# Phylogenetics **Domain:** Evolutionary Biology / Computational Biology **Doc Type:** Scientific Method Node **Maturity:** Established **Primary Source:** [[articles/The Art is Long|The Art is Long: Vespucci of Immortality]] **Related:** [[wiki/Inference from Fragments|Inference from Fragments]], [[wiki/Darwinian Evolution|Darwinian Evolution]], [[wiki/Genome|Genome]], [[wiki/Molecular Clock|Molecular Clock]] --- ## Definition **Phylogenetics** reconstructs evolutionary relationships and ancestral lineages from observable characteristics such as molecular sequences, morphology, and other inherited variation. ## Reconstruction Context The ancestral object is generally absent. Phylogenetic inference uses partial evidence from extant or fossil descendants to constrain a history that no longer survives as a directly observable whole, making it a core example of [[wiki/Recoverability|recoverability]].