Re: Fw: Most popular/common dinosaur misconceptions

["T. Michael Keesey" <keesey@gmail.com>]

On 8/19/06, tholtz@geol.umd.edu <tholtz@geol.umd.edu> wrote:
> > There could even have been exchange
> > of genetic information between lineages. Perhaps I could suggest "most
> > _recent_ common ancestor"?
>
> Actually, "most recent common ancestor" is by far the more common phrase.
> Keesey's terminology is far rarer.

In this case, there's not any real difference difference. (Some people
use "last", too.)

I would actually prefer to use the term "maximal", since "most recent"
(and, to a lesser extent, "last" and "final") unnecessarily invokes
chronology, while "maximal" can refer solely to patterns of ancestry
and descent, but that's an entirely different discussion with little
direct relevance to this list.
--
T. Michael Keesey
The Dinosauricon: http://dino.lm.com
Parry & Carney: http://parryandcarney.com