Phylo-Movies: Desktop App and Web Tool for Phylogenetic Tree Interpolation

Phylo-Movies is available both as a desktop app and as a browser-based phylogenetic tree visualization and interpolation tool for sliding-window analyses, recombination detection, and rogue taxa exploration. This static page provides publication details, citation metadata, downloads, generated browser examples, and setup paths. Uploads and local example processing require the desktop app, Docker, or a source checkout.

Choose How to Use Phylo-Movies

Desktop App

Best default path for end users who want a packaged local application without setting up Node.js or Python.

Download desktop releases

Browser Demo

Open generated publication examples directly on GitHub Pages, without backend processing.

Open generated examples

Full Stack Workflow

Required for interpolation, morphing animations, uploaded tree files, and MSA-driven processing via BranchArchitect.

View setup instructions

Key Use Cases

Recombination Detection

Inspect where local tree topology shifts across genomic windows instead of relying only on scalar distance summaries.

Rogue Taxa Analysis

Track taxa that change attachment across bootstrap trees and identify which subtrees move and where they attach.

Sliding-Window Phylogenetics

Animate changes across ordered tree series generated from overlapping windows in a multiple sequence alignment.

Publication and Citation

Phylo-Movies: Animating Phylogenetic Trees from Sliding-Window Analyses presents the Phylo-Movies workflow for recombination-focused sliding-window phylogenetics and rogue-taxon exploration across bootstrap tree sets.

Authors: E. B. Sakalli, S. E. Haendeler, A. von Haeseler, H. A. Schmidt.

Publication DOI: 10.64898/2026.04.01.715821

Software DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20488923

Sakalli, E. B., Haendeler, S. E., von Haeseler, A., and Schmidt, H. A. (2026). Phylo-Movies: Animating Phylogenetic Trees from Sliding-Window Analyses. bioRxiv. doi:10.64898/2026.04.01.715821
Sakalli, E. B., Haendeler, S. E., von Haeseler, A., and Schmidt, H. A. (2026). Phylo-Movies: Interactive Phylogenetic Tree Interpolation and Visualization, version 0.98.1. Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.20488923

Demonstration Videos

The manuscript videos show installation, MSA synchronisation, norovirus, and bootstrap rogue-taxon workflows.

Run the Full Application

The complete local or deployed app combines the React frontend with the BranchArchitect backend for uploaded trees, interpolation, and MSA-based processing.

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/enesBerkSakalli/phylo-movies.git
cd phylo-movies
docker compose up --build

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Phylo-Movies do?

Phylo-Movies visualizes topological changes between phylogenetic trees by animating subtree movements across sliding-window analyses, bootstrap replicates, and related workflows.

Can I try it in the browser?

Yes. The GitHub Pages site includes generated publication examples that open the visualization workspace without backend processing.

When do I need the backend?

You need the BranchArchitect backend for uploaded tree files, local example processing, interpolation, morphing animations, and MSA-driven workflows.

Why did a GitHub Pages action say Failed to fetch?

That usually means a backend-dependent action was started on the static site. Use the generated demo here, or run the desktop app, Docker, or source checkout for uploads.

How should I cite Phylo-Movies?

Cite the bioRxiv preprint Phylo-Movies: Animating Phylogenetic Trees from Sliding-Window Analyses using DOI 10.64898/2026.04.01.715821, and cite the archived software release using DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20488923.