michael1d ago

2-Apr-2026
Spectacular #fossil treasure trove pushes back origins of complex animals

very exciting stuff we heard about at the recent #Oxford Planets day as well.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121553
#science #evolution #precambrian #paleontology #animals #bodyplan

Spectacular fossil treasure trove pushes back origins of complex animals

A newly discovered fossil site in southwest China has transformed our understanding of how complex animal life emerged on Earth, revealing that many key animal groups had already evolved before the start of the Cambrian Period. The study, led by researchers at Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History and Department of Earth Sciences as well as Yunnan University in China, has been published today (02 April) in Science.

EurekAlert!
CharrveinNov 28, 2023

Exam period is upon us

Today #diversityofLife for 1st year

Best question, describe and contrast #sponge and #bilateria #anatomy n #bodyplan

Tomorrow #HumanGenetics for 3rd year
#UniversityIceland

Pic from #GusGus concert

Matt WillemsenNov 5, 2023
Starfish Are Basically Bodiless Heads Crawling Around The Ocean, Scientists Say
According to a new analysis of their gene expression, starfish and other echinoderms lack the architecture for an actual body.
They are essentially just mobile heads that sprouted the ability to crawl, say a team led by biologists Laurent Formery and Chris Lowe of Stanford University.
https://www.sciencealert.com/starfish-are-basically-bodiless-heads-crawling-around-the-ocean-scientists-say #starfish #echinoderms #heads #bodyplan #deuterostome #superphylum
Starfish Are Basically Bodiless Heads Crawling Around The Ocean, Scientists Say

We already knew that starfish were pretty weird.

ScienceAlert
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺Jun 30, 2023

#Sponges react to changes in their #microbiome with extensive modifications in #GeneRegulation
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-sponges-react-microbiome-extensive-modifications.html

#BodyPlan Reorganization in a #Sponge Correlates with Microbiome Change https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/doi/10.1093/molbev/msad138/7191912

"The sponges respond to the loss of #cyanobacteria—eg. due to shading—with significant changes to their #morphology: Here, initially blue sponges with leaf-like growth forms transformed into white, thread-like #morphotypes with a markedly different #microanatomy."

Sponges react to changes in their microbiome with extensive modifications in gene regulation: Study

For a number of years, mounting evidence has shown that the microbiome—the totality of all microorganisms that inhabit a living being—interacts with its host in various ways and can influence key life processes. Sponges, which rank among the oldest multicellular life forms on Earth, likewise host a diverse array of microbial communities.

Phys.org