Classifying Life by DNA, Not Appearance

Forget looks, scientists now classify all life based on DNA. This means you could

be more closely related to a mushroom than to some plants. It all comes down to who you share

a more recent ancestor with. The more similar your DNA is to another organism,

the closer you are on the evolutionary family tree. This system gives every living thing

a fancy two-part scientific name, which is why you're not just a human, you're a *Homo sapiens*.

But you know what's not on the list? Viruses. They're just genetic material in a protein

coat and can't reproduce by themselves. So technically, they aren't even alive.