCA?
• The MRCA is like the ultimate family tree root for all of humanity.

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb to indicate manner, time, place, or degree

• The species showed remarkable adaptationally traits in response to the changing environment.
• The plant's adaptationally abilities helped it survive in harsh conditions.
• That animal is so adaptationally gifted, it can thrive anywhere!
• Her adaptationally mindset allowed her to navigate through difficult situations with ease.