'TimeTree' Application (2 of 2) (IMAGE) Penn State Caption This diagram of the Timetree of Life is an assembly of individual timetrees in the Timetree of Life project, which has the ultimate goal of charting the timescale of life -- to discover when each species and all their ancestors originated, all the way back to the origin of life about four billion years ago. This Timetree of Life illustration results from an assembly of individual timetrees. Each of the 1,610 terminal branches represents a family or family-level taxon. The scientists who put an innovative tree of life online last year now have made that same resource available -- free -- for smartphones. The new "TimeTree" application lets anyone with an Apple iPhone harness a vast Internet storehouse of data about the diversity of life, from bacteria to humans. The new iPhone app can be fun for people who want to learn how long ago their cat and dog began evolving down different evolutionary paths, and it also is a useful scientific tool. The intuitive interface is designed to answer a simple question, quickly and authoritatively: how long ago did species A and species B share a common ancestor? Credit Timetree of Life project Usage Restrictions The credit information must be published along with the image. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.