A phylogenetic analysis of galaxies in the Coma Cluster and the field: a new approach to galaxy

M. Martínez-Marín, R. Demarco, G. Cabrera-Vives, P. Cerulo, N. W. C. Leigh, and R. Herrera-Camus.

During my Master's degree in Astronomy, I kept exploring machine learning techniques, this time borrowing algorithms from biology. I used Phylogenetic trees normally used to classify species by their DNA information, but instead of classifying species, I applied them to galaxies utilizing their chemical content (absorption indices) as their DNA information. Then I compare the different branches of the phylogenetic trees, to other characteristics like morphology, SFR, mass and metallicity.

This was a very fun project that allow me to apply unsupervised clustering algorithms to astronomical data, giving a refreshing way to study galaxy evolution.

I presented this work at the XV SOCHIAS Annual Meeting 2019. Atacama, Chile.

I was the first graduated from the Astronomy Master program of the University of Concepción, and this work was the main topic of my thesis.