D o you ever wonder how insects , birds , bats and even flying fish , all have the ability to fly , yet they are such different and unrelated organisms ? Or how the platypus , a mammal , has what looks just like a duck bill ? Did you know that koalas have evolved fingerprints that are indistinguishable from ours ? All of the above are examples of convergent evolution -- the process by which organisms that are not closely related independently evolve similar traits because they live in similar environments or niches . The wings of the insects , birds , and bats , the duckbill of the platypus , and the koala ’ s fingerprints are all known as analogous structures , which are direct results of convergent evolution . Because these traits are not inherited from a common ancestor , they are not homologous structures . So , birds and bats ’ abilities to fly do not make them close relatives ; their abilities to fly evolved independently of each other despite their shared functions and resemblance .
People have claimed that there are more Elvis impersonators in the world than there are for any other celebrity . Two Elvis impersonators attending the Ultimate Elvis Contest are likely to share many common traits - the clothes they wear , their voices . But of course , the similarities between the two Elvis impersonators do not come from one common origin . The two impersonators may come from two completely different sides of the country and have no relations whatsoever . This month , Vogue had the privilege of bringing in two of the 2013 National Finals Winners of the Elvis Extravaganza Impersonator Contest - Cody Wise and Jerome Jackson - for an interview on their convergence . The annual event took place on February 16 , 2013 in Tampa , Florida . Impersonator Jerome Jackson won the “ Best Overalll ,” “ Best Sound-A-Like ,” and “ Fan Favorite ” titles , while Cody Wise won “ Best Look-A-Like .” Unfortunately , Garyelvis Britt , the other finalist and winner of the “ Outstanding Performance ” title was not able to join us this month .
Talia Liu : Congratulations to both of you on your wins at the Elvis Extravaganza Impersonator Contest ! We are so excited to have you here !
Cody Wise and Jerome Jackson : Thank you for having us ! We ’ re so honored .
TL : So we wanted to start off by asking both of you where you ’ re from ; you obviously aren ’ t from the same area and aren ’ t related ...
JJ : Well , I was born in Dothan , Alabama . My mama - yeah , I just said mama ! - she ’ s also from there , but my daddy was originally from South Carolina . We moved to Columbus , Georgia , then to Germany , and then finally settled in the Daleville area .
CW : I ’ m from Franklinton , Louisiana , and I ’ ve lived there all my life .
TL : How and when did you start learning about or discovering Elvis ?
CW : Well I know for me , I was introduced to him at a very young age - thanks to my parents , especially my mother ! It didn ’ t take me long since then to become absolutely inspired and curious about such a different lifestyle and career .
JJ : My family isn ’ t really musical - no one played any instruments or sang . I discovered Elvis ’ s voice when I was eight , while living in Columbus . There was just something about that voice that struck me ... this was even before I knew what Elvis looked like or what he was all about . I didn ’ t really begin singing until I was about thirteen .
TL : How did you learn how to sing so well ?
18 VOGUE JUNE 2013