One of the common misperceptions of evolution among non-scientists is that hominid evolution is a straight line of unilineal physical development. However, modern paleoanthropology has demonstrated that our family tree is better thought of as a branching tree rather than a single line. What are the differences between these views and what are the most important aspects of understanding the multiple lines of hominid physical evolution. How might the principle of mosaic evolution figure into these views?