Welcome!

In this project, you will learn about two closely related species of plants.  For over 150 years, scientists thought these were just one species, but their uniqueness was recently confirmed by genetic evidence.  These types of similar-looking-but-distinct plants are called “cryptic species.”

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(Photo credit: Blanka Shaw)

Your mission is to help spot the differences between these two species of plants.
Researchers have developed a computer program to differentiate cryptic species using artificial intelligence. Researchers also hope to learn more about how humans differentiate between species and compare these human tactics to the ones used by the computer.

This website works best on a computer or tablet -- it is not advised to use your smartphone.

The activity has four parts.  Estimated time to complete this activity is 15-20 minutes.

This activity is completely anonymous, and no personally identifying information will be collected. Your participation is completely voluntary and you may choose to stop participating at any time.

Click "Next" to begin the activity!

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